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And the Contenders in the Main Room are...
Aaron Mossey (Beat Science)
With a successful year and increasingly full DJ schedule behind him, 2005 is looking to be very busy for Aaron musically. Named in TRIBE magazine as a DJ to watch by Toronto’s own Dekoze for 2004, Aaron has now been given the nod for a bi-monthly residency at Toronto's elite System Soundbar. He has been seen all over the city including opening for Dekoze’s Mayhem H2O Party, playing at the Labour of Love festival as well as many others to ever-growing and enthusiastic support. Aaron continues to host the widely popular "Beat Science" broadcast, weekly on Eccentric Beats.com and kicked off their first ever, live event headlining at the Quest in Minneapolis, MN with a return date in May, 2005 due to popular demand. It’s clear, Aaron is set for big things with his dynamic sound of Progressive, House and Breaks and is a sure stand out among Toronto’s growing Nu-Breed of Talent.
Jon Tremblay (Boa-Redux, Activate Wednesdays)
DJs have the ability to wield great power over their audience; they reel us in with pulsating beats, our eyes closing, our skin starting to feel that familiar tingle. We look at them in awe, and rely on their musical talents so we can get lost within harmonious melody for an evening. Since gracing the decks Jon Tremblay's titillating blend of tech house, progressive trance, breaks and hints of techno has exalted us and roused our feet with tireless dancing. Over the last few years, Jon’s innovation, ear for music, and charisma has earned him a loyal following and great respect throughout the Canadian Dance community.
Always imbued with the essence of music he frequented many clubs, befriended patrons and DJs alike, and his captivating personality coupled with his talent gained him the opportunity to play at one of Toronto's key DJ venues, System Soundbar. His charisma was well-noted, to Jon it's the cornerstone of being a DJ. His high-energy performances led him to both a monthly residency at Toronto’s System Soundbar in 2002, and a weekly residency for Activate Wednesday’s in 2003, where he plays a pivotal role in the organization of their events. His headlining debut at the first Breathe event of 2004 kept a crowd exhilarated ‘til the wee hours of the morning, and earned him a billing at Decadence, held in the world renowned Guvernment Complex.
Jon’s talent is well-regarded by many, including important local and international members of the Electronica scene such as: John “00” Flemming, Release Records, Matt Coleridge, and Deko-Ze. And most recently, Boa-Redux, (www.boa-redux.com) where he has gained a residency.
His involvement in the music industry extends well beyond the booth; with much dedicatation he works in his home studio, striving to kindle new sounds, re-edits and mixes for releases in the near future.
The new year promises to be a fruitful one for Jon Tremblay, as he continues to ascend as a DJ and as an artist.
Ian Guthrie (Fukhouse, Building Blocks)
Ian Guthrie is a long-term promoter and DJ hailing from Toronto, Canada. His roots in the seminal promotional organizations Transcendence and building Blocks led to a two year stint hosting a monthly "Fukhouse" Saturday night at the legendary Industry Nightclub. Fukhouse then moved to System Soundbar for another two years. Building Blocks continues to this day at Toronto's best underground club, Footwork.
Ian's style is rooted in tech-house, but can occasionally swerve towards deeper techno sounds.
Matt Vagrant
When asked to describe his sound, Matt explains that, "For me, creativity is the main focus. The progressive movement has been an enormous influence for me, as its forward-thinking inclination is something that I consider important to interesting music. However, the progressive genre, in and of itself, is not something that I like to constrain my sets to." According to Matt, "progressive alone, is great listening music, there's no doubt about that, but for success in a club, I like to take things in harder directions. I like to play a lot of techno. In my opinion, techno-oriented material is great because it tends to be harder and more energetic than progressive, as well as also allowing for more in the way of creativity
My mixing abilities are definitely my strength: I love to layer and cut tracks together to form something with more artistry in it. I think it's important for a DJ to not just get up in the booth and play one track after another, but to do that while being creative in various ways. I think it's important for a DJ to take their music, and be creative with it, make it new, their own, better, if you will."
The Phat Conductor
The Phat Conductor’s eclectic and technically innovative approach defies genrefication but usually involves obscene amounts of breakbeats and chest pounding bass. Exclusives, unreleased original material, megamixes, party classics, and rarities of all kinds are what can be expected when this man steps up to the decks.
