BENJAMIN BOLES'S TOP 10 PARTIES
BY BENJAMIN BOLES
1. harvest festival (Aldida
Organic Farm, September 21)
A party experience in a class of its
own, the annual event just keeps getting better. Why party in a club
when you can be out on a farm, losing yourself to quality techno in
a barn? A great friendly vibe, well-organized and -conceived venue,
and great local DJs made for a memorable 24 hours.
2. twilight zone reunion (Studio
99, December 7)
An eye-opener for someone who was too young to
experience the original Twilight Zone, this down and dirty warehouse
party was a powerful testament to what it meant to those who came of
age there.
3. steve bug (The Mockingbird,
September 1)
This great back-to-basics techno party featured one
of Germany's best alongside some of Toronto's favourites. Bug tore
it up and the crowd loved every second of it, proving that you don't
need much more than a dark room, some big speakers and a good
DJ.
4. om festival (Killaloe, June
21-23)
Whether you were feeling the hippy-raver vibe or not, it
was nigh on impossible to have a bad time at the Om Festival. A
refreshing slice of idealism and optimism at a time when those
attributes are rare in the dance music world.
5. frankie knuckles and david morales
(Kool Haus, June 8)
Two of house music's biggest icons
played together in the biggest room in the city to an extremely
mixed crowd. The decorations and overall production were especially
inspired, featuring hundreds of tiny candles suspended over the
dance floor.
6. grandmaster flash (Roxy Blu,
June 28)
Everybody came out of this party a few pounds lighter,
having sweated out gallons to the extravaganza that is Grandmaster
Flash live. Maybe he wasn't underground enough for all the heads,
but for everybody crammed into the main room he rocked the
house.
7. sneak's birthday beats (Kool
Haus, November 2)
Featuring a who's who of funky house music, DJ
Sneak's birthday party was a full-on affair. While the music was
more than decent, this was one of those events where the vibe in the
air was what made it so memorable.
8. tikiman & scion (The
Mockingbird, May 11)
Inspired performance by digi-dub artists
Tikiman & Scion. A collaboration between a Dominican reggae
vocalist and a pair of Berlin laptop tweakers, it was definitely out
of the ordinary.
9. the promise cherry beach
soundsystem (Cherry Beach, Sunday afternoon all
summer)
The weekly Sunday-afternoon beach party put together by
the Promise team captured the hearts of many over the summer. Let's
hope the delightful tradition continues next year.
10. sven vath and richie hawtin
(Turbo, November 21)
Toronto techno fans have had a long love
affair with Richie Hawtin, for good reason. Few DJs can spin such
strange, twisted tracks and not scare the party off the floor, and
even fewer can keep a T.O. crowd out all night on a Thursday
night.
benjamin.boles@sympatico.ca
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