Destiny: Together as One
By: Mary Jane
I am consistently amazed by all the ignorant people out there who think they know the first thing about the rave scene, and appear to take immense pleasure in telling die-hard partiers like myself the scene is dead. These particular buzz-killers are sometimes "Candy Ravers" who went to a handful of raves 10 years ago with rainbow coloured beads up to their elbows, 32” phat pants and a Rainbow Brite pacifier lodged between their clenching jaws.
Hey, I’m not here to judge these kats. Despite my youth, I’ve been at this for a while and I see the old skool ravers out there representing to this day. Represent away fellow music lovers, just don’t try to tell me the scene is dead just because you had a bad trip one night, switched genres, or just never really loved the music in the first place. The scene has still got a pulse, and if you slap it on the ass you’ll find it’s still perfectly capable of a mighty good tantrum. Take, for example, Destiny’s “Together as One” at the Docks on Feb 10th. Destiny is one the most easily recognized names in electronic music events in Canada, and they still know how to call out the faithful to celebrate all that is loud, and bright, in the middle of the night.
I spent the majority of the evening in the main room checking out Drum n’ Bass heavy hitters, Adam F and Ray Keith who did not disappoint. Local DJ/producer Capital J opened up to a nearly empty venue early on, but had the kiddies jumping in time by midnight.
After the UK headliners, the Drum’n’ Bass movers headed to a back room, where a thinning crowd instantly returned to the rocking jam it had been in the main room, only this time more intimate. Toronto’s own Marcus Visionary pumped and revived the party with some jump-up favorites and dirty mixes.
My only complaint (and its small) was the shortage of vinyl in every genre, which is becoming more and more commonplace among DJs in an age where downloading is more economically savvy. I think there is something sexy about a DJ showing up to a venue lugging a giant case of vinyl and lovingly selecting his tunes for the night. Maybe I’m just a romantic or have an Old Skool soul.
Organization is key to an event this size. “Together as One” catered to even the most discerning of electronic palettes with five rooms each bringing a different lightshow and musical vibe. Three licensed areas in different parts of the Docks meant the 19+ crowd had a variety of places to escape the tweaked out little versions of their younger selves. The Valentine’s themed decorations were a sweet surprise and they definitely weren’t sparse. It looked like the folks at Destiny put a lot of time and thought into this one, which we appreciate when tickets can spill up to $45 bucks!
Huge projection screens were erected in every corner of the complex playing clips from underground classic movies like “Human Traffic” and “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and girls in slinky negligee adorned the speakers. Of course these girls were not part of the display, but who could imagine a good party without a speaker slut or two?
All in all, my ears are ringing, my legs are sore from dancing, and I’m a happy girl because the scene is alive, and I’m alive in it.
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