The Phat Conductor is one of the fastest rising names in breaks the world over. Signed to Canada’s own 2Wars alongside Scissorkicks, Jelo, and The Incredible Melting Man, his first release ‘Garage Sale Symphony’ set critics' eardrums aflame, culminating in his being selected for the URB magazine's Next 100 issue in 2003. That summer his new single Ice-9, which reached #4 at the world famous Vinyl Addiction sales chart, could be heard pounding over the airwaves on Ministry of Sound Radio as well as in clubs all across the globe. Be sure to keep an ear out for his new releases Kill That Funk, with the Electrician on WOMP, and Cannibal Orgy on 2Wars with Dave Dub. Both tunes have already been getting play on the BBC.
So who is this madman you ask? Look no further than this bio from 2Wars for all of your answers:
The Phat Conductor is one of Canada's most talented and diverse breaks DJs. His impeccable selections coupled with his lightning fast mixing, ill scratching, fresh dubs, and characteristic good humor make his sets truly exceptional.
Although he is one of Canada's fastest rising young DJs The Phat Conductor is no rookie. He started playing the piano at the early age of 7 then moved on to play the cello, guitar, and bass guitar. From playing in punk rock and industrial outfits throughout his teenage years he quickly got into sequencing beats and doing production for his bands and from there DJing was a natural progression.
At the age of 15 he was apprenticed by Teknobrat, an oldschool Belgian techno don, who nurtured his growing DJ and production skills. Before long The Phat Conductor, then known as Mantra, became a staple of the Ottawa breaks scene. The Phat Conductor has held residencies with Eclipse, One Tribe, Babylon Nightclub, Imaginary Friends and is the official DJ for the Qwad Skwad breakdance crew.
In 1998 he became a founding member of Canada's largest multidisciplinary urban arts collectives, T.H.E.M. (www.them-art.com) and to this day holds the position of Music Director. For the year 1999-2000 The Phat Conductor took over as Artistic Director and Chair of the Ottawa Division, while H.Q. was being moved to Toronto, but now he mostly concentrates on his own artistic output. T.H.E.M. has executed over 60 art shows and installations in almost every environment including, The World Electronic Music Festival, the National Art Centre, Arts Court, and the Art Gallery of Ontario.
The Phat Conductor is poised to enter the global music scene in a big way. With solid releases under his belt, Torontobreaks Radio, an album in the works, and gigs all over the place, at the age of 21, his possibilities are boundless.
Gamma (www.gamma.dj)
Raymond Storey aka DJ Gamma started his road to become a DJ in a most typical way. He moved to Ottawa, Canada in Sept. 1999 from a small town and began attending electronic music events in Ottawa and Montreal. At the time Atomic in Ottawa and Sona in Montreal were among the best afterhours spots known in Canada. Also, the scene in Montreal included legendary parties such as Cream, Celebration, Bal en Blanc and Swirl. From the first taste of the scene, Gamma had wanted to bring his own music flavor to the crowd, and so began the journey from the purchase of the first set of turntables, to becoming one of the new sounds and faces in local music circles. Inspired by the likes of the crowd pleasing Max Graham, the ingenuity of Sasha, and great support from friends Raymond worked long hours to prefect his DJ skills. In 2002, he relocated again to Toronto, where he now resides. Through an Internet forum site, TranceAddict he made new friends and was able to integrate into the more intimate feel of the club scene in Toronto. With an even greater desire to perform and a bigger record collection and with an even larger support base of local beginner DJs like DJ Eso, Richard Taylor and Kevin Harcourt Gamma was ready to show off his unique sound. The “New Talent Contest” at Destiny’s WEMF allowed Gamma along with Kevin Harcourt to do just that. Because of his approachable personality and sincere friendliness, Gamma has gained a loyal group of fans and even placing a very close 2nd in the 2HP.ca Radio 2004 Toronto TranceAddict DJ contest. His club debut at System Soundbar in the Fall of 2004 was a huge success opening the door to new opportunities. Not to mention, Gamma’s few marathon live-to-air Sunday Sessions on 2HP.ca Radio have become a recent trademark. If you like a unique blend of progressive tribal and tech house that will without a doubt get you moving, look out for this new DJ in 2005, you won’t be disappointed!
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"It's too cerebral, man! We're trying to make a movie, not a film!!!!!!" - Kit Ramsey
Last edited by Allegory on May-07-2005 at 18:19
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