Thoughtless Music brings Toronto producers together

Thoughtless Music brings Toronto producers together

10 July, 2008 | 12.10PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog
• Written by: Amanda Connon-Unda

This Friday, July 11th, an event called Get Thoughtless at CiRCA’s SKYY Cinema Lounge will take place to celebrate the launch of Why Do by Noah Pred.

The bill for the night features Myers Briggs live, Karri O live, Eric Downer and Noah Pred on the decks.

Provided things go well, as expected, it is hoped that this will become a regular monthly night at CiRCA.

Featuring four unique and accomplished producer-artists who are all on Thoughtless Music and other record labels, this event is sure to get regular club-goers in Toronto exposed further to some heady and well-produced music.

Perhaps what is most impressive about the line-up for the event is the enthusiasm that each artist has about Thoughtless Music and the scene in Toronto.

I caught up with the artists on the bill to hear more about what they think is happening in terms of collaboration.

Noah Pred says that partnership amongst Toronto producers is “something we’re trying to encourage with Thoughtless Music.”

And Pred explained, “As much as we’re trying to expand the roster to include producers from around the globe, we’re also doing our best to create a platform for local producers to showcase their talent. 

I think this approach is evident so far, and has hopefully inspired a certain degree of solidarity and optimism amongst the minimal/tech production scene here. 

It seems people are more comfortable working together when they know they have the same access to outlets and resources. 

I’ve definitely seen an increase in artists sharing their work for review and doing remixes amongst each other since we launched the label.”

Pred has a point and he’s alluding to the fact that for a few years there had been a lull in collaboration and numbers of producers in the minimal/tech scene in Toronto.

Whereas the music scene in Toronto had once been filled with prolific minimal techno producers in the ‘90s and very early 2000s, it later receded after many (but not all) producers left, including Mike Shannon, Jeff Milligan, Jeremy P. Caulfield, Jake Fairley, Pan/Tone, and most recently Adam Marhsall.

Some of the producers who stayed in Toronto, it would appear, became relatively isolated.

Newer producers making music also emerged and the scene changed without taking hold in the mainstream club world.

It appears however that with the emergence of CiRCA as a major venue working with promoters who book more leftfield talent on a regular basis, that minimal techno in a mainstream setting might become a reality.

Although promoters put most of their emphasis on big artists for events, for now there appears to be an increasingly larger emphasis on booking important local artists from the producer community in Toronto which happens to be quite rich at the moment.

Arthur Oskan, an impressive producer who has both a minimal techno pseudonym as Myers Briggs in addition to his regular moniker under which he produces more tech-heavy tracks, speculated that Toronto audiences might also have a growing appreciation for dance music.

“I’ve seen lots of new faces, so that’s a good sign.

“I believe in a simple theory - feed the mind, and let the ears decide.

“Kind of backwards, I know, but I sometimes find one’s mind wants to interfere with the decisions your ears can easily make.”

Karri O, originally from Helsinki, who moved to Toronto last year, observed, “Toronto has long been a great city for music, although in terms of techno and tech-house in particular, it lacks the momentum of the scene in central Europe, namely Germany.

There’s just not the same kind of support for clubs, labels and magazines here, and parties are usually much smaller and more private.”

Noah agreed but added, “I consider Toronto to have a quite educated dance music culture.

I think the key for Toronto—and anywhere else for that matter—is exposure.

The more quality music people get to hear, the more quality music they’ll want to hear. Simple as that.”

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For further information on Thoughtless, look on the Beatport page or: http://thoughtlessmusic.com.

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