EVENT REVIEW: Ultra Pre-Party at Toika Lounge 15-03-14 by Natalia Toussaint

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I had the opportunity to speak to Terry Funk a few days before the event and chat about the first Ultra Pre-Party to take place in Toronto.

“I thought this would be a great opportunity to get everyone hyped about Winter Music Conference (WMC) before we all headed out,” says Terry Funk part of Horizon Group (with Connie Truong and Matt Korman), who hosted the event. “There is nothing like this in Toronto. Ultimately, we wanted to host an event for those who wouldn’t be able to attend Ultra.”

“Inspiration came from Insomniac. Their events give off the old school meaning of what raves are: entertainment, music, lights, neon and a sense of community. Like them, I want to start with monthly club nights and build an empire; bring a positive and loving atmosphere to the EDM world. Success means that it’s about the party and not about the money,” says Terry.

“The goal of this, and future events, is to give local talent a chance to do what they do best. I know what it feels like to have the doors closes as a DJ… I want to extend the decks to my peers who are on their A-game and know what they are doing but don’t have the opportunities.”

I had not been to Toika Lounge since summer 2012, after attending a few AUX Events before the renovations. I was excited to see the new layout. At first, I was confused by the new entrance and layout, but soon found my way of the land. I absolutely adored the graphic panels behind the DJ booth. The large, open dance floor provided more than enough dance space for those who arrived early. The dancefloor remained pretty empty the majority of the night. As this was the first event, most attendees opted for a late arrival as the event went until 4 a.m.

Photo Credit: John P Santos for EDMTOR

Photo Credit: John P Santos for EDMTOR

I arrived at 10:30 p.m. to Ryan Wylde spinning a mix of deep, tech and progressive house with a little bit of electro thrown in. You can find his recorded set and tracklist after the jump. I had the opportunity to speak to Ryan after his set about his journey as a DJ, and he said “I am mostly booked for electro sets. It was a nice change to play a variety of House music early on in the night then dance the night away.” Notable track selections include DJ Le Roi featuring Roland Clark I Get Deep (Joris Voorn This is Not a remix), Nobody Listen To Techno (feat Bobkomyn) by Jesse Garcia, Dario Nunez, Bobkomyn and Something Funky by Jerome Robins, Deko-ze, Peter Brown & Jorge Montia.

Photo Cred: John P Santos for EDMTOR

Photo Cred: John P Santos for EDMTOR

 

Trauma hit the decks around 11:30 playing a mix of big room and electro. Maybe it’s my love for hockey but I cannot get enough of Stompin Tom Collins The Hockey Song. Trauma played a few mashups that got the dance floor moving, the first was an Above & Beyond track mixed with Hardwell‘s Spaceman, and another being One Republic featuring Timbaland‘s Apologize mixed with Otto Knows Thousand Voices.

Photo Cred: John P Santos for EDMTOR

Photo Cred: John P Santos for EDMTOR

Last to grace the deck was Terry Funk, who went on around 1 a.m. The number of attendees doubled at this time, making finding your spot on the dance floor became increasingly difficult. Lose Myself by One Republic was the first song of his set, and it was easy to lose oneself in the music. For the remainder of the night the dance floor was filled with swaying and grooving bodies, never resting as each new track was mixed in. Singles that kept the crowd moving include Get Loose (Tiesto Remix) by Showtek & NoisecontrollersNoxu by Ivan Gough and Joey Dale‘s Whatcha Called.

I took my leave around 2 a.m. to the dance floor still ablaze with moving feet. A great big thanks to Horizon Group on a successful first Ultra Pre-Party and for making us the official media partner. Can’t wait to see this event happen again next year! Thanks to the staff at Toika for hosting another wonderful event. Everyone heading to WMC, safe travels, stay safe and have a blast!

Be sure to click here to see the photos by John P Santos!

LINKS:

Terry Funk

Ryan Wylde

Trauma


Natalia Toussaint
EDM TOR

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About Author

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Adele is the owner of Tranceported. She manages and maintains the social media and the photo and video teams, and has been shooting our event photos since 2011. She has been a fan of Trance music since the mid-90s and started this website (formerly called EDM TOR) in 2012.

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