Crowd Gets Perked at Canadian National Barista Champs (GTA Region)
Just a week ago I had a talk with my friend Siobhan where we ironically came to the conclusion that maybe cutting back on coffee might actually increase my work productivity. Naturally, that plan went out the window with the dishwater when I found out about the Central Canada Regional Barista Competition at the regal Hart House in mid-July. Contestants from Toronto’s elite coffee shops and roasters like Pilot Coffee Roasters, R², Dark Horse, Mercatto, Sam James, Rooster and Detour were competing to move onto the national rounds, ultimately to compete on an international level.
Head judge Amber Fox, currently at Bows & Arrows Coffee Roasters in Victoria, formerly of Toronto, works at an international level in the Barista championships. She’s recently returned from the globals in Australia and took the time to break down the judging categories for me, which are split between the espresso, cappuccino and specialty drink categories. Lucky for some, the rules, regulations and score sheets have been evolving over the years. Espresso scores are now broken down into categories and baristas are free to use any coffee they’d like as long as it fits the description given to judges.
“Where as before they were looking for a perfect balance between, sweet, and bitter, tactile with a full body ground, now the competitors have more room to play within that,” said Fox. “They describe their shot, by saying something like ‘it will be very bright, it has a citrus acidity that balances the sweetness.’ They can do more within those rules now. Also judges don’t have to keep a strict poker face any more. They are free to smile or show all kinds of emotion, except for when evaluating drinks of course, but outside of that, it’s changed.”
I’m told that there are some new exciting trends like the introduction this year of aromatics, and prohibition era cocktail techniques like using ice, stirring properly, including non-alcoholic bitters and just generally going outside of the traditional cream and sugar, along with extracting savoury notes in the brews.
Some of these techniques were seen in first place winner Momiji Kishi from Detour Coffee Roasters in Dundas, ON, who’s signature drink was prepared with the Japanese herb shiso, along with a sweet chamomile infusion over iced espresso giving the coffee a plum liquor taste with a hint of black pepper sensation. Or in Benedict San Juan of BS Coffee Consulting who’s signature drink was an apricot puree on ice with espresso strained into a shot glass rimmed with simple syrup and dark chocolate.
Congrats to all four winners (1st place- Momiji Kishi of Detour Coffee Roasters, 2nd place – Georgia Henry of Dark Horse Espresso Bar, 3rd place – Brett Johnston of Crafted Coffee, 4th place – Geoff Woodley of Detour Coffee Roasters) who will move onto the Canadian nationals in Vancouver October 20-12 2013. You can watch their stunning performances recorded at Hart House via livecast at http://tinyurl.com/canadianbarista.
HYD For Men
I’ve heard of all kinds of crazy myths and techniques for extending your razor’s lifespan like blowdrying it after usage or giving it a good stropping on dry denim jeans. I’ve never really gotten into those kinds of routines, so thank god for HYD For Men, a new product that claims to extend your Mach 3 Turbo Cool Glide Easy Rush Streamline Face Engine by 30-45 days. I’m totally game to try it out, and so I have. I haven’t had a chance to test it to the max yet as I try to shave only once a week or so to keep stubble from growing in too thick (being a late bloomer has its perks guys ;)) but I am excited to keep using it in the future and test out results.
Here’s a little bit of creative and educational advertising of the infographic form.
![HYD_infographic_FINAL_v2[1][3]](/wp-content/uploads//2013/07/HYD_infographic_FINAL_v213.jpg)
Watch_Dogs LIVE
The City is in your hands with Watch Dogs, the latest in interactive gaming technology from Ubisoft that plays off of the global ANONYMOUS movement. Except in this dark fantasy world, the elite circle now goes by Dedsec, and they’re a little more militant. What will be a immersive and hotly anticipated cyber-hacker themed game coming out this November, has recently been released a geolocation based mobile game for Android and iOS. Upon downloading the mobile game, you will be greeted with an official email welcoming you into the shadowy underworld.
A bit like Google’s Ingress, Watch Dogs mobile taps into local maps and allows you to hack various landmarks in your neighborhood from cafes, to bars, churches, schools, parks and even taxi stands (which I think are actually Green P parking lots).
