Calling all bassheads, junglists, dub-fiends, liquid-lovers & fans of anything over 160 bpm. The one week a year you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. On Friday March 20th the 5th annual Bassweek kicks off with bang brought us us by Destiny Events & Embrace. Bassweek is an event that spans over two weeks; it sees hometown heroes as well as artists from across the world giving us the absolute best of best bass music from dusk till dawn on each night (when you include the after parties that is). This year we have Projek: The World of Drum & Bass kicking off the Weekend 1 series at The Hoxton on 69 Bathurst St. This showcase is brought to us in part by Formation Records and includes sets from The founder of Formation: DJ SS as well as Drumsound & Bassline Smith, The Prototypes, Tribe Steppa & local selecta NC-17. I’m most excited to see The Prototypes & Drumsound & Bassline Smith; I’m waiting to see if Drumsound and Bassline Smith will play any new tunes from their upcoming album “15 Years of Technique”. This high energy rinse-fest is going to be the perfect event for those waiting to just leave all their frustrations on the dancefloor.
And as if that wasn’t enough of a treat, on Saturday March 21st Projek: Hospitality storms The Phoenix Concert Theatre on 410 Sherbourne Street. This is actually due to be one of the best nights of Bassweek hands down…it’s the last stop on the Hospitality Records “USA & Canada Tour” (MAD RESPECT FOR THAT), so you know every DJ is going be giving it their all just to end the tour with a bang. We have sets from Metrik, Nu:Tone, Marcus Visionary, Hydee, Caddy Cad & Etherwood all hosted by the legendary Dynamite MC. They’ve been ripping up venues all across North America and the show ends at 4 AM so its going to be a madhouse. I’m most excited to hear Etherwood’s set and how Dynamite MC presides over the entire show. He’s relatively new to the scene, but he’s been making tidal waves and that’s exactly why he’s on the bill. I’ve heard nothing but good things and I want to see how he handles a raging Toronto crowd with help from Dynamite MC.
Weekend 2 of Bassweek starts next Friday March 27th with projek: Legends and is also at The Phoenix Concert Theatre. This showcase is all about paying respect to the greats in the scene and enjoying the music exactly how it was meant to be enjoyed. We have sets from some of the biggest pioneers in the UK Rave & Jungle scene; including Aphrodite and frequent collaborator, founder & co-owner of Urban Takeover Records: Mickey Finn, Fatman D as well as Vinyl Only sets from our own local legends Marcus Visionary, Lush , Everfresh, Crash as well as MC JD. The song selection will be killer and varying from all their hits and favourites spanning about 3 decades. This is the night I’m looking forward to the most because it’s not every year you get to see so many greats in one place spinning; and because of my age I never got to witness them in their prime, so this is like the perfect event for people like me that hate their birth year and love old-school tunes.
And last but not least on the Bassweek calendar is the mighty projek: RAM rounding out the second weekend which is also at the Phoenix Concert Theatre. I have a feeling that this night is last in the series for a reason. It’s due to be one of the heaviest hitting nights of the year because like projek: Hospitality, this night will be the last stop on their tour. Coming to the Phoenix Concert Theatre to try their hand at inciting a riot is Loadstar, Calyx and Teebee, Delta Heavy – all hosted by repeat offender to the Projek: RAM night Armanni Reign. This will be a last hurrah of sorts for most of the attendees of this year’s Bassweek, so in this show I’m really looking forward to the crowd reaction progressing over the span of the night as well as the feeling of unity that you get at the end of a festival or series of shows like this where everyone taking part knows this is the last of it so they get super amped. Overall, this years Bassweek events are killer and I’m thankful for Destiny Events and Embrace for putting this together with no slack whatsoever.
And for those of you who can get enough of Bassweek, won’t be able to make it any of the shows or just love turning up on a Sunday, there is an official after party on Sunday March 29th with artists that will be announced at a later date. The party will be held at 592 Queen St in Toronto. This after party is bound to be a step above and beyond what you could have hoped to expect, so keep your eyes peeled and your ears attentive for that line up announcement.
Click here for the Facebook events for The World of Drum & Bass, projek: Hospitality, projek: Legends, projek: Ram as well as a mini-mix from Hospital Records to get you in the mood. You can buy tickets online here. Advance tickets are still available from street promoters for $25 as well. I hope to see you all on the dancefloor very soon!
LINKS:
Keanu Jones – EDM TOR
