ELECTRIC ISLAND WINS THE DAY!
Colossal storm clouds brought pounding rain to Toronto last Friday, but sunshine won the day as the afternoon rolled in and brought with it great music, thousands of partiers, mostly clear skies and another splendid Electric Island experience.
Koki and Jeff Button warmed early revellers with sultry, groovy beats and the nascent crowd enjoyed themselves under the emergence of this now fine day. The stage decor was ornate and tasteful with flowers lining the overhead rig and booth, while reflective mirrors provided a gleaming veneer with shiny accents throughout.
New York's Honey Dijon stole the show with her deep groove, to heavier groove, to deeper and more driving always-in-the-groove-pocket-groove and constantly-killing-it with sometimes vocals, set. If you didn’t know who Honey was before this set, you’d want to know now. It was bouncy, happy, clean, deep and she steered us into this Canada Day edition with mastery. Apollonia followed suit with a groovy set that kept the place dancing with their delectable flair for track selection.
Berlin-based duo Tale Of Us came in with a layered, full sound which brought the energy to a new place; at times trippy techno, sometimes more driving, other times softer and melodic. It was a deep, soulful yet hard techno, with movement between the beats that, like a story, takes you in. Those triple-kicks get me every time.
The day was gorgeous! Sunny, brisk at times, definitely on the breezy side, and definitely a good idea to have brought a sweater. (Or for me a full blown toque, sweater, jacket, turtle neck, long john combo). But I was fine, really.
As night fell, Marcel Dettmann and Ben Klock took to the decks for their much-anticipated back to back set. The BPM (beats per minute) rose and the island became acquainted with their steady, German, industrial techno punch. The crowd stayed strong and rose to the occasion, muddied shoes and all.
Again, my second time at the Island was special, fun and so well worth it. With exceptional production elements in terms of stage, sound and lighting, features like walk-through mist pop-up structures to ping pong tables and hydration stations, bars and locally curated food trucks, the experience was sensational and the perfect place to enjoy a day of stellar music in a scenic setting.
It essentially provides a backdrop for a community to come together. For hangs with friends, chance meetings, old friends to run into, new ones to meet and new love to form - it is the summer of love, after all! The ride home was dazzling with views of the city skyline, and our CN Tower lit with Canada Day and Pride colours. Toronto, you're winning me over and it's events like this that make me love you even more.
I’m already looking forward to the next one with a stacked line-up that includes andhim, Nitin, Guy Gerber, Gui Boratto and headliner Paul Kalkbrenner playing a live set. Check it out here. Thanks again, Electric Island - loving you hard!
For more superb shots from the day, check out this album from our friends over at Godzilla Disco!