The more attempts you make to hack, the more points, money and levels you can climb. Starting territory wars with neighboring hackers is all part of the fun as everyone is competing in weekly challenges with prizes from brands like Sennheiser, EB Games, Frank & Oak, Playstation, Ubisoft, and with the grand prize, a 2014 Scion tC Cruiser.
Last week’s challenge was to hack a certain bank machine. For anyone who’s ever had their bank account defrauded from using a sketchy ATM, be warned! You might feel a bit uncomfortable with the next video.
But if you’ve always wanted to live the life of a 21st century cyberpunk but just didn’t have the means, or the techy know-how, you’ll want to download it now (iOS, Android) and join the fun!
15th Annual Powerball
A lackluster, art lacking, rained out, 15th Powerball anniversary doesn’t mean it should fall short of a few trainwrecks and babely motor cycle wipe outs.
Feast your pretty eyes.
Mutahdi Drum Festival & Cherry Beach Promise Event
Sunday funday in the parks with the Mutahdi Drum Fest, now at Woodbine (no longer in Queens Park) with the Capoeristas to T-DOT Batú and and a happy hoopin’ good time at Cherry Beach.
TRENTEMØLLER PENS ‘ABSTRACT SOUND CLASH’ SOUNDTRACK TO 15TH CENTURY PAINTING – AOL Spinner
Courtesy of Audiomatique
Danish electronic DJ/producer Trentemøller is currently working on a soundtrack to an apocalyptic painting hanging in the Danish National Gallery. The 15th century piece of unknown Spanish origin depicts a scene from the book of Revelations where the angels of God follow Lucifer, rather than the archangel Michael, indicating that enemies of the true faith must be killed.
“The painting is naturally quite dark, and by the looks of it, it seems like Satan might actually win the battle,” Trentemøller tells Spinner. “It’s very dark and not very positive, but its psychedelic imagery really caught my eye. I didn’t have so much art education in school so I will definitely learn something here. The tune is coming out as a bit of an abstract sound clash.”
Trentemøller’s musical education started in his youth playing drums and guitars in various Danish indie rock bands but he found the trouble of finding a coherent sound difficult with so many other parties involved. Then he went solo.
“People always have different ideas that compromise yours when you’re working in a group, it’s a challenge to make a sound that way. So I started on my own with a sampler and an Atari computer with just 1MB of RAM; I made my own music and rules, so to speak. After 10 years, I released my first album [as Trentemøller], ‘The Last Resort,’ and started to play instruments again — physical ones, not just computers.”
While his songs originated in the discotheques, Trentemøller’s music has a signature moodiness, his soundscapes typically brooding. “It’s not like I’m always crying, but many people have said that my music has a melancholic feeling, and it’s true,” he says. “I put many layers of feelings into my songs. Yes, I have been inspired by stuff like the Cure orJoy Division or Mazzy Star — and it’s quite natural and typically Scandinavian to have this dark feeling in the music, maybe because it’s always raining here. But there are bands like Sigur Rós, and their music is not sad at all, but it still retains a subtle melancholic yet beautiful sound.”
Trentemøller is also about to release a new album, ‘Reworked/Remixed,’ comprised of covers from past albums and various remixes by the likes of Andrew Weatherall,Modeselektor, Efterklang and Sting’s daughter, the up-and-coming I Blame Coco. The remix component to the album is no surprise given the producer’s favourite form of collaboration is the remix swap.
“Sometimes I’ll remix a song it for free, especially when it’s a remix swap. Like on this album, I did one for UNKLE [for ‘The Answer, feat. Big In Japan’] and they do one for me [with ‘Neverglade’]. There was no money between us and we are helping each other — I really admire this kind of exchange, when it’s from artist to artist, and not for the label itself.”
JOHN DIGWEED’S NEW MIX WILL HAVE YOU ‘MASHING YOUR HEAD INTO THE GROUND’ – AOL Spinner
Ben Hider, Getty Images
After more than two decades as a DJ and 12 years as the label manager of Bedrock Records, it can said that John Digweed is a constant over-achiever. He’s persistently pushing himself, and crowds, with his signature progressive house and techno sound, which you can check out on the latest release, ‘John Digweed: Structures 2.’
“There’s always going to be challenges,” Digweed tells Spinner. “Once you become successful, you’re in the spotlight, and then they expect more. As a DJ, I’ve always wanted to give 110 percent because that’s my nature. The reason I’m still here is because I have that mindset of giving it all; I want to play the best new music that I’ve got.”
