Photos by Neil Van
Embrace’s Electric Island series has a reputation for bestowing Toronto with some of its best summer parties. Although I have been meaning to make the pilgrimage to the Toronto Islands for one of their events for the past couple of years, I have never had a chance until this past Labor Day long weekend. Being somewhat of a festival junkie I was excited to see what the organisers had put together in the stunning surrounds of Hanlan’s Point, and if this could live up to the stellar musical lineup they had wrangled together.
I have always had bad luck getting to and from the Hanlan’s Point, and Sunday was no different. I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice to say a perfect storm of the long weekend, CNE air show and my unpreparedness for large crowds ment the voyage took 3x as long and cost 3x as much as usual. Breathing a sigh of relief I entered the festival grounds around 5pm and resolved to put the misadventure behind me.
One interesting thing about the event series is that they don’t publish strict set times, so it took me a while to work out that it was the tightly looped sounds of Bicep which greeted my ears upon entering the festival grounds. The producers performed separately, adding to my disorientation, and it took until they played their own remix of Isaac Tichauer’s Higher Level that I was sure it was them behind the decks.
The stage was beautifully decorated, with the ample flower garlands and mirrors adding to a ‘futuristic forest’ vibe which was replicated around the grounds. Tetris ‘T’ block shaped screens on either side of the stage helped create the futuristic atmosphere, and contrasted nicely with the lush greenery of late-summer Ontario. Half way through Bicep’s set, dancers wearing mesh swimsuits with fluro accents and Microsoft Hololens-style visors were added to each side of the stage, completing the futuristic atmosphere.
By the time I had time to grab some food and a drink Bicep were handing over the decks to Dirtybird co-founder Justin Martin, who seemed happy to build upon the strong pace the Belfast duo had created. Opening with the instrumental to Dr. Dre’s Still D.R.E, Martin elicited cheers from the crowd and piqued our attention for what was to be an interesting, varied set.
Dirtybird is famous for producing quirky, bass heavy house music, and based on the amount of merchandise in the crowd there were more than a few fans in attendance. Justin Martin didn’t disappoint, crafting a set which was heavy on vocal clippings and syncopated rhythms. Martin’s style of house is always a pleasure to dance to, and the atmosphere was certainly at a highpoint for his late afternoon set, which my festival buddies proclaimed the best of the day.
I was broken from my energetic haze when someone in the crowd turned to me and asked “are you as stoked for Nicole to come on that stage as we are?” Despite my enjoyment of Justin Martin’s skill behind the decks, I had to agree. I first saw Nicole Moudaber when she played out the Bollywood stage on the first night of Bestival Toronto 2015. That performance had a crowd of less than 100 due to the fact that she was competing with some pretty epic headliners, but nonetheless cemented her as one of my favorite techno DJ’s. The crowd this time around was undoubtedly larger, but equally excited for her performance as Martin announced her to cheers.
Nicole Moudaber plays harsh, minimal techno reminiscent of the grey skyline and booming dancefloors of her London home. Stepping behind the decks, her wild hair was as immediately recognisable as her signature sound, which the crowd quickly embraced. Nicole’s music makes me visualise a dilapidated, urban landscape rather than the lush greenery I was enjoying at Hanlan’s Point, but this provided an interesting juxtaposition on the now-packed dance floor.
The final act of the night was a double-header in the form of Dirtybird’s owner Claude VonStroke and house don Green Velvet playing together as Get Real. From the moment they stepped on stage, it was obvious the duo was just as ready to party as the crowd. Their set was infused with fun moments designed to make the crowd smile, such as when Claude VonStroke sung a chorus to Britney’s Poison, or getting the audience chanting along to the hook from AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. They also heavily played their own creations, with the recent hit Mind Yo Bizness making an appearance alongside many of their solo productions.
I decided to leave a few minutes before the festival was set to end in order to beat the ferry line, so saying goodbye to the swirling lights and heavy bass of Electric Island was a bittersweet affair. Reminiscing on the day as I overlooked the Toronto skyline on the ferry ride home I had to concede that the organisers certainly know how to throw a party. I look forward to attending many more.
