EVENT REVIEW: Trippy Turtle, Bixel Boys + more at The Hoxton 09-19-14 by Keanu Jones

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September 19 was a nice & cool autumn night with just the right amount of wind and that delicious scent of mischief thick in the air. Embrace & Galapagos.fm brought Trippy Turtle and the Bixel Boys to The Hoxton for us to help us rock the night away. I arrived at The Hoxton at about 10:30 p.m. and apparently just in time because the line was non-existent except for a couple of people gathered around the back exit to chat & grab pictures with some of the members of Simple Plan; who were there for an event just before. The lack of people outside at the time just made for a more homey and inviting atmosphere.The shining stars out of the opening acts were HRMXNY and Free n Losh.

Free n Losh using the electronic drum set to augment their tracks felt organic and got the crowd pumped with their stage presence. HRMXNY’s setlist did not disappoint and the diversity was appreciated. He played a moombah remix of Soulja Boy’s Pretty Boy Swag, mixed it with Michael Jackson’s Rock With You and everybody was on their feet dancing and singing what words they knew; a massive crowd pleaser out of nowhere. It felt like the best house party of all time by the time the main event was ready to begin. I looked around and noticed that The Hoxton wasn’t packed to the wall and took a moment to thank the Based God because there was room to dance and from that point on I knew this was going to be a good night.

At about 1 a.m., Trippy Turtle makes his way on the stage and steps up to the decks clad in his Turtle Sweater ready to say hello to Toronto for the first time ever. He was just happy to be here and you could see it when his relaxed demeanor gained intensity as his set progressed, he was dancing and giving the crowd as much energy as much as we were showing him. That signature blend of Jersey Club booming through the speakers had me and my group of friends jumping and skanking around towards the back of the club.

I felt so bubbly and couldn’t help but appreciate the bed creaking and raindrop sound effects utilized in some of his songs, they seemed to come in at just the right moments and plastered a smile on my face. Because of the types of songs he choose to sample/remix and the style in which he’s doing it, there was a lot of moods he was able to induce upon the crowd ranging from sensual moods, to a more nostalgic fee,l to raging until I was sweating through my shirt. It was definitely the type of set that I haven’t seen in awhile but absolutely savored for the moment. Some of the high points were when he dropped Trippy’s Theme and Drippy Dolphin’s Oooops. Here’s one of the tracks he played that got a really nice crowd reaction, I love this track to bits its his a remix of Drake’s Furthest Thing.

At about 2am as Trippy was finishing up his set the Bixel Boys were already onstage, primed and ready to take over the decks. They were loosening up for what would also be their first booking in Toronto. I did get the chance to see them fill in for What So Not when GTA was playing at Uniun Nightclub earlier this year for their “Death To Genres Tour”. That night they had arguably the best set and it was probably because it happened to be Ian’s birthday and they went balls to the wall playing their person favourites.Tonight, they kept the crowd going with ease.

Dropping their remix of Kiesza’s Hideaway earlier on in the night gave everyone a chance to groove and sing along again with a song we already knew but their take on the song a breath of fresh air compared to the over-rotated original version. Thier set was really high energy with their own unique blend of House and Trap elements with some smooth R&B apparent in every one of their mixes. They were obviously in their element because their composure and execution didn’t suffer even though they were partying just as hard as the crowd was. This made for a good repore level with the crowd who continually voiced their approval and appreciation. Their song selection was wide ranged and kept us all captivated, eager to hear some new fresh tunes. I had a ball and I knew the Bixel Boys were going to deliver and I was still surprised at the effortless blend of skill & flair. Here’s a few of my favorites from this dynamic duo

Overall this was an underrated show, and in my opinion the people who thought about coming out to the Hoxton but changed their minds made a really big mistake. The headliners were both dope in their own respective ways, Trippy Turtle’s effervescence combined with his style of play & The Bixel Boys finishing up the night with their fresh setlist and stage presence made for a night i’m going to cherish until I can see each of them again. The opening acts also brought the best out of the crowd beforehand and shook off whatever apprehension that might have been in the air about the night to come. It was a perfect storm for a dope night and everyone that graced the decks rocked the house. To check out a bit of what you missed this past Friday, check out Trippy Turtle and Cashmere Cat’s b2b at SXSW 2014, the setlist is similar to what was played and you can see exactly how hyped he can get onstage. Also have a listen to this mix for THUMP that the Bixel Boys made two months ago, its ½ an hour long and is essentially the Bixel Boys style in a nutshell.

Not your usual night at The Hoxton but the quality of talent was top shelf, the crowd was really friendly and responsive, that combined with plenty of breathing room and dancing space made for a great experience. This night should definitely be stored away in the hearts and minds as of those who attended as one of the best Focus Friday’s on record.

LINKS:

Trippy Turtle
SoundCloud
Twitter

Bixel Boys
Facebook
SoundCloud
Twitter

Keanu JonesEDM TOR

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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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