The NextOffensive crew boast a longstanding involvement in Toronto's Free Party community, although their local presence has been decidedly absent for some time, with only the occasional video popping up on Youtube and the last listed events and mixes on their website being from 2007.  Thankfully, member freeform23 has taken the time to re-invade the Techno airwaves with this stellar mix, that easily ranks as one of the best we've heard so far for 2009

Clocking in at a solid 90 minutes, "free2b23 2.3" is the Techno equivalent of a Jazz jam, with moods and textures exploring varied shades of the minimal spectrum.  Although we recently had our say regarding the minimal overwash of Toronto's Techno scene, this mix offers redemption, retaining immaculate timing, programming and understated funkiness throughout.  Freeform23 has a firm grasp of mindbending and feet-moving storytelling, taking the listener on a memorable journey over the course of this bleepy, fuzzed-out venture.  One well worth having in the rotation.

Free publicity - our favourite kind!



Minds don’t switch off when school is out. These choice cultural activities allow kids to experience comedy, opera and, yes, deejaying By Chloe Ellingson

March Break DJ Camp

For the budding DJ, WestsideWax offers group instruction on how to master the turntables. Focusing on dance music, students aged 12 to 18 can mix house, techno and electro records provided by the school or bring their favourites from home.

• March 16 to 20, 10–3.

• $90 per day, $380 for the week (includes lunch).

• WestsideWax DJ School, 1564A Bloor St. W. (at Dundas St. W.), 416-516-1563

Nevermind that it's actually taken us a week and a half to amble into week 4 of our stroll through the Chicago House vaults, this entry is more than worth the wait.  Last time around we put the ear to Risse's souled-out vocal stylings on the Steve "Silk" Hurley produced "House Train".  This week, another Hurley track makes the cut, and while we love about 99% of the House that came out of that era, this scorcher easily qualifies as a personal favourite...




Early Hip-House was a hugely popular runoff from Chicago House's usual instrumental or soulful vocal leanings - as implied, the style fused Hip-Hop MCing with Chi-House flavour, often with mixed and/or unintentionally humourous results.  There's a certain kitsch factor associated with Hip-House - listen to enough tracks by the more prolific producers (Fast Eddie and Tyree Cooper being standouts) and you might be fooled into thinking that the House spinoff is basically a one-trick pony (albeit a fun ride).  However, gander all the way back to the first year of Hip-House's parade into the dance music charts and you will find the genre at its freshest and most innovative.

For this 1988 Jack Trax release, Steve Hurley corralled rapper Marc "M. Doc" Williams -  and the pairing couldn't have been better.  M. Doc, the self-professed "Sound of Detroit" (who would later go on to write and produce for some of the biggest names in mainstream dance music) flips lyrically intense and pearl-smooth delivery over Silk's drum machine freakout.  The result is pure dancefloor dynamite.  We could go on, but we'll let you follow the track's lead-in "Check it out Party People..." to see for yourself.  M. Doc's words do far better justice to "It's Percussion" than we ever could.  'Nuff said...

It has certainly been a busy week here in FU-land.  The March Break Full Day Sessions at WestsideWax DJ School are going swimmingly, with first-time students already expressing interest in buying their own setups and delving deeper into the craft!  That's what we love to hear from our DJs - passion and dedication!

We've also been working with our good friend Rouchos to get a collaborative event on the go, and even though it's short notice by promoter standards, we've put something together that we believe will light a fire under the feet of Toronto Techno lovers.  Here's the scoop:

FU Friend Mike Goodwin may not be as widely recognised as deserved on the home front, but he's been steadfast at the production helm for a long time, churning out quality tracks since the mid-1990s that cover the spectrum from lush House to squelchy Techno.  For his first release on his digital imprint Utility, Mike teams up with Toronto's Jason "DJ Shine" Spanu for "Krank Yo Money Maker", which leans more on the Tech-side of the spectrum.  Of the three mixes available, the moody "Synth Only Mix" immediately caught our attention, with a penetrating stab that anchors an infectious loop and some squelchy acid goodness.  The aptly titled "Beats Only Mix" also garners mention, delivering a stripped-down, crunchy, percussive workout that hits in all the right places.

Krank Yo Money Maker is available now as a digital download from Juno.