GOTSOUL RECORDS AND THERAPY PRESENT THE FIRST ANNUAL
MONTREAL INTERNATIONAL HOUSE MUSIC FESTIVAL

Leave it JojoFlores and the good people from GotSoul and Therapy to give House lovers the respect of a festival. Closing down the summer could never feel so good. If you don’t believe me check out this House giant all star
THURSDAY AUGUST 28th GOTSOUL SESSIONS at SEGAFREDO
ABICAH SOUL, MIKE FRESCO & LUKE NATIVE

FRIDAY AUGUST 29th SOUL NATION at TIME SUPPERCLUB
KARIZMA, PAT BOOGIE & CHRISTIAN PRONOVOST

FRIDAY AUGUST 29th DANNY BUDDAH MORALES at CHERRY

SATURDAY AUGUST 30th CLASSICS at CHERRY
ANGEL MORAES, JOJOFLORES & SIMON B.

SUNDAY AUGUST 31st THERAPY 9 YR ANNIVERSARY at CHERRY
KENNY BOBIEN, JOE DIPADOVA, MISAYO, JABIG, MIKE FRESCO & TAZZ
Hosted by: Bic, Claudy, Inobe, Stephen Nelson & Metrotalent

Taking its name from a religious tract, The Burning Hell has been slithering around in the muck in one form or another since the dawn of the millennium. Fronted by the moderately agoraphobic songwriter and occasional history teacher Mathias Kom on electric ukulele, The Burning Hell currently features between one and twelve people, depending on the night.

The variable lineup promises a very different show every time: sometimes loud, sometimes quiet, sometimes rock, sometimes roll. Always folk, never anti. Quirky? Maybe. Cute? Never.

The latest Burning Hell album, ‘Happy Birthday’, celebrates the beauty of age, the joys of decay, the possibility of dating after death, and the inevitable repetition of mistakes. Combining happy little melodies and depressing Old World fatalism, the music of The Burning Hell is sure to make you smile and want to give up.

(and if you want a good laugh, check out these boys doing an impromptu cover of Outkast’s ‘Hey Ya’)

Upcoming shows:
31 Jul 2008 21:00 Ampersand Charlottetown, Prince Edward
2 Aug 2008 20:00 Sappyfest Sackville, New Brunswick
15 Aug 2008 21:00 Rancho Relaxo Toronto, Ontario
21 Aug 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
25 Aug 2008 21:00 Solo at Bread & Circus Toronto, Ontario
27 Aug 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
28 Aug 2008 21:00 Times Change(d) Winnipeg, Manitoba
1 Sep 2008 21:00 The Club (at The Exchange) Regina, Saskatchewan
2 Sep 2008 21:00 Ottoman Lounge Medicine Hat, Alberta
3 Sep 2008 21:00 The Slice Lethbridge, Alberta
4 Sep 2008 20:00 Tubby Dog Calgary, Alberta
5 Sep 2008 21:00 Little Mountain Studio Vancouver, British Columbia
6 Sep 2008 21:00 Hermann’s Victoria, British Columbia
9 Sep 2008 21:00 Deux Soleils Vancouver, British Columbia
10 Sep 2008 19:00 Meow Records Prince George, British Columbia
11 Sep 2008 21:00 Likwid Lounge Edmonton, Alberta
12 Sep 2008 21:00 Amigos Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
14 Sep 2008 21:00 The Apollo Thunder Bay, Ontario
16 Sep 2008 21:00 Solo at The Spill with Al Tuck and Black Molly Peterborough, Ontario
18 Sep 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Peterborough, Ontario
10 Oct 2008 20:00 Aufsturz Berlin
13 Oct 2008 20:00 Nancy Jazz Pulsations Festival Nancy
14 Oct 2008 21:00 Le Sirius Lyon
16 Oct 2008 20:00 Mistral Palace Valence
17 Oct 2008 20:00 De Nieuwe Anita Amsterdam
19 Oct 2008 15:00 DB’s Utrecht
28 Oct 2008 20:00 West Germany Berlin
31 Oct 2008 20:00 The Montreal House Halloween Party Peterborough, Ontario
1 Nov 2008 21:00 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
11 Nov 2008 20:00 Gus’ Pub Halifax, Nova Scotia
12 Nov 2008 20:00 Struts Sackville, New Brunswick
13 Nov 2008 21:00 Baba’s Charlottetown, Prince Edward
15 Nov 2008 21:00 Grumpy’s Montreal, Quebec

Like any respectable DJ worth their weight in vinyl, Vivie-Ann really knows how to work a room. Along with the taste-making mixes she drops nightly on dance floors across the world, the 23-year-old Montreal DJ carries a reputation for orchestrating a spectacular fusion of mischief, music and mayhem. Glitter pranks, moustache parties and bananas that double as phone devices. Even pepperoni pizzas perfectly matched on turntables. Nothing is sacred – except the music. Although she hides her seriousness about the industry fairly well, the girl gets down behind the booth and more recently in the studio.

