Watch Dogs’ TSN Takeover
Dedsec are at it again and there’s no telling where their wrathful arms might show up next. Last week, thanks to help from players on the Watch_Dogs Live mobile gaming app, they struck on TSN’s Off the Record, engulfing host Michael Landsberg with chaos and swirling smoke.
JOIN THEM AND SEE THAT THE REAL POWER LIES WITH THE PEOPLE!
Mastodon – Black Tongue – Double Black IPA
Mmmmm. Never tried their last brew but looking forwards to snagging one of these somehow. Call your LCBO in the name of the all mighty MASTODONNNNNN.
MASTODON, which released a limited-run lager in 2009, is once again retuning to one of their favorite pastimes: The enjoyment of quality handcrafted beer. Fortuitous that British craft beer makers Signature Brew along with the members of Mastodon have teamed up to create Black Tongue Brew, an 8.3% ABV Double Black IPA.The beer is made in the U.K. and can be shipped to customers in the U.S., Canada, and other territories beginning December 3rd. Mastodon fans and custom beer appreciators can now enjoy this feisty and festive dark beverage everywhere in the world. Pre-order it here.
Signature Brew has described Black Tongue thusly: “Rumbling smoky notes are offset by the elixir of misbehaving punchy hops. Mosaic and Magnum hops to the front, with Carafa Special 3 Malt and Pale on the baseline. The band wanted to create a ‘pallet crusher’ and that’s certainly what has been delivered. A beer for enjoying slowly, letting the bombardment of flavour and intensity hit your tongue and explode with every sip.”
In addition to collaborating on the perfect brew, Mastodon has been in the studio working on their sixth album, which will be released by Warner Bros. Records next year. As previously announced, December 10th, is the release date for Live At Brixton – digital-only video and audio versions of their sold-out show at London’s O2 Academy that capped off the Atlanta-based band’s world tour in support of their critically acclaimed album The Hunter. Click here for visual proof. Click here to pre-orderLive At Brixton
Flume & Chet Faker – Drop the Game
Here’s a brand new music video from Australia’s Flume & Chet Faker to kick off their collabo “Lockjaw” EP. Shot in Brooklyn featuring b-boy Storyboard P. According to the label,
| “Having worked together on “Left Alone,” the plan for a collaborative release was hatched when they toured together on the 2013 Laneway Festival. Shortly after, the two headed to Narre Warren and Sandy Point on Australia’s South Coast for a four-day writing binge.” |
Sometimes it makes me wonder how I keep from visitin’ down under, uhhuhuhuhuhh!
| TRACKLIST
A1. Drop The Game A2. What About Us B1. This Song Is Not About A Girl |
RAPT (live) – Gingy & Starving Yet Full (of Azari & III) – BOILER ROOM TORONTO
Boiler Room touched down on our first frigid Monday night of the season for a surprise show hosted by the inimitable Fritz Helder (Bathurst Bus Route reprezent!) featuring Egyptrixx, Basic Soul Unit, Nautiluss, Kevin McPhee, Bruce Trail and headlined by Martyn going back to back with Gingy! The full set is not yet live on Youtube but you can catch the finale track of the evening, a rare collaboration between Gingy, and Starving Yet Full (vocalist for Azari & III). Check out pics from the night below!
DJ Shintaro wins $25K at World’s Biggest DJ Battle – BlogTO
Rob Ford Crack Tape Discovered by Toronto Police – Press Conference
This will go down in history…… Police Chief Bill Blair tells the public that they found two video files that are “particularly relevant” and “consistent with that which have been reported on in the media.”
EARTHQUAKES.
The Orb – Toronto Ticket Giveaway!
It’s quite astonishing that The Orb have been crafting groovy ambient tunes for over 25 years and are showing no signs of quitting. Dr. Alex Patterson has been known to tour solo but actual tours of himself with his partner Thomas Fehlman are more sporadic, so this is a very rare opportunity to see them live!
Their last full album, “The Orbserver in the Star House” was written in collaboration with Dub Reggae legend, Lee “Scratch” Perry, and they’ve also recently put out a 3 disc cd and DVD retrospective box set, “The Orb: History of the Future”.
I have two sets of two tickets to give away for Friday’s show on October 25th at The Opera House in Toronto courtesy of Electronic/Nation. To win them, just tell me the year of their first album in an email to jesse @ shipwrckd [dot] com.
The Weeknd Gets Carnal At first of Three Shows at Massey Hall
“Toronto, can I get on top of you tonight? Toronto, can I make you come tonight? How about three times? Four times?”
A packed Massey Hall screamed with ear-bleeding, hymen-busting (not that I’d know) strength in a resounding yes as Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd, interrupted “High For This” to proclaim undying urges for his city. If there’s one thing that Tesfaye made clear last night, it’s that he loves his hometown and his fans very, very much.
Last night’s show, the first of three Massey Hall dates for Toronto artist, was a sex-ed discourse for Toronto R&B lovers complete with visual displays of soft-core lesbian porn projected onto four massive monitors across the Massey Hall stage. Interspersed between carnal spells blared animated Japanese product commercials with green raccoon mascots and Harajuku girls selling candy, condoms, and of course The Weeknd’s new album Kissland.
