Little Boots vid exploits LA's poverty

Little Boots pop music video for 'New in town' deals horribly with the serious issue of poverty
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Mutek_10 Festival

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Mutek’s tenth edition line-up was a reflection of where dance music continues to push the boundaries and maintain its solid foundation. Annually, according to the festival, over 54 per cent of Mutek attendees travel from places outside of Quebec - Chicago, Edmonton, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver and Europe - for an experience that Time Out New York has called “North America’s leading electronic-music event.” Thus, it should come as no surprise then, that Mutek recently won Quebec’s Tourism Grand Prize for 'Festivals and Touristic Events'. I was one of many avid techno tourists who attended Mutek’s 10th edition.

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My DEMF Review

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I’m not witnessing stadium rock or stadium love, like pop band Metric’s new song depicts in their newest album. No - Instead I’m witnessing stadium techno. It’s Saturday night, May 24th 2009 in Detroit, and Carl Cox is playing some pounding techno anthems to a crowd of fans with their hands in the air, fists pumping, feet moving and heads bouncing.

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Videos from Movement, DEMF 2009

You might want to turn your speakers down! The sound is really distorted in these videos, sorry. The need for some earplugs (which I had) and a proper recording device is evident. However, if you're interested to know what the Detroit Electronic Music festival was like, this is an alright sampling of a few sets I caught.

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Planning a trip to Detroit

I'm looking forward to seeing Detroit again, for all its deserted downtrodden streets and buildings just steps from the techno festival that transforms it for one weekend each year. It's not just that I crave techno music... I enjoy the discordant contrast between the vibrant international musical scene and the nearly abandoned city that hosts it each year. It's not without some thought that I wander looking for a restaurant each year during quiet moments of the festival. This city and the people here gave so much to the techno scene, as many of the originators came from here. But this city also seems like a ghost of its illustrious past, and it reminds me of the failings of large unsustainable economies and previous recessions that have taken their toll on the human and ecological life that are struggling to survive.

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'RiP: A Remix Manifesto' film

Interview with Brett Gaylor Check out my interview in audio submitted to CKLN for the Word of Mouth show.... and, below, a different version of my original article which appeared in the Ryerson Free Press.

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Berlin Calling Screening in Toronto

I wrote this article for Beatportal.com in September 2008.
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Sunday night in Toronto during the Toronto International Film Festival in the heart of downtown (Little Italy to be exact), Paul Kalkbrenner stood outside of the Royal Theatre as people lined up to go inside.

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