A six-year student of conservatory piano and a graduate of McGill University’s computer science program, she has the musical education of a mathematically-inclined composer hell-bent on moving mountains in dance music. Her sets cover everything house with a hint of ping or pong – anything that makes hands fly in the air or bouncing to the beat with a perma-smile. She’ll very likely surprise you with her choice of classics. When asked to describe her sound, Vivie-Ann rattles off the description “bump in the night with a little dynamite,” a twinkle in her eye, adding that her sets could also be called “morally immoral.”

With a list of star-studded gigs, appearances and guest spots under her belt, including clients like Cirque du Soleil, Budapest Love Parade and MTV Europe, she currently holds residencies at some of the most celebrated hotspots across the globe, including (but not limited to) Palladium in Acapulco, Hulala in Rome Mokai in Miami, and last year in Ibiza @ Penelope.

The former prom queen has lent her sexy blend of house music to the Fuck Me I’m Famous Party with David Guetta and Bob Sinclair, the Brahma Beer Tour, the Toronto Film Fest and an unlikely collaboration with the Metro 7 clothing line launch for Wal-Mart® that resulted in a massive amount of dirty dancing in the discount superstore’s Miami Beach location.

She has also worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, but we won’t bore you with the laundry list of who’s who. We will tell you about her upcoming releases so you can support them. In October 2006, her first major remix release, an amped-up version of Kobbe & Austin Leed’s “Bodyshaker,” produced alongside witty studio partner Maher KD, was released on Peter Rauhofer’s Star69 Record Label. Other releases are due out on Pure Substance and Mile End Records in early 2007. In the mean time look out for her quirky edits.

Most recently, Vivie-Ann is concentrating on a production journey with her partner, DJ Kevin Barnett for their DJ collective, 02music, and the launch of their new DJ-inclined clothing line, ADD (Addicted DJ Designs).

For Vivie-Ann, it’s a natural progression. She lives for the moment when she converts yet another dance floor, another listener or another participant in this journey we call house.

Upcoming shows:
1 Aug 2008 8:00 dj dj dj @ Moscow
4 Aug 2008 8:00 @ Mykonos
8 Aug 2008 8:00 Circus @ Montreal
9 Aug 2008 8:00 BLOND:ISH@ Circa @ Toronto
13 Aug 2008 8:00 BLOND:ISH @ Cherry @ Montreal
17 Aug 2008 8:00 Ibiza Beach Club @ Montreal

One of Ottawa’s longest running DJs, Trevor Walker, made the front page of the Ottawa XPress today and boy, does he deserve it!

He’s been blending beats in Ottawa’s top nightspots since the late ’80s, witnessing the birth of new wave, acid jazz, Hip-Hop, House and Techno from the disc jockey’s pulpit.

His credentials are rock solid; he can hardly remember the details.

“The timeline messes me up, it’s really hard to remember exactly when everything happened,” says the 38-year-old Walker, chuckling. “It’s kind of a blur for me.”

From his involvement in Canada’s premier breakdance crew (Canadian Floor Masters) during the early ’80s to his current residency at Ottawa’s much-vaunted Mercury Lounge, Walker has had a remarkably long tenure at the heart of the local music scene. As a teenage b-boy (known as Tricky T) he wore red and white tights while performing as one of the original Canadian Floor Masters. Founded and mentored by Steve Leafloor (a.k.a. Buddha), the Floor Masters were no flash in the pan: This crew continues to perform throughout North America, while founder Leafloor uses hip-hop as a pivot point for helping youth at risk, especially in Inuit communities across the North.

Even in the early days the Floor Masters were unique. They once opened for James Brown and, on another occasion, were scrutinized by KGB bodyguards during a private performance for Russia’s Kirov Ballet at the National Arts Centre. “The Russian ballet was really crazy. I wasn’t that aware of it but those [KGB] dudes were hanging out all around us. But James Brown was much larger than life,” recalls Walker. “He had a huge head and looked like a lion in a way. A short guy with a really big head.”

