I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

Tape Deck Bros. are the newest members of Toronto’s ever-growing electronic music scene, and although seemingly fresh out of the gate, they have already managed to get a lot of attention. iheartthemusic called first dibs on these guys and kicked it with the duo before their sand-less “What up, Beaches?” house party last Friday. With a new album, some collaborative efforts involving Toronto’s finest, and a refreshing outlook on the dance music scene in general, it’s fair to say these guys have a lot in store for us in the coming months.

iheartthemusic: So Tape Deck Bros., you guys have been doing a lot of shows lately.

Ash: We have. It’s been a lot all at once – starting up and moving forward really quickly.

iheartthemusic: How long have you guys been together?

Ash: Officially, about a year and a half. During our old band, Animal Clinic, we started branching off into this and talking about how it was going to happen. When things settled down with that, we went forward with this and used the relationships we had with local promoters and said, “hey, what do you think about doing some electronic shows?” and that’s pretty much how it started.

iheartthemusic: I really appreciate what you guys are doing. It’s a bit of a different sound than what Toronto is presently producing. What influenced you to go in that direction?

Ash: I’d say it’s the fact that when I started getting the impression that dance music was becoming more popular, I couldn’t familiarize myself with it. I wanted to start fresh. I was influenced by cool shit like Daft Punk and Justice, but beyond that, I didn’t really know much about it. So I just went with what production I knew and tried to make tracks the way I thought they should sound, and one of the big things was that video game sound. The composition of them was awesome and I wanted to bring that into the dance scene.

iheartthemusic: You mentioned that whole video game/8-bit sound, which has been used a lot lately. Do you feel you might be pigeonholed into that category?

Ash: Well, as I learn more about production, I feel like it’s becoming more integrated and it doesn’t stand out that much. A big influence for me is disco music; when I was a kid, dance music meant disco. So it’s the first thing I was dying to bring back, and with our album I feel that, if anything, we’re pushing disco harder than any other sound.

iheartthemusic: Speaking of the album, it’s called Electronics and it drops August 14^th. What’s that gonna sound like? Give me a bit of a preview.

Ash: It’s gonna be a well-rounded sound combining our live set with some structured song writing, so we’re gonna bring some vocalist in. It’s gonna be material that not everyone would expect, but hopefully once everyone has a listen, they can appreciate it.

iheartthemusic: Do you guys plan on touring with it?

Chris: Yeah, we plan on hitting places like London and areas surrounding Toronto.

Ash: As soon as we find an audience in any other city, we’ll be there. Like, we want to go where people want to hear our music. One of the big landmarks will be when we finally land in Europe and see how they perceive our music.

iheartthemusic: What do you love most about performing?

Ash: The ridiculous rush you get from being in front of a crowd of people that are there to see what you do. Regardless of what medium – I was a singer in a band, Chris was a guitarist in a band, and we get on stage with our turntables, we get the exact same feeling. And I still big up the crowd as if I was in a band.

iheartthemusic: Well, the worst thing you can do is be a boring DJ. You can have the best song selection and be technically on point, but if you can’t see them enjoying themselves, then something’s missing.

Chris: Well the crowd wants to feel like they’re involved in the show more than if they were just listening to a mix in their bedroom. There’s more intimacy. We try to vocalize throughout our set how we feel and how we want to make people feel.

iheartthemusic: You guys have the whole ‘DJs with masks’ thing going, is that something that you’re going to stick with?

Ash: Well, we’re not gonna keep our identities secret. Earlier on someone mentioned to me that a lot of electronic artists wear helmets or masks so I sort of felt like it was kind of a joke for us to have an alter ego. More than anything it’s about creating something more interesting to look at and makes a spectacle out of something that’s not so interesting to watch.

iheartthemusic: I asked this when I interviewed Barletta as he does a lot of remixes for local artists, and is always trying to push the Toronto scene. You guys remixed “Do The Criminal” by GoldenGirls – is giving back to local artists something you want to do as well?

Ash: Absolutely. As a producer, my first interest is to do a remix with local people because I’d much rather come out of our own scene than jump into someone else’s. I think it’s really important to push Toronto and its music scene to show people that we’re just as relevant as Paris or any other city. The music that Barletta, TMDP, GoldenGirls, 84.85 and all these local artists are making is just as awesome as anything I’m hearing from anywhere else, and I want everyone to realize that.

iheartthemusic: So what do you guys have planned once the album is out?

