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

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

Everyone loves a great party, especially a party that involves amazing music, so why not combine the two? Well, that was the idea that Matt Eckensweiler and Konrad Droeske had when they decided to start throwing parties for a living. These are the guys behind The Mansion, a marketing/promotional company that are happy to provide the party for those of us that love to dance. They are by no means new to the scene; Matt has been the stage manager for the Canadian music festival Cutting Edge for the past two years and Konrad is the organizer for the notorious U of T “Mansion” parties that have hosted some of the best talent in the country, including illScarlett. We caught up with the party pair last week and they gave us a little taste of what is to be expected at Electrofest.

iheartthemusic: So, why did you decide to start The Mansion?

Matt: We love to party, we love throwing parties, and we love the party people. So we thought why not take it to the highest level possible with the best acts, the loudest sound, and the brightest lights.

Konrad: From the beginning, The Mansion has been all about bringing the freshest sounds and newest party concepts to the people.

iheartthemusic: How do you go about choosing acts for your parties?

Matt: Whether we’re talking about a DJ, a metal band, or an MC, the live performance is really important. We like artists that can really connect to the crowd and hype up the jam.

Konrad: Most importantly, we look at a DJ’s ability to connect with the audience, so before we book anyone, we need to see them live.

iheartthemusic: What do you think of Canadian DJs/producers in relation to those in other countries?

Matt: Canada has been turning up the heat for a while now. MSTRKRFT and Crystal Castles have both had international success and are producing some fresh new sounds.

Konrad: What’s amazing is that in a short period of time the Canadian electro scene has received mainstream attention with artists like Deadmau5, Crystal Castles and MSTRKRFT already putting us on the map. Within the next few years, I see Canada as a pioneer of some of the world’s greatest electro and house music.

iheartthemusic: Who do you consider the top DJ/producer in Canada right now and why?

Matt: Deadmau5 is the highest rated Canadian DJ, so I guess that makes him number one.

Konrad: Some of the most original and catchy tracks we’ve heard in a while have come from wunderkind DJ duo TapeDeckBros.

iheartthemusic: Tell us about Electrofest.

Matt: Well, Syntonics is headlining, and they are fucking awesome. I love the dirty ghetto tech sound. We also have some great up-and-coming talent like TapedeckBros, and they know how to rock the crowd. Electrofest will be loud.

Electrofest is sure to be an amazing party so hit it up this Friday, April 3^rd at The Amsterdam Brewery. Tickets are $10 in advance and can be purchased here or $15 at the door. The Mansion is also hosting a boat cruise on May 15th with DJ Barletta, Opopo, Gingy, TapeDeckBros, and many more. It’s called “We’re On A Boat, Motherfucker!” and tickets go on sale the day after Electrofest. You can get them online at TicketMaster or at Rotate This.