After meeting drinking age requirements during the infamous Hull nightclubbing scene of the late ’80s, Walker began to attend venues that were willing to experiment with their playlists. Clubs like Zinc and Chez Henri were touchpoints. “I loved Zinc,” says Walker, “it was the only place to go and hear underground music. It was the first place to play The Smiths, The Cure, new wave, House and Hip-Hop music, for example. It was a pretty groundbreaking club in a lot of ways.

“At the time, there was nowhere to get that kind of music. You could hear it on a CKCU radio show by Elorius Kane, but that was the only place. I began to collect what I could and got a break one night when the DJ was too trashed to play.”

From 1988 onwards, Walker began to quickly build a list of steady gigs. As hip-hop and various forms of electronic music began to develop into the ’90s, Walker found himself at the vanguard of a blossoming movement. “Hip-hop was the same tempo as house or disco at that time,” he adds. “It was fresh, groundbreaking, revolutionary music.”

“The music was always the draw. Kids nowadays don’t know the whole story. If kids understood, for example, how house music and techno is part of hip-hop, there would be so much more cohesion,” he stresses.

A long list of club residencies followed Walker’s first gigs. Names like Off Limits, Channel Zero, The White Room, The Well and Atomic stand out in time, figuring prominently in Walker’s recollection.

“But it was The Well that was the really cool gig for a long time,” Walker indicates. “For me, the spirit of Zinc came back. It started off as live and organic music with funk, Afrobeat and acid jazz – it was crazy. It was probably some of the most brilliant years DJing. We used to get a really diverse crowd, in age and background. That’s what the Mercury has now.”

Walker’s residency at the Mercury Lounge continues to the present day. One of the few clubs left operating in a truly “old-school” manner, Mercury Lounge remains one of Ottawa’s most popular clubs, packing its loft-style space with crowds seeking soulful dance music.

“I think it’s great. If anything, things have gotten better over the years. As the Internet has grown and people have more access to music, people are more knowledgeable and it shows. I think the young generation these days knows more about underground music than ever before.”

As a testament to his continuing popularity, Walker has been booked to play one of Ottawa’s hottest events: Timekode. Set in an Eritrean café on west Somerset and scheduled for the last Friday of each month, Timekode is dedicated to soulful music of every type. Alex Mattar (a.k.a. DJ Zattar) is one of the founders.

“Way before I had the vision for Timekode, I remember going to The Well in ‘96/97,” recalls Mattar. “I just remember entering this place, seeing all this red light and hearing some incredible Brazilian rhythms. Turns out that it was Trevor playing. I was just a teenager but it felt like having my eyes opened to a different world almost. He’s been a big inspiration for Timekode and the mentality of playing records that are not limited to one style.”

“I’ve always been a dancer at heart. I know what makes me dance and that seems to translate to most people,” reveals Walker. “It’s kind of cool because I did the dance research first and then started playing the records. When you look back, it seems like the path was laid out ahead of time, but you don’t notice it until you look back.”

You can check Trevor Walker out at the following venues:

@ Timekode Eri Café (953 Somerset West) July 18

@ Mercury Lounge Ongoing Thursday and Saturday residencies

July 12th, 2008 Fame and Therapy launched the Album Release of MIAMI SUNSET SESSIONS featuring Jojoflores from Gotsoul Records & HALO from City Deep Music. Jojoflores is a celebrated Montreal DJ with a signature sound that resonates sweet, soulful melodies and a profound jazzy vibe. He is also highly respected for his rare underground garage house. Jojoflores maintains regular residencies at Cherry (MTL) and Cielo (NYC).

Jojoflores was joined by Toronto DJ, Mat Chrysdale. The CD release took place at Toronto King St. West resto/bar Brassaii.

Purchase MIAMI SUNSET SESSIONS today! Or better yet, hit up the next CD Release party at Tribe Hyper Club (MTL) 10pm Friday July 18th. Jojoflores will be joined by Mike “FU” Fresco.

Max Graham is a house music producer and remixer from Canada. He was born in the United Kingdom and lived in Spain and the USA before settling in Canada in 1989. In 1994 Max discovered house music, which soon led to his contribution to the Canadian dance music scene. He started his professional production career in 2000, having played house music for ten years previously in Ottawa, Canada at the well-known Atomic night club. His first two releases, “Airtight” and “Tell You” helped him become well-known around the world, and led to him being asked to mix the popular Transport series in 2001. A world tour followed, which furthered his popularity across the globe.

