-40C. That’s what it felt like with the wind chill, but not cold enough to freeze over the hearts of all who were waiting in line for the Three To Be Charity Event at Maison Mercer on Friday March 1st, 2013.
I always look forward to seeing a hometown hero rock a party, but when I heard that Adam K was headlining for a cause I immediately became more interested. You don’t hear of many EDM charity events taking place (ever), so I definitely didn’t want to miss a unique opportunity to see what everyone was gathered to dance for. THREE TO BE is a Toronto-based organization driven to advocate and raise funds to support and advance the development of innovative research, education and therapies for children with neurological disorders such as autism, and cerebral palsy. That happened to be the deciding factor behind my decision to attend, as this foundation is something that means more to me than any DJ set ever could. It was touching to learn that the people behind the foundation would associate and partner with the production team behind something as far out as an EDM event at a nightclub – this concept reaches out to a whole new demographic of party-goers and music enthusiasts different from your traditional “raver” EDM crowd.
As I said, it felt like sub-zero Antarctica standing along Mercer St. waiting to get inside, however the line was short and moving quickly. The door-men and line staff at Maison are very professional and ensure traffic flow is in fact flowing in a safe and timely manner. Upon getting in and dealing with coat check, it was a familiar Maison Mercer vibe with an out-of-element twist. Everyone was dressed the part. Anyone that knows the parties at Maison knows that it’s all about the glitz and glamour. Aside from the sophisticated character of the party’s atmosphere, you can tell that the crowd’s mind was in a different place. Everyone was there for the celebration of friends supporting this cause and the feel-good attitude in the room was instantly noticeable and contagious. Going around to “work the room” for the purpose of meeting new people and finding out what their story is, whether it was EDM or charity related was quite a thrill. No matter who I approached everyone was light in spirits and nice enough to stay and chat for a while!
I had initially stepped into Maison during the peak of Jordon Ash‘s set, and from what I heard he was doing what he did best. I made a comment to a woman I was talking to that it was very refreshing to see a DJ play out tracks that fit the tone of the party and not necessarily drop crazy “out of place bass”. He has a great time keeping spirits light and setting the mood, and I can certainly tell that was the case. Nothing but smiles track after track – dropping everything from French house, nu-disco, Beatport Top 40 and tech-house. Very eclectic however I know it prevented many people from really throwing it down on the dance floor. In the centre of the venue where the dance floor was, no one was dancing but instead maintaining this cheerful socialite atmosphere and mingling. It’s really the perfect situation to hang out with friends- good fashion, music and drinks.
Turn the page and it was quite a different story when Adam K (Hotbox Digital) took over the decks. It was as if the party had actually started as the crowd moved it was such a drastic difference in tone. The real EDM fans showed their true colours and the dance floor started to serve its purpose. Adam kept it relatively light, lighter than what I am used to hearing come out of his decks again, accommodating the crowd and the atmosphere which everyone could appreciate. Playing out tracks longer than Jordan Ash, I noticed, handpicking Hotbox digital favourites featuring his favourite plucking-synth sound. Tracks like Raining – Kaskade & Adam K and other smoother beats from the Hotbox were heard in the beginning, but then something amazing happened. In almost an instant, myself along with other true trance lovers in the club immediately noticed each other as they jumped in the air cheering for the recognition of the synth sound of Adam K’s & BT‘s Tomahawk flow into the mix. Only then did we know what was to come, and what happens to a dance floor when it’s dropped. I must say it never fails, Maison erupted when the time came.
There’s nothing quite as satisfying than listening to a hometown hero’s massive track being played out and making an entire club move, definitely a highlight in the night. At that point Adam K started to get more aggressive in the selection of tracks that could be recognized as the digi-technical sounding artist we all know. I didn’t stay for the entire set but for those who stayed I heard it was Adam at his best. It was a pleasure to experience this event at Maison, I would highly recommend checking out EDM events at Maison Mercer in the future!
Sabino Furlone – EDM TOR
