Wale
FRI, JULY 3 SHOW EL MOCAMBO CANCELLED
Twenty-four–year-old Washington DC rapper Wale (pronounced Wal-é) has pressure on his shoulders. He’s being hailed as the future of hip-hop, all on the strength of some singles and three mixtapes including 100 Miles and Running. I first noticed Wale’s wicked cadence and lyrics in his cameo on the Mark Ronson–produced track “Change” by Daniel Merriweather. Since then, Wale has both toured with Ronson and signed a production deal with him. No surprise there; even Wale’s new single “Chillin” is damn good. Wale’s debut album, Attention Deficit, drops August 8 on Universal.
Goin’ Steady Fourth Anniversary WITH DJS LOUIS CALABRO, MATT CULLY. SAT, JULY 4. GLADSTONE BALLROOM, $5 BEFORE 11PM, $10 AFTER.
What’s not to love about a party that’s so genuine in its retro fetish? For four years, Goin’ Steady has steadily been drawing sizable crowds that are interested in getting down to beat music from the 1950s and ’60s. Resident DJs and big-time collectors Calabro and Cully mix everything from doo-wop and boogie-woogie to soul, R&B, rock, rockabilly, girl groups and more for audiences who love to dress the part. This special anniversary edition features 3-D glasses for all and special mix-CDs “for best dressed and best dancers.”
Joris Voorn @ Platform WITH GREG GOW, NITIN. SAT, JULY 4. FOOTWORK, 425 ADELAIDE W. $20.
There is huge excitement about the Toronto debut of Dutch DJ/producer Joris Voorn, and understandably so. Voorn is deeply creative in the mix and highly musical in his original productions, with albums like 2004’s Future History and ’07’s From A Deep Place sounding equally striking in headphones and on the dancefloor. Now Voorn tours in support of his mind-blowing Balance 014 mix-CD. Imagine more than 100 tracks — from Radiohead, Goldie, Carl Craig and many other surprises — artfully blended over two discs. Many DJs aim to take crowds on a journey; Voorn actually does.
Dan ‘Fiyah’ Beats @ superheavyREGGAE WITH INWORD BAND, MORE. SAT, JULY 4. EL MOCAMBO, 464 SPADINA AV. FREE BEFORE 10PM, $10 AFTER.
Props to superheavyREGGAE producers Jeremiah and Friendlyness for going large, bringing both DJ and live sets. The two residents will share their sweet roots, lovers rock and dub, with Montreal’s INWORD Band, hornsman Isax and Montreal MC Dan “Fiyah” Beats performing over the superheavyREGGAE duo’s instrumentals.
The Bug @ TD Canada Trust Toronto Jazz Festival WITH FLOWDAN, DADDY FREDDY. SAT, JULY 4. THE SOCIAL, 1100 QUEEN W. $20.
In what has to be the most surprising booking of this year’s jazz fest, British producer Kevin Martin a.k.a. The Bug will perform a live set of jazz- and industrial-tinged ragga and dubstep, accompanied by two of his frequent vocal collaborators. Martin is both sonically adventurous and prolific, having also fronted projects including Techno Animal, Ice and Curse of the Golden Vampire. He was an early convert to dubstep and has been running BASH, a monthly reggae/bass music night, with dubstep producer Loefah since 2006. The Bug’s third full-length, last year’s London Zoo (Ninja Tune), remains one of dubstep’s finest, even if it blurs the genre’s already wobbly boundaries.