Introducing: The Toronto Collective

Jacob Freidman

Jacob is a bit of a wild card when you take into account the fact that he’s been producing music since the age of 13 but he has only recently decided to get behind the turn tables and try his hand at DJing. Trained musically by ear, he plays piano, trumpet, bass, and guitar. When it comes to production, he puts these classical sounds together with modern notes from electronic music to create somewhat of a new genre that can be described as techno fused with folk/rock. When we asked him for some of his thoughts on The Collective, he told us that he sees it as both an artistic outlet as well as a creative think tank that is capable of taking production out of the realm of “the antisocial.”

• http://jacobfriedman.net

Fedja Hadzidedic (aka Feddy Haze)

This minimal house loving DJ/Producer got his start in the music business producing rap and hip-hop, but his passion for discovering new sounds led him to electronic music 4 years ago. Since then, his talents have taken him halfway around the world having DJ’d at Heiniken Music Fest in Sarajevo, Croatia in 2008, and he hopes that one day those same talents will carry him right into a headlining spot on the main stage at the Miami WMC. As for his thoughts on The Collective? He thinks it’s an incredible learning tool that will help him project himself into what he will become in the future.

• www.facebook.com/feddyhaze

Joe Lyons-Rising (aka JLR)

If you like a DJ who infuses a bit of nostalgia into his sets, then Joe Lyons-Rising is right up your ally. Mixing electro-house with funky old school tunes, Lyons-Rising has already made a name for himself with his “mashappellas” (which he creates by layering an existing beat over an accapella then chopping it up to put a fresh twist on old songs). A self proclaimed veterin DJ, he told us that he’s excited to learn from the younger artists in the The Collective, which comes as no surprise considering the success he’s had thus far by mixing the old with the new.

• http://myspace.com/jlraudio
• http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/pages/JLR/369259317454?ref=ts
• http://soundcloud.com/jlr
• http://hypem.com/search/jlr%20mashapella/1/ – to listen to his mashapella

Adam Smith (aka DJ Adam)

DJ Adam is no stranger to the music industry having done the synth and drum programming for a Brit-pop-inspired band that got radio play back in the late 90s; however, flash forward to present day and you’d be more likely to hear him play upbeat, vocal-heavy dirty-electro/tribal sets at massive parties like he did this year at Toronto Pride Festival. We’re quite confident that with his talent and his eagerness to learn and grow as a group with the other members of the collective, he will one day play his dream gig at the open air main stage at Miami WMC.

• http://djadam.ca
• http://soundcloud.com/djadamsmith

Pierre Dini

Pierre captured the essence of The Collective when he told us, “There is a lot of determination in the group because we understand the power of the group”. With an attitude like that, an inclination toward unique, exclusive, unrealeased tracks, and a passion for highly layered and very detailed DJing, he could prove to be an unstoppable force in the industry. He already has an opening gig for Laurent Wolf under his belt; we can only wait and see where he goes next.

• http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/pierre-dini-podcast/id295219355
• http://twitter.com/PIERREDINI

Daniel De Marchi (aka D’Marki)

D’Marki is one of the rookies in the group having only been in the game for about a year, but between his talent, heart, dedication and willingness to learn, he could prove to quickly become a force to be reckoned with. As a lover of all subgenres of House music, this young DJ plays off his crowd’s energy and gives them just what they want to hear. Recognizing that the sky’s the limit when you combine the contacts and talent that runs through The Collective, he knows how to use every tool to his advantage.

Adam Vegys (aka DJ Spiritually Minded)

If you want to hear a mainstream set, you’d be barking up the wrong tree if you called on Adam Vegys to deliver it. Playing tech-house/tribal sounds, he is mostly attracted to more underground music that helps him take his crowds on an emotional journey. Although he is inspired by Mark Knight’s technical abilities and his talent for moving a dance floor, he also looks to artists like Bjork for musical ideas to create something new and fresh. When we asked what his feelings were toward The Collective, he told us: “It’s always good to be able to use your skills for something bigger than yourself.”

• http://www.spirituallyminded.ca
• http://spirituallyminded.podomatic.com/
• http://www.myspace.com/spirituallymindedmusic

Adrian Simon (A-Play)

If you were to hear a list of A-Play’s accomplishments, you would never guess that he’s only a few years out of highschool. Not only has he already played an opening set for David Guetta (2008), he also already has a single out on itunes with Noah + The Man! His upbeat electro-house sets featuring top 40 remixes have already garnered some attention and he believes that being a part of a strong group will set The Collective apart from the crowd in an industry that has been largely stuck in its ways since it’s creation. We think he may be on to something there!