Following the tour Graham took some time off, citing his hectic schedule as a reason. He returned in 2004, and the following year released his globally successful dance hit “Owner of a Lonely Heart“. The song sampled the 1983 Yes song, and made the UK singles chart top ten and Australian ARIAnet top thirty in Spring of 2005. In addition to the release, Max has also since his returned remixed for a DMC mix album, and is set to have two songs released on Sander Kleinenberg’s Little Mountain Recordings label. Graham runs two record labels, Shinemusic and the newly formed Re*brand records.

Upcoming shows:

April 2008
• 11.04.08 > CANADA Ottawa – Heaven
• 18.04.08 > USA Kansas City – Mosaic

May 2008
• 18.05.08 > CANADA Montreal – Parking

“When I started”, he says, “it was about making old obscurities available, like up tempo jazz fusion stuff, mainly from German Krautrock bands from the ‘70’s, who’d have one or two decent tracks on strange LPs – just one little Samba track! Over the years new music came that was the same spirit as the old, and I wanted to represent my DJing style more truly”. Rainer’s DJing style, and his hectic globe-trotting schedule, like that of old Acid Jazz contemporaries Gilles Peterson and Patrick Forge, have directly influenced the spread of the new sounds of jazz, Latin, and Brazilian music over the last few years. These styles infiltrate every current form of music from techno to drum and bass, and he now gets people sending him tracks recorded specifically for ‘Glucklich’. “There’s so much Brazilian influenced music around now that I could do a five or six CD selection without losing the quality. ‘Glucklich’ means happy, and that’s how a lot of Brazilian music makes me feel so the tracks should be uplifting and have a sunshine feel. Some tracks, like Os Ipanemas’ ‘Icari’ on the new one, are a bit more sad, but

Formerly of A Forest Mighty Black, he built his reputation as a connoisseur of music past and present at the Root Down club night in Freiburg, Germany. Once a month he spins an eclectic blend of traditional bossa nova, modern organic breakbeat, and future-leaning jazz to a packed crowd of beat-hungry clubbers and martini-sipping soul sophisticates. Trüby garnered a solid following for his impeccable skills behind the decks and the respect of pioneers such as Gilles Peterson, LTJ Bukem, and Peter Kruder (Kruder & Dorfmeister), the last of whom went so far as to dedicate a track to the budding German jock. “But hold on a sec, doesn’t a trio require three musicians?” you holler. That’s where Christian Prommer and Roland Appel come in. Best known for their jazz-driven drum and bass as Fauna Flash and their slinky mid-tempo beats as Voom:Voom (with Peter Kruder), the two teamed up with Trüby in the late ’90s to create the Trio.

Released on Compost, “A Go Go” and “Carajillo” became huge hits on the modern jazz and leftfield breaks scenes, raising the Trio’s profile to astronomical heights. Following a slew of successful remixes for the likes of Peace Orchestra, Mr. Gone, Bobby Matos, and Frederic Galliano, !K7 Records asked the three to select and mix a DJ-KiCKS comp, putting them in the same league as Nightmares On Wax, Stereo MCs, DJ Cam, and Carl Craig. Originally released as a single, the Zero dB Remix of “Galicia” is featured on Compost 100 alongside some awesome jazz-house fusion from Kyoto Jazz Massive, Beanfield, Minus 8, and The Amalgamation Of Soundz.

Sunday May 17th 2008 Mercury Lounge (Ottawa)

Danny Torrence

In 2004, Danny Torrence became a resident at the internationally acclaimed after hours Stereo Nightclub in Montreal, leading up to his first extended set to the delight of his fans and newcomers alike. The party was “Dirty 30”, a monumental occasion for Danny as it created much deserved recognition from his fans and peers alike. As one of three local Montreal DJ’s to behold a Stereo Residency, Danny plays alongside greats such as David Morales, Victor Calderone, Hector Romero and DJ Vibe, just to name a few. Stereo is also the stomping ground for his own night: Climaxxx, a smashing bi-monthly where Danny takes his fans on an all night journey.