As a savvy label owner, Digweed is extremely selective of the music he releases. Focusing on house and techno, it’s rare that he would venture into the slower bass-heavy dubstep or drum’n’bass sounds. But with technology so easily accessible these days, it’s not difficult to produce something that sounds good. He has his sights set on promoting original sounds and creative ideas.
“I don’t want there to be a traditional Bedrock sound, I just want the label to represent good quality music. I think that’s something that’s taken a few years, but people now look at the label and trust my judgment. They know that I’ve probably played out the track for a few months on the dance floor to test it out before it’s released. I only put out a dozen or so [tracks] a year.”
The Bedrock label was born in 1999, a time when the rave still raved strong, and Sasha and Digweed were ambassadors of the house music revolution, enjoying mainstream success for the first time in the U.S. The first release, ‘Heaven Scent’ (produced with label partner Nick Muir, released under the moniker Bedrock) was appropriately placed as a feature track in the rave-y feature flick, ‘Groove.’ His music direction may have evolved since those days but Digweed feels that it’s the fans and their passion for the unexpected that keeps the electronic music culture alive.
“For the true fans, it’s never always been about the venue; it’s about the people and the experience,” he says. “If you have the right people or a good sound system, that’s all you need. You could have a party in a cave if you want to. For some, it’s about the adventure of going somewhere with a bit of edge or excitement.”
To keep excitement levels up, he’s released ‘John Digweed: Structures 2,’ following the extremely positive feedback from the first comp. The triple CD package features a downtempo mix, great for listening to on hot summer days by the pool or, as Digweed quips, “at 5AM after the club whilst mashing your head into the ground.” It also features a live set recorded at club Avalon in L.A., and a track-by-track disc of fresh Bedrock tunes for the DJs.
Like any perfectionist, Digweed records every set he plays. But when it came to selecting one for the comp, he knew the Avalon gig was the obvious choice. “The gig was just amazing from start to finish. It could have come from London, or Beijing, but that one really stood out. I also play in L.A. regularly and bring out a very special crowd, so it’s a bit of a thank you to the fanbase over there.”
NIN + DFA = WTF? – The Hand That Feeds remixes
In anticipation of the new NIN album ‘Hesitation Marks’, I did some digging around for new tracks and instead came across this obscurity from 2008. It makes me feel like there might have been a time when Trent Reznor and James Murphy hit it off at a rooftop party in Williamsburg and they became BFFs for a few weeks.
Anyway, as you can hear, the remixes produced were more like disco-boogie dancefloor burners, V1 and V2 go on for a wild and crazy 14 minutes of repetitive loops. The original tune is almost imperceptible save for some of the bass lines. There’s also a woman’s vocal sample with some Blondie undertones, that may or may not be Trent’s voice processed and distorted. It’s very much made for the DFA-camp of hipsters and obscurity-philes. Most dedicated Industrial fans wouldnt be caught dead playing these. It’s no wonder that two out of three of these are still under 1,000 views.
Sensation Global Party Map!
The task was to highlight some of the world’s biggest parties and compare them to the insanity that was Bud Light Sensation in Toronto. While Sensation may have been just one night, what we have below is timeless!
Click to expand.
James Perse Boutique – Yorkville “Launch”
James Perse has been steadily building his brand of ultra-comfortable LA-styled pima cotton chic basics across North America since 2003, but his presence is fairly new in Canada. I was at the Toronto store “launch” last month. I say “launch” because it has actually been at 18 Hazelton Ave. since November, but maybe the beachy de luxe clothing shop needed an outspoken oomph to let their brand be heard. I actually first came across the designer while perusing the local Winners aisles (the shock! the horror! But seriously, Winners is actually a great way to keep up with lesser known brands and trends since most of their stock comes from US vendors), and I’m happy to know that they’re available now in Toronto.
Tasty snacks were served and music by Toronto’s up and coming indie rock band Cai.ro was performed. Sadly there wasnt enough room on the floor to include their second guitarist, Dante Berardi Jr, but Cai.ro have been in high demand for their easy listening and wide audience reach, and I had a great time chatting with him about the music biz and their invovlement with Audioblood Media.