Chris: We’ve never stopped, whether in a rock band or whatever and I find that in this part of the industry, we’ve networked with so many more people than we have in a band. So we’ve collaborated with a lot of people already and have plans to collaborate with more artists.

iheartthemusic: Well, electronic music offers so much more room to play with.

Ash: We’re not really restricted to one genre either. We’re producing music that very seamlessly could transition to hip-hop or soca. As a musician, I progressively transitioned to this genre because of the freedom that it gives me. I’m in complete control of the composition… I would expect in the next year to branch out into as many new cities and as many new markets as possible. I want to spread our name, I want to get out there, meet other DJs and artists and play shows in as many places as we possibly can. I want to live being a musician.

TapeDeckBros. won’t stop until everyone in T.O. has participated in one of their grungy, sweat-stained parties. So feel free to stop by as they put their own spin on Monday Meetings @ The Social this Monday, June 22. If your feet haven’t been danced-out after this week’s NXNE festivities, this one will surely do the trick – and tell them iheartthemusic sent you.

Interview by Sebastian Galvez

Photography by Amy Young

If you’ve ever seen Syntonics do their thing, you know what they’re all about – grimy beats, mean vocals and an emphatic stage presence. Well, think of the 84.85 as their scuzzy little brother – the one that tagged along whenever you and your friends took to the streets and learned how to roll with the older crowd. That’s Cass and Jay – fresh rhymes, dirty beats and an uncanny ability to rock any party. While Toronto’s freshest newlyweds are off honeymooning, they’ve got an eager duo ready to hold down the Intellegenix fort.

84.85 didn’t hesitate in taking the stage after bass heavy sets from local DJs TTBombaman (you seriously need check these two out). Starting off with their “Billy Jean”-influenced “40 and a Fistfight,” they continued strong, demanding everyone’s hands to be shoved in the air. While Cass jumped in the crowd to give a more up-close-and-personal delivery of his fast-paced lyrics, Jay handled the decks, supplying a non-stop array of hard-hitting jams. Blazing through favorites like “100 Bad Habits,” “Don’t Worry” and “Breakin’ My Back” (a finishing track that would make any performer going on after re-think their setlist), they gave the crowd exactly what they wanted – a chance to lose their shit to the sounds of two guys who know exactly what they would want to hear if they were on the dance floor instead of on stage. That’s the kind of attitude that will propel 84.85 into the limelight.

Nothing should come in the way of these two becoming your new favorite act; they’ve studied the best and understand what it takes for them to man the stage and have a crowd eat out of their hands. If you haven’t experienced an 84.85 party, you should remedy that because you won’t fully understand until you’re face-to-face with Toronto’s best live duo and are reciting lyrics that you only wish you knew.

NOW Magazine has caught wind of these talented young cats and nabbed them to join their NXNE showcase on Friday, June 18th @ Reverb. Do yourselves a favor and go check them out… you’ll thank us later.

In person and off the tables, Barletta comes across as a pretty unassuming guy; a quick glance at him wouldn’t draw you to the conclusion that he’s one of Canada’s hottest dance music exports, or that he’s half of powerhouse duo Mansion… but indeed he is! iheartthemusic got the chance to chat with the star-in-the-making about the whirlwind success he’s been getting and his plans to help Toronto reach a whole new level in dance music (bring us up to 11, if you catch our drift).

iheartthemusic: You’ve been a busy guy lately, you’ve been releasing music on a consistent basis for the last couple of years and now you’re on tour for the month of May. Are you getting worn out?

Barletta: No. Honestly I’m just riding the hype as much as I can and having a lot of fun. All the shows are awesome and the kids are gnarly as shit.

iheartthemusic: You’re headed to California too, right?

Barletta: Yeah, I’m doing a couple of dates in LA and a couple of dates in Mexico.

iheartthemusic: Is that your first time heading down there?

Barletta: Yeah, it’ll be my first time in LA ever. Other than that, I’ve only played in New York as far as the U.S. goes.

iheartthemusic: You’re on tour promoting the Panther EP. Describe Panther for someone who hasn’t heard it yet.

Barletta: I’d say it’s pretty dance floor banger-ish. I’m really into super heavy baselines that make girls take their clothes off and gets people dancing. Just fun party music is what I classify that EP as. Shit for people to get down to, which is essential the club scene right now. That’s what I really wanted to convey – something that was super fun, really base heavy that anyone could jam out and have a great time to.

iheartthemusic: You’ve been getting a lot of love since you stepped onto the scene – a search on Hype Machine pulls up 10 pages worth of your music. How does it feel to be getting such a positive response for your work?