Torrence also holds a monthly residency at Red-Lite, one of Canada’s longest running after hours that has been pumping for 11 years and counting. Undeniably impressed by Danny’s unparalleled sound, Red-Lite chose him to represent the compilation that is third in the club’s series, “RED-LITE SERIES 3 mixed by Danny Torrence”. “Everything from house to the deeper stuff had to come across on this CD. When I play, I want my sets to be seamless. The music can travel anywhere from the peak-time stuff, to a set’s deeper & sensual moments.” Montreal’s most prestigious clubs can’t get enough of Danny’s full throttle beats, which is why he not only maintains some of the most wanted after hours residencies, he also still finds time in his busy schedule to hold residencies at House Night Club and Unity.

Danny’s passion for music and his hard work earned him an invite to Bal en Blanc 2006 (White Party), held annually to 15,000 punters in Montreal, to work his dance appeal amongst some of the hottest DJ’s in the world today (Deep Dish, Peter Rauhofer, David Guetta). His unique vibe set the stage for his innovative set at Resolution, New Year’s Eve 2006, at the Bell Centre in Montreal. This massive production put on by Godskitchen & Bal en Blanc which included among others, heavy hitters such as Tiesto and Victor Calderone, was an amazing start to the year for him. Danny was asked to step in at the last minute to fill Tiesto’s slot rather than close the party as he was originally asked and was received to rave reviews…. Give this man a room and he will work it!

2005 was a banner year for Danny on an international level, as he maintained gigs in clubbing hot spots such as Ibiza, Miami and Sicily, where he played alongside DJ superstar Paul Oakenfold. Danny also grooved his sweet and sexy sound at Crobar (NYC), Asseteria (NYC), Sonic (Toronto), Fly (Toronto), Rise (Boston) and Terminal (Quebec City).

The goals are set very high for Danny Torrence, who aside from his residences at the hottest clubs in Montreal and traveling the world over, is focusing on production in 2007. Danny is living proof that if you love what you do and feel it deep inside, there are no boundaries. With an open mind and an intuition that embraces music for what it is, we’re all staying tuned to see what’s next!

Upcoming shows:
26 Mar 2008 20:00 Canada Loves Miami (WMC) Miami, FL
05 Apr 2008 11:00 After8 Blended Anniversary Laval, QB
11 Apr 2008 1:00 Century Room Toronto, ON
19 Apr 2008 2:00 Climaxxx (Blackout Edition) w/Celeda(NY) and Bugo Montreal, QB
03 May 2008 20:00 Evolve w/Victor Calderone at Stereo Montreal, QB
10 May 2008 23:00 Underbar Boston, Massachusetts
29 May 2008 20:00 Tribe Hyperclub Canada, QB

Upcoming shows:
26 Mar 2008 20:00 Shelbourne Pool South Beach, Florida
29 Mar 2008 20:00 Ultra Music Festival Miami, Florida
11 Apr 2008 20:00 Stereo Montreal, Quebec

DJ Sneak began listening to house music soon after he and his family arrived from Puerto Rico in the early 1980s. Because he could not speak English, Sneak gravitated to instrumental music (as well as graffiti art), and became inspired by Chicago legends such as Marshall Jefferson and DJ Pierre.

Many of those early innovators had left Chicago for the East Coast by the late 80s, when Sneak was ready to start in the business; by 1992, however, Cajmere had begun a resurgence in the city’s classic sound by starting up Cajual Records. Sneak aided in the revolution with a series of singles on Cajual’s sister label, the harder-oriented Relief Records, as well as putting out singles on the renowned Cajual imprint, setting the stage for a filtered disco house movement to come in the latter half of the 90s with singles such as “The Moondoggy Ep” and “Sneak Essentials.”

Besides other productions for Strictly Rhythm, Henry St., ZYX, 83 West and Feverpitch (several of which feature Armand Van Helden on co-production, building on the Latin vibes of their heritage), DJ Sneak has also released mix compilations including 1996’s Kinky Trax Collection and the following year’s Buggin’ Da Beats. He continued to release tracks through the 90s and into the 2000s, scoring a worldwide smash with the single “Fix My Sink” produced with DJ Bear Who.He eventually started his own label, Magnetic Recordings, and moved to Toronto, Canada, where he operated a DJ booking agency called All World Entertainment. He continues to travel all over the planet as an in demand DJ and is considered one of the top producers and remixers in dance music today.

Lyrics by DJ Sneak are featured in the Daft Punk song “Digital Love” from their 2001 album Discovery.