A #basshead found her home
I arrived at Toika just before 10:30 p.m. I have been to Toika since the renovations, but I still walk up to the old entrance when I first started going to Tokia for CODE:D Sundays hosted by AUX EVENTS. Silly me, old habits die hard! You could hear the music coming through the door as you said hello to security. Justin Bella, founder of Toronto Bass Community, was sitting at the ticket counter where he introduced me to Aleksandra Darkova, Ashley Robinson and Mariana Nunuvero, key persons in bringing TBC to the forefront! Hugs all around! Ruben ‘Hydee’ Reyes was on guard duty, ensuring the audio was at the perfect level. Also in attendance was Dylan Rogers, fellow #teamEDMTOR photographer, who was recording the night for TBC Low Frequency Radio.
MDRN – 10 p.m. to 11 p.m.
MDRN aka Nathan Pacheco, was half way through his set when I made it to the dance floor. I knew it was going to be a great night as Skrillex, Kill The Noise and Milo & Otis‘ remix of NRG by Duck Sauce was playing. MDRN had a huge smile throughout his set, and it was very evident he was having a blast. I was able to chat with MDRN after his set where he gave me insight on his playlist.
I can’t really remembered what I played, I was freestyling. I started off at 89 BPM (DnB), went to 100 (Glitch-hop), to 123/128 (Garage-electro), to 140 (Dubstep/Trap) to 170 (weird dance stuff). There was a pretty good progression. It felt natural. My last track was Haywyre – Dichotomy, to get a good sense of the weird dance stuff, hahaha.
Other tracks played during MDRN’s set include R. Kelly – Ignition (Giraffage Remix) and Kid Sister – Pro Nails (Rusko Remix). With each song that was played more and more bass heads showed up and coveted dance spaces were becoming few and far between.
DJ Decibel, Alex Alexeev, was up next and continued the vibe MDRN had set for the night. First song of the night was It’s Fucking Dubstep by Bear Grillz & The Firm. From that moment on I was glued to the dance floor. I ran into Chris Wong, who attended Obsession night at Mix Markham the week before, who was trying to figure out how turn the fans on, as the room was quickly rising in temperature. After several tries and a bit of confusion from several people, the wind started to blow to the delight of the crowd.
Nero’s Won’t You (Be There) caused a surge of dancers to fill the little remaining space on the dance floor. Everyone was bouncing, bodies moving in time to the beat. Decibel definitely threw down a heavy set. The last song of DJ Decibel’s set was by hometown heroes Zeds Dead in collaboration with Dirtyphonics – Where Are You Now featuring Bright Lights. You can listen to DJ Decibel’s set below, via his Mixcloud account.
DJ Decibel – Live @ Low Frequency (Aug 20th-2014) – REMAKE by Dj Decibel Canada on Mixcloud
TRACKLIST:
Bear Grillz & The Frim – It’s Fucking Dubstep
Fedde le Grand – Twisted (Eptic Remix)
Dodge & Fuski – Python
501 – Chasing Stars
Nero – Must Be The Feeling (Kill The Noise Remix)
Eptic – Like A Boss (Barely Alive Remix)
Zomboy – Immunity
MUST DIE! & Mantis – Culture
Barely Alive – Welcome To The Real World (ft. Diamond Eyes) (Rob Gesser Remix)
Different Heaven & Omar Varela – Incredicool (Teminite Remix)
501 – Feel For You
Kursiva & Vanger – Like A Fucking Newbie (EH!DE Remix)
Quba – Pizza
Barely Alive & Datsik – Candy Kids
Teminite – Shockwave
Fedde Le Grand & DI-RECT – Where We Belong (Zomboy Remix)
Quba – Bawszilla
Point.Blank & Suspect – Round One
Jacob Plant – Fire (Dubsef’s Festival Trap Remix)
Bear Grillz – Thirsty (Dubstep VIP)
EH!DE – Destroy All Humans (Ray Volpe Remix)
Rita Ora Feat. Tinie Tempah – R.I.P (Delta Heavy Remix)
Nero – Won’t You (Be There)
KillSonik – Slaughterhouse
Zeds Dead, Dirtyphonics feat. Bright Lights – Where Are You Now
NOAHPLAUSE – 11:45 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.
