- Breakandenter has established itself as one of the few major promoters in Toronto consistently bringing quality underground talent to venues outside of the traditional club circuit. The recent Summer Heat proved to be no exception. This year, the annual 12 hour indoor-outdoor event took place at 99 Sudbury, a location that once housed some of the city's best-known afterhours before being sold. It was eventually renovated and reopened as a public event space, and now features a large exposed brick gallery with an attached wooden patio off to the side.
The promoters used these renovations to their advantage. With a full afternoon of outdoor performances scheduled, the event kicked off with newcomer Waseem, who delivered a seamless set full of soothing, soulful house tracks intertwined with feel-good pop. In Toronto, the advantage to hosting parties away from the club environment means that you attract passionate music followers that are looking for more than just a night out. And slowly but surely, this was made evident as the patio began to fill up and evolved into an outdoor lounge area. Closing the outdoor portion of the day was local duo MEMBERSONLY, who also host a monthly residency called Evening Standard. They played a set thick with new wave, disco and house, which included a track from the mysterious edit duo Tiger & Woods and closed with a trumpet and horn rendition of Inner City's "Good Life."
For those indoors, the night had become less about socializing and more about dancing. Breakandenter partner and resident Martin Fazekas delivered his consistent brand of quality artful techno, paving the way for an appearance by Toronto's Basic Soul Unit, who showcased a steady set of analog-heavy techno that had the crowd dancing and smiling throughout the night's peak.
New York City's charismatic Thugfucker then moved the party into its final hours with an eclectic DJ set, mixing everything from Missy Elliot to Isolee. Not taking themselves too seriously, Greg Oreck and Holmar Filipsson have included being whipped on their rider. This request has never been fulfilled—until now. At one point during their set, Oreck bent over and received a proper flogging with chuckles from those lucky (?) enough to witness it. The duo held out on playing their most well-known release, "Disco Gnome" on Life And Death, until the near end of the night, after which they closed with Bill Withers' "Lovely Day," nicely summing up the last 12 hours.