Not long ago, I went to the Drake Hotel to see Kodak To Graph for his Break The Ice Tour with Big Wild. Some say The Drake is really nice but walking in firsthand was a different story; I expected a cozy little venue but it was decorated to the nines. The sound was really good and the speakers were perfectly placed all around the stage. That being the case, Kodak to Graph has a really euphoric and abstract style that I find is chilled and relaxing. The acoustics ended up being really key at this show. I was surprised to find out that there weren’t very many people there throughout the night but in my opinion, new talent like these guys are always a must-see when they manage to come to town. Those who did manage to come out were heavily rewarded.
Upon arrival, HRMNXY was already getting into his set but I could sense he was a bit unnerved by the turnout. Despite all that, he played pretty well. To my surprise I walked in and saw Big Wild sitting by the stage just drumming along on his seat and taking in the tunes. Obeson was actually supposed to be on the tour but he had visa issues and couldn’t make it. Since HRMXNY and Obeson both have complimentary styles, he was a good choice for a stand-in. As per usual, his set was full of throwbacks, hip-hop acapellas and chilled trap selections. It was the mature-feel tracklist paired up with the decor of the venue that made for a loose personable atmosphere in the room and was a solid beginning to what was to be a amazing experience.
After HRMXNY’s set was finished, Big Wild hit the stage after a slight intermission. It turns out that he had forgot some equipment at their last show in Montreal, so he was able to ask labelmate and Toronto local Paul Chin to loan him some because he was in a pinch. Lucky for us, that was the case because I was actually blown away by his live performance. From exploring his Soundcloud I figured that epic drums were a really big part of his distinct sound, but actually watching him multitask between the keyboard and the controller he was drumming on with such precision and fervor was inspiring. None of his drumming was overpowering any of the songs in the mix at all. He played a mash up of Will Smith’s Gettin’ Jiggy with It and Outkast’s Rosa Parks that triggered a double wave of nostalgia. The rest of his set was filled with similar goodies like a mix of Ludacris’s Stand Up that helped kick off his set and win the crowd over. I loved being able to hear his remix of Wild Party’s When I Get Older. It reminded me of going to see the Born Ruffians in high school and those care-free indie types of songs you can’t help but dance and sing along to, mixed with every throwback jam that you held dear in the early 00’s. I noticed that among the people around me, the feeling was mutual. His performance came to a close with his remix of Sylvan Esso’s Hey Miami and he whistled the melody and did everything right there live… perfectly. He was just an unreal showman and you could tell he loved every part of playing as much as we did listening to it. Afterwards, he thanked the crowd and got a well-deserved round of applause.
The main event of the night was upon us somewhere around 1AM as Kodak to Graph took to the stage. I missed his last performance in the city when he was here with Slow Magic for his tour last year and I’ve been suffering from “FOMO” since then. He opened up his set with Belong; it’s the first song off of his new Album “ISA” and it instantly transported me to another dimension. It was the starting that had I expected, but hearing it live and feeling the bass vibrate through you while the trumpets are trilling and echoing into the corners of your brain was an awesome feeling. I loved his set list because I knew there were influences from everywhere he’s been in the last couple of years and the evidence kept us all up on our feet as the show progressed.
It seemed like the light show was dazzling and synced up to the songs perfectly. It made his songs feel that more mysterious and ethereal. Some stragglers started to show up and were probably glad that they did. He played a blend of selections from his album and a lot of his remixes as well. He dropped his remix of R. Kelly & Keri Hilson’s Number One as well as his mix of Travis Porter and Gucci Mane’s Do A Trick that I really enjoyed. Most of his edits are just really trippy and smooth, and it was hard to deny their pull, especially when it’s pumping out of speakers that line the entire mouth of the stage. Watching him play was really cool because he looked like he enjoyed playing in such an intimate space. When I got the chance to speak to him, it turned out to be true. He was comfortable enough to play a really good show. Kodak ended the show with his remix of Slow Magic’s Girls, which is my favourite song of his, and I lost it.
I really love when we get some awesome talent in the city and in such an intimate venue as well. The entire show felt like a classy private party in the end. Both headlines stuck around the merch booth to talk. Both Mikey (Kodak to Graph) and Jackson (Big Wild) are two really funny and caring, easy to talk to gents who love their craft. Mikey really appreciated the love he was getting from people on tour and going to SXSW and getting to see some acts like Ho99o9 and Hundred Waters, which he really wanted to see.
Jackson was a humble man who really just wanted have as good a performance as possible and something to eat after the show. He got to try a poutine for the first time in Montreal and had a “foodgasm;” but the jerk pulled pork sandwich he got here at Barton Snack Bar seemed to do the trick yet again. Both guys admitted to honing their craft constantly while on the tour trying to make each set better than the last, and that was when I really started to appreciate what we got to see on that Wednesday night.
I got a chance to pick up some merch that I will definitely treasure for a long time and I made some really good memories. This show definitely was one of the more slept on shows that I’ve ever been to but the quality was absolutely through the roof. I’m thoroughly convinced to pack up and head to Shambhala this year just so that I can go see them again along with the rest of that great lineup.
Keanu was a writer for EDM TOR who got his start by meeting the right people at Toronto’s own Electric Island event in 2014. Music has always been a part of his life as he is part of the musically-inclined side of his family. Music has become his vocation, and writing helps as a way to release his untapped passion. His favorite genres are classical, house, moombahton, trap, and drum and bass.