I was dancing in the corner and saw NOAHPLAUSE, Noah Zimbel, walk in to the venue with two ladies behind him. I wished I would have asked the ladies to show off their moves on the dance floor instead of behind the speakers. Similar to the comment on the Facebook event, NOAHPLAUSE did just show up, but he did get down to business right away. As soon as Noah Zimbel took to the decks, I wished I would have worn something more appropriate to get down and dirty to. To a chorus of cheers, NOAHPLAUSE took us on a journey through Trap. Unfortunately missed the majority of NOAHPLAUSE’s set as I had to take a much needed breather. I cam back to the room as Tell Me by RL Grime and What So Not were playing. I had to get my slow groove on as I could the bass pound through my body as I took my place in front of the subs.
Flux – 12:30 a.m. to 1:45 a.m.
It was an absolute pleasure to see Flux aka Gary Sagoo spin a Drum & Bass/Drumstep/Dubstep set, for he has been spinning a mix of trance, techno and psytrance for a few years now. The junglists definitely had control of the dance floor while Flux was controlling the decks. I can’t rinse out like I used to, but it was great to be reminded that I can still go hard in the paint for a song or two.
Listen to Flux’s mix, which was inspired by many of the tracks he played during his set:
I spoke to Zak and Jesse Shessel before they took their place behind the decks to close out the night. I still can’t believe they are only 19 and 21 and have such a knack for bass music. There were still a lot of people who stayed to the end to rock their socks off. Around 2:50 a.m.the lights were turned on , much to the disappointment of those still dancing. Ventura asked if they “should play one more song?!” To chants of “one more song” from the crowd, they obliged and thus began the last night of the song, Skrillex’s Right In. Everyone gave it their all and as the last notes of the song came on the speakers the sweaty crowd slowly dispersed. For some, the night was over, for others, the night was still young but for everyone who attended they had blast!
TRACKLIST:
Zeds Dead – Cowboy (Torro Torro Remix)
Zomboy – Terror Squad (Henry Fong Bootleg)
Zomboy – Terror Squad (Ventura’s “Terror & Brostep” Edit)
Far Too Loud – Faster Then Light
Downlink – Triphekta
Zomboy – Nuclear (Ventura’s “Almost a Bootleg” Edit)
Destroid – Flip The Switch
Grandtheft – Let Me Tell You Something
Nero – Crush On You (Knife Party Remix)
Noisia – Diplodocus (Kill The Noise Remix)
Knife Party – Bonfire (Ventura’s “This Means War” Edit)
Monsta – Holdin On (Skrillex & Nero Remix)
Shockone – Lazerbeam
Protohype – Encore (Twine Remix)
Flux Pavilion – One Two Three
Roksonix – Dogfight
Knife Party – Centipede
LAXX – Step Two
Pretty Lights – I Know The Truth
12th Planet x Skrillex x Kill The Noise – Burst
Jillian Ann – Quiet Riot (Pegboard Nerds Remix)
Morrison – Alegria
Eptic – Like A Boss
Must Die! – Fever Dream (pt.1)
Destroid – Bounce (Ventura’s “All The Bounce” Edit)
Ventura – Punch Party
Destroid – Put It Down
Destroid – Put It Down (Crizzly Remix)
Beastie Boys – Intergalactic
Diplo – Express Yourself
Dillon Francis x Kill The Noise – Dill The Noise
Skrillex – Reptile
Lets Be Friends – Manslaughter VIP
Datsik x Excision – Vindicate
Dillon Francis – Masta Blasta
DJ Kool – Let Me Clear My Throat (Party Favor Remix)
Skrillex – Recess (Harristotle Edit)
Dizzee Rascal – Bonkers (Doorly Dubstep Remix)
Encore
Skrillex – Right In
For an event that has existed three times previously, this was really well run. Everyone knew what was expected of them: the DJs to mix some banging music while the attendees to show their gratitude by dancing their faces off. Kudos to the TBC fam! I cannot wait until the next Low Frequency Wednesday scheduled for Wednesday, September 24 at Toika. The next event is a special birthday event with Hydee and DJ BASSik spinning birthday sets. Also on the bill are Biz Davis, Thrizzo and MayDay. You can find all the details in the Facebook event. If you don’t know, TBC has a brand spanking new Facebook page! Like it to keep current with what’s happening in the community!
LINKS:
Toronto Bass Community
Facebook Group
Facebook Page
Twitter
Instagram
Dub Hub Toronto
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Flux
Facebook
SoundCloud
Twitter
Mixcloud
Noahplause
Facebook
SoundCloud
Twitter
DJ Decibel
SoundCloud
Mixcloud
Ventura
Facebook
SoundCloud
MDRN
Facebook
SoundCloud
Twitter
YouTube
Natalia Toussaint – EDM TOR