3 Legendary Afterhours in Canada

Was scanning through some old youtube videos of some of my favourite afterhours from the 90's and decided to post my list of the top 3 favourite clubs of all time (afterhours only) in Canada from coast to coast.

1. Sona (Montreal)

Club Sona was at one point in the mid 90's listed as the #1 afterhours to go to in the entire North America. According to nightlife publications at that time, it ranked higher than Crobar in Chicago, and Twilo in New York. While its renovations and size was nowhere nearly as grand as the aforementioned clubs, there was something raw about Sona that i've always enjoyed. I was first exposed to it in 1998 when driving down to Montreal and a friend of mine said he wanted to check out Sona. From there, I knew it topped 'Industry' in Toronto and 'Atomic' in Ottawa. Owned by Tiga (the electro producer), Sona was eventually shut down in the early 2000's in hopes of reopening with 514 productions, but this never came to fruitition. I will never forget when Laurent Garnier played a 12 hour set in the upstairs room and my friends and I were rolling on a baggie of candies. It was the club that launched the careers of Misstress Barbara and DJ Preach. It's closure changed the landscape of partying in Montreal forever, and sparked the birth of Stereo and Aria. Good times Sona, may you rest in peace!


2. Industry (Toronto)

This club reminds me of the legendary "Womb" in Tokyo, but instead of being parked in Shibuya, this was parked hidden somewhere on King St. I used to check this club out in the 90's to watch Kenny Glasgow and Mario J, and also Peter and Tyrone. It was during this time that Kenny Glasgow started his Method Label and got deeply into dark techno (ie; think Surgeon meets Oliver Ho). Peter and Tyrone would always play tech-house in the main room. Fond memories of that club included watching my roomate do coke in the bathroom and him asking me if it was normal for his heart to beat irregularly (LOL I love you Nick!!!)........good times. Industry shut down in the early 2000's and the majority of the crowd moved over to Guvernment (which I was never fond of).

3. Atomic (Ottawa)

There was always something nice about this club. I wasn't sure if it was because of the atmosphere or the layout, but there was always something inviting about Atomic. This club single handedly launched the career of Max Graham and was the most popular afterhours to go to in Ottawa. I remember when Carleton University used to throw raves at the Architecture building, most of the people would shift over to Atomic for the "after-afterparty". Fond memories include Taro dancing around in his gino outfit...that was pure humor.......unfortunately, Atomic also shut down in the early 2000's.

Sitting Down with Joris Voorn

As a regular contributor to Livesets.com, I have been trying my best to line up artist interviews for the website (which happens to be the largest DJ set and electronic music mixtape website in the world). I had a chance to sit down and ask Joris a few questions, especially his thoughts on the current mainstream "minimal fad" that is being spread across Europe like wildfire. Let's take a look to see what he had to say.

The name Joris Voorn may not be familiar with those whom are oblivious to electronic music, but mention that name within the techno community and you will hear more than your fair share of praises. Throughout the past seven years, Joris has taken the electronic music community by storm with his inspiring Detroit influenced techno. Whether it's with releases such as "Incident" or his latest remix of the crossover dance hit "Dark Flower", you will undoubtedly see this man's records sitting tucked neatly in your cherished record box. From his early work with Sino Records, to the birth of his eventual label - Green, Joris has undoubtedly shown no signs of letting up and continues to push the musical boundaries of electronic music. Fortunately, LiveSets had a chance to catch up with Joris and see what this busy DJ and producer has been up to.

LiveSets: Thanks for joining us Joris, we appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to give us some low-down on what you have been up to lately. Needless to say, you've been one of the biggest exports to come out of the Netherlands, did you always envision yourself to be a techno artist, or did you originally aspire to do something else in life? What got you started in the music industry?