Barletta: It’s totally rewarding – I mean, doing a lot of self-promoting and letting the music speak for itself is fairly rewarding. I’m taken aback when big DJs like Crookers are playing my tracks. It gives me that much more inspiration and honestly, I’m totally doing it for the music and for the love of making music and I feel like it’s something that I have to get out on a regular basis. Like, I’ve gotta make a track a week.

iheartthemusic: Well you want to keep the momentum going, right?

Barletta: Yeah, keep up the hype, you know?

iheartthemusic: Your remixes of Meech’s “Bottom of the Fourth” and Steve Angello’s “Leave The World Behind”, as well as your own track “Fire + Gold” have a very different style compared to to earlier Barletta tracks. Do you feel like that kind of positive response lets you experiment a little more?

Barletta: Totally, but I find it a process of maturing. Like, I totally love the party music and the party scene, but I definitely think there is more to offer. I’m drawing a lot of inspiration from acts like Jessie Vendetta, Deadmau5 and a lot more progressive artists that still give an edge to their music, which is appealing to people who really want to thrash out, but also incorporate elements that are very sombre and thought-provoking. You kind of get the best of both worlds. Like Deadmau5’s Ghosts and Stuff has moments where people are having a great time, but also has those breaks that gives moments to reflect. I view it as a progression, but I’ll never lose that amped up, I-wanna-party vibe. It’s just a very natural progression for me.

iheartthemusic: Your Bass Live EP was dope. How important was it for you to get a hand from local acts and get that Toronto flavour?

Barletta: I think it’s important to embrace all that Toronto has to offer. Like Syntonics, for instance, one of the very first remixes I made ever was a Syntonics track – huge props to Barbi and Mitchell for introducing me to everybody in the scene. Barbi is like the godmother DJ of Toronto, so I credit a lot to her and her promoting my shit. So, I feel like whenever I see an act out of Toronto that’s fucking hot, I’ll totally remix their stuff. And when you think of different places like New York, for instance, you think Armand Van Helden, Drop The Lime and AC Slater. You have those names to associate with that city, and I want it to be like that here. Like, who do you think of when you think of Toronto?

iheartthemusic: I think Barletta, TMDP…

Barletta: Right, TMDP, Syntonics, the 84.85, GoldenGirls – all those cats are hype. Toronto has a lot to offer and I think that we just need to step up and put shit out. We definitely have a lot of potential and we have to exploit it, and make ourselves known as that fucking city.

iheartthemusic: You’ve scored a couple of official remixes for big names like LAZRtag, among others. How does it feel to be getting props from acts that you’re a fan of and look up to?

Barletta: It’s really exciting, rewarding and humbling for people to approach me to do a remix, and I wish someday to be in their shoes.

iheartthemusic: What’s one of your favourite tracks that you’ve done so far?

Barletta: Fuck, I hate all my music.

iheartthemusic: Ah, don’t say that!

Anna V.: What about Pizza Hut and Taco Bell? [Laughs] I love those Das Racist guys.

iheartthemusic: That’s definitely one of my faves.

Barletta: Ok, yeah – Pizza Hut and Taco Bell.

iheartthemusic: Last question – what’s next for you in ‘09?

Barletta: I don’t know, world domination? Touring my ass off, no sleep, vices of many different kinds, and I don’t know, worldwide success.

Worldwide success is a big dream. However, following his blistering set that had a sold-out crowd sweating out their problems like nobody’s business, we came to realize that that dream is closer for Barletta than most think. All eyes were on the fresh-faced DJ as he tore through the dirtiest, grimiest tracks Wrongbar’s sound system could bear. With every epic break came the crowd’s demand for more, peaking at the drop of Klaas’ remix of Jean Elan’s “Where’s Your Head At?” that had everyone yelling the chorus – and with every cheer, Barletta got more and more into it, begging the crowd to enjoy it as much as he was.

With his sharp blends, an electric stage presence and song selection that was second to none, Barletta had Wrongbar in the palm of his hand. Anyone thinking of jumping into this city’s electronic music scene needs to take notes – Toronto’s best DJ isn’t letting go of his crown anytime soon.

Written by Sebastian Galvez

Photography provided by Amy Young

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