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

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.

Knock Knock brought it back to bashment party styles last Saturday (February 22). Taking place in the bourgeoning area of Dundas and Ossington at Amazonas, a basement bar with palm trees painted on the walls, packs of condoms in the bathroom and a community centre feel. But this type of grimy atmosphere is exactly what was being sought out for this showcase consisting of DJ Omega, Sek One, Syntonics, Egyptrixx and DJ Godfather.

Egyptrixx told iheartthemusic that, “there’s a concept behind Knock Knock, which is a collaboration between Curb Crawlers and DMoney, which is to do proper underground stuff. So it was important that it was in a venue that wasn’t like the Drake or Wrongbar. No bottle service bullshit. Just…a room with some fucking speakers and good music and try to erase the peripheral bullshit that happens in clubs. No bouncers and slutty bartenders…It’s the basement of a pool hall in Little Portugal. Just a room with palm trees painted on the walls. It’s really amazing. It’s way more DIY than going to Circa or whatever.” Mission accomplished.

Venue aside, the focus of the night was the music that filled the space. When iheartthemusic arrived Syntonic was playing to the eager to dance crowd. While I used the word crowd, it was by no means crowded, which was a little disappointing. Though this was no reflection on the DJ. The tunes were solid and had who was there grooving along. However, the space would have allowed for more and the tunes deserved more ears and booties to shake.

Egyptrixx took over the tables next and maintained the energy level with his set. It was nearly impossible to not dance to the beats. The iheartthemusic photographer, a fellow DJ who frequents the club scene,  commented that it was some of the best beats he’d heard in a while.

The idea of the event was great and had I not been coming down with cold (at a time where I don’t have any room in my calendar for sickness) then I would have for sure stayed for the entire evening. Unfortunatley that was not the case and I’m sad to report I didn’t see all the DJs (very sad as I caught some YouTube clips of DJ Godfather and was really looking forward to seeing him in action!). But what can you do? When I was there I was having a great time and everyone around me clearly was as well. Hopefully there’ll be a next time!

Photos by Colm Schlosser

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