Joris Voorn: First of all a happy and healthy new year to everyone! To start with, there are so many good things in life, that restricting to techno would be a shame. I also never envisioned myself to be a techno artist, and I don't think I am one today. However, there was a moment in my life when I was able to make a living out of the music I was making at that time, of which most of it was techno. But things have changed since then, I now see myself as someone who is able to do for a living what he loves doing most, which is making music. By the way, before my music career started off I was working on a career in architecture and design.

LiveSets: You've made various dance hits during your career, but "Lost Memories" on Sino Records arguably really put you on the map. When you finished making this track and sat back and listened to it, did you know instantly that this was going to have mass appeal, or were you genuinely surprised by its success?

Joris Voorn: To be very honest, I have always been more or less surprised by the success of many of my musical productions. Of course I make the music and I believe in what I do, but that doesn't mean other people would like it the same way I do. With "Incident" I had a strong feeling of how nice the elements of the track worked together though. The funny thing about creating something is that the result starts to live out its own unpredictable life after you reveal it to the public, and it still is today for me.

LiveSets: What do you see the future of techno to be like? Minimal has obviously been taking over Europe by storm for the past 3-4 years, and there are those that have called minimal a fad. Yet it is undeniable that minimal has taken over much of the mainstream dance market. Do you see techno moving out of its minimal phase and turning back to a harder sound like it was in the late 90's? How do you feel about the current state and the future of techno?

Joris Voorn: I'm not sure why people are still talking about minimal, for me the word has lost its meaning a few years ago. I also think everything has been said about it by many artists, including me ;)

About techno, I know what people used to refer to when they talked about it five years ago, but today the word has lost its meaning somewhat. Electronic music has merged its different styles over the last few years, which is very refreshing to me. If you look at all labels nowadays there's a big overlap in the sounds they release, and also DJs play overlapping styles more than ever. I'm not sure what it will lead to, and I'm sure things will split up at some point again. Like everything in life, electronic music has a cycle, things change, and it's great! 2009 will be the 'year of change' for me I think.

LiveSets: It's no secret that in past interviews, you have expressed your deep admiration for hardware gear and synthesizers. I recall the Ensoniq ESQ-1 and the Roland TR-909 as being your bread and butter, along with the SH-101. With the recent explosion of digital software, is making music with physical equipment something that is significant to you any longer? With the advent of VST plug-ins like Drumazon that can accurately mimic the 909, is there a need for hardware gear? What are your thoughts on this, and what is your current favorite piece of software/hardware gear?

Joris Voorn: When I started making music, there weren't as many digital music tools as there are today, so the focus was more on hardware, or at least, a healthy mix of both digital and analogue. Another reason for choice of weapons was that the techno music I was working on at that time was traditionally made with the kind of machines described above. But, again things have changed, so today my productions are mainly done within the box.

Of course things have been getting much easier in music production; almost anyone can make music to a certain extent. However, it is more difficult than ever to create a personal sound, as everyone uses the same software and sample banks. Music nowadays often sounds way too clean and sterile to my taste. At least with hardware you needed to invest a little in equipment, and in the process you needed to tweak sounds in order to get something interesting out of your gear. VST emulations of the TR-909 are nice, but again the same problem. If you don't tweak things a little it always sounds the same. Also I've been using the original 909 quite a bit, and I'm a little bored of the sound of it at the moment. A funny thing is that recently I've added some new instruments to my studio like a nice microphone to record my own sounds, and an electric- and bass guitar to bring some new inspiration into the process.

LiveSets: You’re travelling and gigging schedule seems to be quite hectic. When and how do you have time to go home in the studio after weeks of travelling and try to put tracks together? Or do you primarily sketch out tracks on your laptop between travelling periods in hotel rooms?

Joris Voorn: I never ever sketch on my laptop when I'm on tour, I rather enjoy reading a book or newspapers and magazines, or go and see something in the city if there's the time for it. During the week I'm always in my studio, as I mentioned before, music making is what I love to do most. I also allow myself the freedom to experiment a lot in the studio and that takes time.

