I will remember for the rest of my life standing underneath under the electric sky known as Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas 2015 earlier this year. There was so much talent and production gathered in one area, its hard not to fall in love with the electronic music scene.
One of the most memorable sets I witnessed was Andy C at the massive BassPOD stage. The fire breathing stage and sea of shufflers is hard to forget.
Destiny’s 22nd Anniversary allowed me to see Andy C once again at my home turf of Toronto. Not having much experience going out to bass shows in Toronto, my friend and I took the plunge.
The event originally was supposed to be hosted at MUZIK Nightclub in West end of Toronto. The show got relocated to Sound Academy approximately a week before the event due to complications. The original venue planned for two separate stages, one inside for headliner Andy C and an outdoors one for Brillz. Both stages featured local supporting artists from Toronto.
Upon entering the venue at around 11PM we quickly discovered that most supporting artists were not playing due to the venue change, two stages had to become one (with a side room also). To make matters more difficult there were no set times posted. Being relatively new to the bass genre I couldn’t tell who was playing at first. I resorted to asking others on the dance floor and I was glad I did so! The Toronto Bass Community was really friendly; I met so many people at Destiny 22!
Hydee was one of the first artists on that evening, he even prepared a promo mix just for the Destiny 22nd Anniversary. Having witnessed him close for SPOR at CODA Nightclub not too long ago, I was enthusiastic to hear him dish out some Drum and Bass again!
Lush was second in line to kick start the evening. Lush showcased his bass prowess with DnB and jungle influenced sound. The energy level was not over the top, it helped create anticipation for the headliners Brillz and Andy C! A proper opening set without compromising the headliner’s performances!
Bensley was in a side room during Brillz’s main room set. Unfortunately, the poor layout and lack of set times made me unaware there was any other acts going on else where in the venue. Having missed his set I would love the chance to hear Bensley play live another time, he offers superb DnB content under Andy C’s RAM Records!
The raw Drum and Bass snares and thumping kick gave way to heavy bass from Brillz. The Trap heavy weight riled up the crowd with some trap infused remixes of radio favorites. Not my usual cup of tea, but the energy was ever so present and I found myself enjoying the atmosphere. After all, one has to let loose, especially when trying out new things! This is when I noticed the Sound Academy was starting to reach peak capacity for the evening. The crowd was a sea of pleased bassheads throwing down, especially when Brillz dropped his remix of You by Galantis!
Andy C stepped into the spotlight afterwards hammering us into Drum and Bass immediately. The crowd reaction was equally as kinetic, creating an immense uproar! The Drum and Bass legend on the decks laying down actual vinyl had everyone in a frenzy! We heard some of his hottest tracks like his monster VIP remix of his own song Heartbeat Loud featuring vocals from Fiona. He further mixed the original version of Heartbeat Loud into the VIP remix for an absolutely surreal overload! Later into the night Andy C shifted into a darker sound showcasing tracks from his very own label RAM Records. Andy even dished out a massive Drum and Bass remix of Lean On by Major Lazer ft DJ Snake and MØ!
Andy C ended his set by raising up a white vinyl and headphones like his logo on the screen. I was in such awe that I forgot to take a picture. All of the artists were superb. As I am not used to attending bass shows it was quite an enlightening experience!
The spectacular show had a few downfalls that I noted. As Sound Academy’s crowd started building, I noticed past problems reappearing. A dodgy sound system and poor air circulation are the kryptonite of the otherwise promising venue. Also, I am not sure how I felt about having MC’s throughout the event. I would have preferred to have let more of the music do the hyping. To be fair, not all of the MC hype was bad, it really added to certain moments to energize the crowd!
My friend and I were glad we checked out Destiny’s 22nd Anniversary! A big congratulations is in order for Destiny’s birthday and for hosting such a wonderful event. A thanks goes out to Sound Academy aswell for hosting the show with short notice. Respect has to go out to all the artists for an unforgettable evening! I hope to see the Toronto Bass Community out again soon at another bass show!
LINKS:
Andy C
Brillz
DJ Lush
Bensley
Hydee
Edmund Wong – EDM TOR
