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Part 3- Amigo's Boat Cruise w/DJ Addy, Deko-ze, Jayforce, MK

After hitting Pride on Sunday, I found myself pretty toast on Monday from all the Pride beers and walking, so I ended up bailing on Soul Baruka Orchestra. It’s too bad, because I was really looking forward to hearing that style of music. I’ll definitely make a note to hear them next time they come to town.

Canada Day I woke up refreshed and after dropping the family off at the beach, headed down to Toronto to catch a boat. My one driving force was DJ Addy. I hadn’t heard Addy spin since The Basement was open.

I got down to the pier just before noon and tagged up with my best bud and wingman Schmucky, spied Cam, whom was gathering evidence for a restraining order and also saw my other wingman, Kevin T.

This was my first time hitting up an Amigo’s boat cruise. They take place aboard The Enterprise 2000, a two level covered boat. The DJ is on the second floor and looks down onto the first floor.

The second floor is more of a walk around looking down onto the dancefloor. I was disappointed the boat wasn’t more open-aired, but after being on it, I can say I really like the setup. There are lots of windows, skylights and the main roof is translucent green. If you want some sun, you can hit the front of the boat which has a large area for people to hang out and grab a smoke.

MK was opening, and it was social time, so people were only partially paying attention to the beats. Lots of people were dressed up in Canada Day colours (Oops! did I miss the memo?).

Lots of good looking people on the boat, girls and guys and the weather was absolutely perfect; Sunny, 25c+, barely a cloud in the sky. We couldn’t have asked for a better day or better beats. Unfortunately, the cruise was over sold out and a few unhappy people were left on shore.

MK’s set sounded as though it was running into some technical difficulties. Periodically the music would cut out with some uncomfortably large gaps. I didn’t find his set building appropriately for the mood of the boat either. He had a few tracks in there that got me going, but the dancefloor was empty for a good portion of his set. I’m not sure if this is an indication of an ‘opening set’ on a boat, or not. I’ll give MK the benefit of the doubt though. I made a mental note to hear him spin again to properly calibrate my appreciation of his style.

Next up was Addy, and what can I say? I love this guy’s tunage. Addy has been furious in the studio lately, working with the likes of Adam K and UK mega-Mark Knight. Addy was over in England spinning with Mark Knight at Ministry of Sound a few weeks prior to this cruise. Once again, a testament to the skill and production talent of our Toronto residents! I know that both Addy and Adam K have several releases out that were used in Mark Knight’s Toolroom Knight’s compilation.

Addy wasted no time in bringing it to the floor after MK’s set. His digital setup of Apple laptop and USB mixer board has now become trademark to his image in Toronto. His set carried a distinct bass-heavy Tribal feeling to it which will always win over a Tribal-lover such as me. I rocked it out near the booth as most of the people did as well.

After Addy was Deko-ze. Was it Deko-ze that played that bizarre remix of ‘Oh, Canada!’? It was kind of funny hearing the national anthem mixed in such a way. It certainly sounded better (eat your hearts out, Adolphe-Basile & Stanley!).

Deko-ze has such a loyal and respectful fan following. He’s well loved, respected and adored by Canada’s EMS. He brings nothing but tunes pleasing the crowd. I’m personally thankful he doesn’t dive into the evil sounding Minimal stuff. He loves vocals, Tribal, and the happy thumping beats—perfect for a cruise! His set was awesome, wicked energy behind the decks. You always know it is going to be a good set when Deko-ze’s shirt comes off.

Closing the boat was Jayforce with an Electro-laden set of joy. I have learned to appreciate Electro more lately, as long as it’s infused with gripping vocals and some serious bass lines. I can only take so much high intensity punishment on my ears—but these tracks were alright. Not my favourite, but something you can easily dance to.

Jayforce’s energy behind the decks is infectious. He really gets into his set and music, rocking it out behind the decks to the beats—dancing just as much as the crowd is. I heard the crowd react joyously as vocals “Where’s you’re head at?” belted out across the two decks.

The open air front of the boat was a great place to catch some outdoor beats, get some sun, socialize and get some fresh air.

The Canadian flag was flying strong in the wind, absolutely appropriate for July 1st, let alone any other day of the year.

I think we need to be grateful we live in a country like Canada. For all of its faults, it gives us amazing amounts of personal freedom to explore ourselves. Toronto has given us an amazing underground music scene we need to be grateful for. Living so close to it, we can sometimes (perhaps oftentimes) take it for granted. If you need to calibrate yourself, flick on the news or hit some new websites and check out what’s going on elsewhere in the world. We really do have a lot to be thankful for here in Canada with the daily standard of living we enjoy. And yes, I do think about sappy crap like this when the living is good and sic beats are being belted out over a pumping system as I look towards Toronto’s skyline in the golden sun. Isn’t life grand?