LiveSets: Your debut album "Future History" has been claimed by several techno fans to be a classic. The album was a good fusion of techno, electro, house and ambient. Yet it's also undeniable that your last album "From A Deep Place" had a much housier edge to it. What was your mindframe when you put this album together? Was the housier edge a deliberate statement and a sign of your musical progression?

Joris Voorn: Future History (2004) was a collection of tracks I had worked on three years before it's release, in that period I was still very much into techno, so that explains the techno feel of the album. From a deep place (2007) also was kind of a collection of tracks of the previous three years, a time in which techno was of little importance to me, and that was reflected in the album for sure. With an album I am always trying to make a musically interesting experience for the listener, it's not much of a statement though.

My next album will be quite different from the previous two. Even though I will never forget my fans of FH and FADP, this time I will allow myself a little more experimenting. For me this is a form of natural progression, and even necessary to develop myself. As I mentioned before, 2009 will be the year of 'change', not only for me but hopefully for the whole world, I mean, look around you!

LiveSets: Your last two albums have received very well reviews worldwide, and I am sure you have plenty of followers who are anticipating your next release. When can everyone expect your next production album? And what should the people expect? Will it be more dance oriented, or will it be more for home listening?

Joris Voorn: A new album can be expected probably early 2010, three years after FADP, six years after FH. I feel three years is a nice period to let one album breath and starting to work on the next one. I have several ideas for the project, and we'll see what the result is, hopefully it will be a pleasant musical experience.

LiveSets: Speaking of albums, you are poised to release a brand new mix CD called "Balance" which is a compilation that features a double-disc CD mixed exclusive by you. Based on the tracklist, there are several combined tracks which you attempt to fuse into one track. Is this direction something similar to Richie Hawtin's "DE:9 Transitions"? What can the people expect out of this mix album?

Joris Voorn: The Balance mix CD has been quite a project for me. I didn't have the intention to make it this big when I started, but things got out of hand while working. I also hadn't planned for a 100+ tracklist, but being able to bring in many different tracks, elements and samples along the way was a very inspiring way to work for me. At first I worked on a more traditional dj mix, but the selection of tracks I had decided on didn't lead to a satisfying mix, so I went back to the studio and started again from scratch, using some of the original tracks and adding many others along the way.

No offence, but I am a little surprised that, in this digital age of endless possibilities and almost 4 years after Richie's DE:9 Transitions, that is still the only reference people can find. Why is nobody else embracing the digital tools that allow us to do so much more than the ancient turntables and mixer...?

Anyway, people can expect a colorful sound pallet on both CDs, however, CD1 will be more uptempo (126 bpm haha..) than CD2, which explores different music styles on a slower pace.

LiveSets: A few years ago, you stopped releasing tracks exclusively on other labels and decided to focus more attention on your own label - Green. What is the concept behind this label? Is this a label that you will sign upcoming artists? Is this solely a platform for only yourself to make music, or can we expect several remixes and other artists releasing tracks on Green?

Joris Voorn: Green started out as a personal outlet for my own music, but with my label partner Edwin Oosterwal we decided to start working with some other like minded artists as well. The musical aspect will be always stay priority for the label though. We have a few interesting projects coming up, like and EP from Spanish artists Dosem, with a remix of myself, and a full artists album by my good friend Pitto who has been working on many great cross-genre tracks over the last few years.

LiveSets: Finally, what new interesting projects are you currently working on, and what other projects can your fans expect from you or your group Rejected, in the near future?

Joris Voorn: There’s a few things in the pipeline for Rejected as well, however we concentrate on the label side of things first for now. We're promoting a great release by the same Pitto at the moment featuring a very groovy disco track. Then there's a series of EPs under my own name coming out called 'Dusty House Pt. 1,2,3...' featuring nicely cut house tracks that should do well on dance floors nationwide. Then there's an Edwin Oosterwal versus Warren Fellow project to be finished soon, and many more things!

LiveSets: Thank you for your time Joris!

Interview by Philip Leung.

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