• http://www.djaplay.com
• http://www.facebook.com/pages/DJ-A-PLAY/147813461892?v=wall&ref=ts
• http://soundcloud.com/dj-a-play
• http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/love-take-me-higher-feat-sheri/id383041210?i=383041211 – song currently on itunes

Sok and Harry (aka Status Brown)

This duo is made up of 2 guys who don’t discriminate between sub genres of house music; their sets have been known to include everything from electro and house, to techno and minimal and everything in between. The fact that they dream big comes as no surprise when you consider that they have been following the likes of Armand Van Buren since they were kids and were always in awe of his ability to use dance music to unite people around the world. One day, they too want to be able to have an influence that resonates internationally and they believe that being part of The Collective will keep them focused and involved and give them the amazing opportunity to learn from other talent since they admit that “nowadays, collaboration is the key.”

• http://Myspace.com/statusbrown
• http://soundcloud.com/statusbrown
• http://youtube.com/statusbrown
• http://facebook.com/statusbrown
• http://statusbrown.com

Paolo Bruni

Paolo B is a high-energy man who loves nothing more than to bang out high-energy sets. Weaving quickly in and out of different electronic genres, you’ll likely hear lots of mashups of progressive, house and minimal when he’s behind the decks. So far his biggest musical accomplishment has been releasing a song onto beatport, itunes, and juno but he still dreams of headlining at a major European festival – a dream that might just come true for him since he admits that The Collective is looking like that extra push he felt he needed to propel him up to the top of his game.

• http://www.soundcloud.com/apollo23
• http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pbruni1
• http://www.myspace.com/paolobtechno

Shem CA

Shemca is a DJ who specializes in keeping his crowd moving all night long and he’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen. Incorporating house, hip-hop, R&B and rock into his sets, when he’s on the decks, expect nothing less than party tunes and bangers. As a producer, he has only recently started dabbling in house music (he previously focused mainly on hip-hop). Luckily, his fellow producers in The Collective are more than willing to help him to continue to branch out into electronic music and with some hard work, we’re sure that before he knows it he’ll be a master of whatever musical genre he chooses to conquer.

• http://www.myspace.com/shemca

Marc and Jeff Gleeson (The Goons)

This sibling duo have made a point not to pigeonhole themselves into one musical genre; when you go to one of their parties, be prepared to hear anything from underground house, to rock, and even hip-hop (which is where their musical background lies). They look up to guys like Adam Freland because of his versatile style and the fact that all of his releases sound different to the last. Making sure that everything they do is fresh-to-death, these 2 know very well that Toronto is a city full of talent and that they’ll have to put in a lot of hard work to make themselves stand out from the crowd. That’s exactly why they think The Collective will be vital to their success, since it’s not only a place to learn, but it’s also a place to make a name for themselves because of the opportunities it will give them to DJ for the masses.

• http://www.soundcloud.com/thegoons

Andrew Kim (aka Schizophrenic Masochist)

When Schizophrenic Masochist gets behind the decks, he’s willing to do whatever it takes to get his crowd grooving on the dance floor as he throws down electro-house sets that have also been known to feature the occasional experimental electronica track. Knowing this, it’s hardly surprising that when we asked him who his biggest musical influences are, his response was DJ Sasha & John Digweed as well as Radiohead, and it looks like he’s right on track to follow in their footsteps. Having already released an album on itunes, this young talent believes that the constant flow of creative energy that runs through The Collective might be just what he needs to get him to his dream gig: playing in Seville, Spain for the right crowd that knows how to party.

• http://www.reverbnation.com/masochist
• http://www.facebook.com/alvista
• http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/20-000-monkeys/id368914455?i=368914739&ign-mpt=uo%3D6

Anthony Quang

Transit was inspired a while back by DJ Jelo to think outside the box when it comes to mixing – fast-forward to today and you can see that he has certainly learned to do just that. On a production level, he won’t tie himself down to just one genre; he has produced everything from hip-hop and house to trance and progressive but when he’s DJing, he tends to stick to the latter two. Having finished production school last year, he’s ready for his next challenge: making it big in the industry along with his fellow artists in The Collective. This musical chameleon certainly has the drive it takes to make it to the top.

Scott Andrade (aka DJ Sir Scott)

Sir Scott is a local fixture in the Toronto scene. He’s known for his deep, hear pounding techno sets. Scott is an oldschool DJ who’s still known to throw down a vinyl set when the mood strikes him. Scott describes his passion for electronic music as an addiction he just can’t shake.”

• http://www.djsirscott.com
• http://http://www.myspace.com/djsirscott80