The promo for this event found me via facebook a good six weeks before the date, so the hype started early. It didn't take long to convince a long-time friend and well-known Toronto hardcore DJ (Fuzzboy) that we should make the trek for this one.

London, Ontario is about two hours west of Toronto, and has an electronic music scene completely separate to that of the Megacity. Heavily populated by students, the 'college town' is home to a number of Canada's higher-learning institutions. During school semesters, the student body needs somewhere to unwind, and event promoters plan accordingly.

'Triumph' was the 'homecoming weekend event' put together by a collaboration of London's promoter teams under the alias 'N.E.C'. The two room event took place at RumRunners Music Hall (easily one of London's nicest venues) which played host to Dirtyphonics (France) just a week prior. Scheduled from 10pm-5am with techno on the front stage and drum'n'bass in an even larger back room connected by a short maze of hallways... This was going to be a busy night.

We arrived around 11pm, having picked up another friend on the way out of Toronto. Two hours of rainy-highway driving couldn't bring down our spirits... only Fuzzboy's hardcore CDs could do that! Making way up a flight of stairs to the front room of the club we were blasted with the familiar 4/4 drone of funky techno. With stamps on our hands, it was time to visit the bar! This is where things start to get a bit hazy.

Planet Of The Drums (Dieselboy, DJ Dara, AK1200 & MC Messinian) are set to go on stage at 1am, while techno headliner Chris Liberator is set for 1:30 in the techno room. Conflicted on where I'll spend most of my evening dancing and being rowdy, I decided to chase down the POTD crew to say hi and grab a crappy picture on my cellphone...

Sneaking back stage with only a couple minutes before they're set to perform, Dieselboy and Dara are playing on their iPhones while AK1200 watches over with a smile and Messinian is patiently waiting for the promoter to come back with a couple drinks. With no time to spare we grabbed a couple of Jager shots and pounded them back as they got hustled out to perform.
 
I know that Dieselboy has been working on this POTD intro track for awhile (via twitter), so I'm super excited to see what's in store. I make way to the middle of the dancefloor and watch as the club goes dark and the crowd buzzes with anticipation. Above the extended DJ booth a projection screen lowers. With massive sweeps and atmospheres, a view of deep space appears and zooms between planets.

A deep and transformer sounding voice rumbles through the speakers introducing the group's members and mission. The multi-media intro stirs an intense crowd reaction and leads flawlessly into a rapid-fire set of up-front drum'n'bass beats. The three DJs are rotating between two DJ rigs in the booth while Messinian is working the mob of dancers into a frenzy spending most of his performance on the floor with them.

Once the set is in full swing, I reload at the bar and stumble through the crowded hallway to the front of the club. Chris Liberator has been on for a few tracks and the room is vibing. No expense spared on lighting and decoration, the whole space is glowing with green lasers and flashing strobes, the sound is loud and crisp but not painful on the ears... Proper Techno.

Awhile later I've made way up the stairs to the balcony overlooking the space, and out to the rooftop patio for a smoke and some socializing. There is a very eclectic crowd about, everybody is smiling and laughing, there's some good bud in the air, the beer is cold, and any complaints would be out of place.

Bouncing between the two headliner sets and the bar takes up the remainder of my night. Drenched in sweat I make rounds about 4am saying thanks and goodbye to the promoters & friends that have helped make this an excellent evening. Dragged out to some pizza place full of similarly drunk people we chat about the night's festivities and joke with other clubbers... About two hours of highway later, we're back in Toronto and I'm limping to the door of my apartment with a look of satisfaction on my face that only evenings like this can provide. Fucking good times.

 

Related Links:

• Review: Sinister Sound, Toronto
• Review: Theory, Toronto
• Toronto Drum And Bass Awards
• Projek @ The Guvernment Review
• Soul In Motion In The UK

Like it? Share it!
Sign up for more with the Kmag weekly newsletter.