With the closing of World MasterCard Fashion Week (#WMCFW) last Friday night, our city was buzzing with after-parties and celebrations. As someone who loves the WMCFW festivities I wanted to find a party that would bring together the best of fashion and EDM to end the week. Where was that possible? Thankfully I found it at Maison Mercer, where Capture Group partnered with YYZ Living Magazine and Intermix clothing boutique to bring us an a night of fashion and partying with New York-based Eva Shaw, aka DJ Bambi.
Arriving at Maison close to midnight, I noticed the guest list line was fairly long but moving quickly, which was a nice change from what we typically experience in the entertainment district here in Toronto. Upon entering the venue, resident DJ Jed Harper was spinning electro and house beats. I noticed the crowd swaying to the music as they mixed and mingled while waiting for the Intermix fashion show to start. I personally hadn’t been to Maison in almost a year, so we circled the room to scope out the crowd. It was mature, stylish and fun with an occasional Halloween costume here and there. Booths were set up with glasses and buckets while copies of YYZ Magazine were strategically placed throughout the venue – quite chic if you ask me. We found an open spot beside a temporary runway that was set up in the middle of the sunken dance floor. After chatting amongst ourselves for a few minutes, I noticed the runway light up and shortly after midnight the Intermix fashion show began. As the models strutted across the floor, the venue filled up and by the time the show was over, people were energized and ready to party.
Jed Harper spun a set of what I’d call electro-house club anthems including the ever-popular Pressure by Nadia Ali, Starkillers and Alex Kenji along with Zedd’s Spectrum. Midway through this set, the bouncers cleared the way on the runway, which was still in tact after the show, and within minutes two go-go dancers jumped up and grabbed the attention of the entire audience. I found it quite amusing to watch the gentlemen surrounding the runway, completely mesmerized by the bodies and movements of the fit, thong-clad dancers. You could put a blazing fire right beside some of those guys and I bet their eyes would not move from the dancing beauties.
As Jed Harper’s set continued, the music got stronger with harder hitting basslines that had the more excited of the bunch jumping up and down and dancing on the couches. All around the club, people were so into the beats, they barely noticed the smooth transition between DJs as Ms. Eva Shaw took over the decks as DJ Bambi.
Continuing with heavy hitting club beats, DJ Bambi brought us some interesting mash-ups and remixes including one of The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ 1999 track, Californication. I found myself reliving memories of the early 2000’s as I sang along and danced to the song. As the night progressed, the music got harder and more and more people found themselves bouncing to the beats – it was hard to find anyone not dancing or moving in some way, shape or form.
Over the past few months, Dutch-Canadian DJ Bambi has found herself travelling across the US and Canada making a name in the electro house and progressive house scenes. She’s played alongside recognized producers like David Guetta, Avicii, Steve Angello, Dirty South and more. She’s no stranger to the Toronto EDM scene as she’s made appearances at Century Room, The Hoxton, Cobra and more.
Maison is a spacious venue ideal for international talent like DJ Bambi as there is plenty of room to dance, chill out at a booth, or mix and mingle at one of the three bars all while enjoying the music. Unfortunately I can’t say I lasted all night on Friday – there was an extended license until 4am but I think I was Fashion Week-ed out as I was exhausted by 2:15am. We left in the middle of a banging set that had girls on the runway strutting their stuff while Morph suits and flapper girls tore up the dance floor. I wish I could have stayed longer to hear DJ Bambi’s closing, but at least now I know her style and can anticipate her return in the future.
For more information on DJ Bambi and her upcoming gigs, check out her Facebook Page and Twitter account.
Maison Mercer is a prominent clubbing venue in the heart of the entertainment district with plenty of EDM events coming up. Check out their website, Facebook page and Twitter account to be in-the-know of their upcoming news and events. We at EDM TOR will definitely be “schmoozing” at Maison more often (those of you over the age of 25 will likely get that reference).
I must thank Capture Group, YYZ and Intermix for bringing us a fashion-focused party with an EDM look and feel. It was the perfect blend of my two favourite worlds. See you at the next one!
Anjali Handa – EDM TOR