It’s possible that the packed concert hall has never encountered such debauchery or ‘hood behaviour. Take for example the three self-described “ratchets” from Windsor who invited me to polish off their 26er of Jack Daniels on the corner outside of Fran’s Diner. Or The Weeknd’s request for lighters in the air, goading his fans on with a “I know you have them, I can smell that shit you’re smoking,” as the front of house security winced, eyes darting sideways. Lewd tongue lashings over the opiate sound field of “Belong To The World” also seemed to come from a darker world.
The Weeknd is the selfie-obsessed voice of a 20-something lover’s generation, and we can’t get enough of his dark fantasy that fist pumps over “we can fuck faces” verses and the 4/4 jackhammers of his first Drake collaboration “Crew Love”. It’s hard to forgive Tesfaye for slights such as not crediting his first collaborator and producer Zodiac who first launched him into the musical stratosphere. Still, seeing his neurotic passion come to life on stage is particularly endearing, especially the confession, “I’d never been on a plane or left Toronto for 21 years until my first tour.Kissland was the name of my journal” which he uttered more than once.
MORE PHOTOS
The Weeknd plays Massey Hall two more dates, October 19 and 20, with some tickets, albeit pricey ($75 and upwards) still available at the door.
Photos by Brian Morton
Houston Rap book
EXCLUSIVE PRE-SALE AT RAPPCATS NOW!
Houston Rap is an immersion into the everyday life of the Houston Hip Hop community. This hardcover 272 page book features the photography of Peter Beste who spent 9 years documenting the culture alongside writer Lance Scott Walker. The book is edited by Johan Kugelberg who also worked with Peter on his previous book True Norwegian Black Metal (Vice) which to date has sold through 8 editions.
Houston Rap profiles noted artists such as Bun B of UGK, Z-Ro, Willie D of the Geto Boys, Paul Wall to name a few sharing their reflections on the lives of departed legends such as DJ Screw, Pimp C, and Big Hawk.
The book also features community leaders, rappers, producers, businessmen, and family members, all providing an astonishing and important insight into a great American cultural narrative.
The Slipcased Exclusive version consists of Houston Rap hardcover book housed in a limited slipcase, packaged alongside a Fat Pat/DJ Screw 7-inch.
The Deluxe Bundle is the book housed in a limited slipcase, a Fat Pat/DJ Screw 7-inch, a Fat Pat “Ghetto Dreams” DVD, the Houston Rap Tapes companion handbook and DJ Screw’s musical opus, All Screwed Up, pressed to wax as a 2LP for the first time ever.
The top 5 nightclubs for EDM in Toronto
Any talk about Toronto nightclubs for EDM must be prefaced by the admission that EDM is a terrible umbrella acronym that encapsulates 30-plus styles of music into a palatable and sugary cereal-like mush of uplifting beats. At least electronica was a better descriptor as the a suffix gives the impression of plural form. But for the sake of mainstream media categorizations, let’s just play along for now.
Some of the more common genres that fall into the term include Dubstep, Complextro, Tech-House, and Trap music. Toronto has had a long history of electronic music as a rave mecca in the 90s (maybe thanks to our Commonwealth past) and onwards.
Here’s a roundup of some of the top clubs in Toronto to get your underground groove on.
The Guvernment
The Guvernment boasts a constantly evolving 100,000 sq ft party space that consists of multiple themed rooms (Koolhaus, Chroma, Surface, Skybar upstairs patio, Haven), and a revolving list of international superclub DJs. Peak seasonal parties to check out are Labour of Love, Decadance and Freedom. The Asian guy that hangs out by the left speakers in the front of the main room is always good for a chat. The Guv, or Guvvy, as it is affectionately called by its patrons is rumoured to be moving further down into Portlands territory closer to its lonely cousin, Sound Academy.
Uniun
Taking over from former tenants, The Devil’s Martini, Uniun is the newest addition to the INK family to cater to neighboring condo-land. The multimillion-dollar interior overhaul features dangly electric blue LED lights that hang like tentacles, or post-modern Christmas lights.
The Hoxton
The property at 69 Bathurst St. has passed through many hands over the years but no owners have managed to capitalize on the largish whitespace quite like the current tenants, a coalition of some of Toronto’s nightlife mavens (Embrace Entertainment), booking agents and entertainment personalities (Kenny Hotz). You never know when an impromptu Kenny Vs. Spenny challenge might go down!
Wrongbar
The original Parkdale nightlife outpost, catering to the heavy demand in electro, rap and everything in between. It was also DJ “Nasty” Nav Sangha’s first endeavor, who now owns a stake in The Great Hall, Samuel J. Moore restaurant below it, and the East End’s Riverside Public House. The set up is fairly simple but there’s enough raised seating and couches to keep you in check for a recharge if you need one. Has anyone figured out how to get that jukebox working?
The Drake Underground
There couldn’t be a more fitting title to this venue as it is home to mostly underground music events, fitting of EDM and indie-electronic genres. The space has been hosting the riff-raff (and getting confused looks from the 905ers and hotel guests upstairs) since the hotel’s beginnings, echoing the former bombed out party space that existed when the real estate was occupied by Galaxy Donuts.
BONUS
Footwork
Another old chestnut of the scene, Footy caters mostly to a European, and informed techno loving crowd bringing in talent that probably wont be heard on Z103.5. High pressure smoke is released at peak moments to get you hyped while the crowd claps along to asynchronous beats. Footwork has just announced that they will be shutting down after eight years but rumours have it that they have been actively looking at new locations, possibly even the Annex Wreckroom.
