I woke up groggy after 4 hours of not-so-deep sleep and it wass already time to get ready for Electric Island: the concert series held on Toronto’s Centre Island on each Monday of the four summer long weekends, Labour Day Monday was not different. Hurrying to meet the 3 p.m. deadline for media check in, I stumble out of the shower in a daze and make my way down to the ferry terminal. It never even occurred to me to ask the friendly blonde in the ticket booth which ferry I needed, as naturally I had no clue. I begin to scan the three lineups for ravers. Finally in the middle line I see a group decked out in fluorescent pinks and greens. One of them is wearing a pink backpack shaped like a grenade. This was a better directive then any signage could have provided, and I walked aboard.
After a scenic ferry ride, I arrive at the island around 3:00 p.m. Walking in, my first thought is that the scene is more reminiscent of a picnic than a music festival. The large fenced off area was sparsely dotted with early risers that, although rather subdued, were clearly enjoying themselves as they gorged on the various selections of grub provided by several food trucks, and basked in what was near-perfect weather. The music in the opening hours was provided by Simon Jain, MEMBERSONLY, Gera& Terence Kissner. The sounds were crisp and relaxed, matching the atmosphere perfectly. The tempo slowly increased as the afternoon wore on. You couldn’t blame any of the opening DJs for the general lack of enthusiasm amongst the crowd, after all this was the last day of a long weekend that many of the attendees had spent at various all-night parties around the city. The vibe started to pick up when more people arrived around 4:30 p.m. and by five the crowd was buzzing with anticipation.
Photo taken by Adam Micallef of EDMTOR. Photo used by permission.
At about 5:30 p.m. Jamie xxslowly strutted onto the stage and nonchalantly began his set. His overgrown hair hung down in front of his face and I don’t recall seeing him look up at the crowd even once. Regardless of his lack of engagement, his sound was the perfect kick off to the evening. This gathering, unlike many of the larger outdoor festivals, was more mature and seemed very appreciative of Jamie’s unique sound. The DJ, who got his start as a band member of The xx, has clearly developed his own following which was evident as many of the audience members bopped along to the familiarity of his I’ll take care of you collaboration with Gil Scott-Heron.
Next up was Hot Since 82. Upon taking to the stage the British DJ immediately cranked up the bass, kicked up the tempo and took the entire island on a tour of the genre known as Deep House. His hour and 45 minute set sounded like one long jam session. His transitions were flawless, and his pitch control masterful. It’s pretty shocking that this man was actually discovered by accident in 2010 when using his iPhone to DJ at an Ibiza after-party during some technical difficulties. His set was heavily laced with his own material boasting the incredible catalogue he’s built up in such a short period of time. I’ll save you some time, instead of naming individual tracks just go purchase his entire catalogue, he’s that good. As Hot’s set came to an end, I wondered how on earth the next act could possibly follow up.
Tale Of Us were previously unknown to me at the start of their set, so my expectations were low. Those expectations were blown out of the water within minutes of the duo from Milan arriving on the stage. The drop-off I was expecting never came and their set took the night into a totally different musical direction then I could have ever imagined, every second of it was enjoyable. Their unique sound kept the crowd dancing even through the rain that began to pour down during the last half hour of the show. Due to my lack of prior knowledge of Tale’s catalogue I was unable to ID any tracks. I did however manage to get one of the many beautiful young ladies in attendance to Shazam one for me. Caribou – Can’t Do Without You (Mano le Tough & Tale of Us Remix) was one of the last songs played and it seemed like the perfect end-of-summer anthem.
Photo belongs to Adam Micallef of EDMTOR. Photo used with permission.
All in all Electric Island was a very well-organized event that was executed to perfection. With the ever decreasing age group at most North American festivals, it was very refreshing to spend a night with mature adults who oozed the type of positive energy that makes these type of shows special. I can’t wait for the return of Electric Island in the summer of 2015.
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.
Photo taken by Adam Micallef of EDMTOR. Photo used by permission.
Photo belongs to Adam Micallef of EDMTOR. Photo used with permission.
