MSTRKRFT Love Techno, but only kinda love Toronto

every toronto techno producer who ever gets the slightest bit of international recognition promptly leaves toronto for larger waters. there's not much of an audience for this type of music in toronto, whereas in europe and elsewhere people can make a decent living making and playing electronic music.

Agreed. When I lived in Japan, the record stores in Tokyo had more Toronto selections than record stores in Toronto did (2003).

Oh, and I do love it when they come back (eg. Jeff Milligan) :)

This wasn't always the case. Toronto had a healthy, even innovative, scene about 10-11 years back. Where do you think i.e. Jeff Milligan and Jeremy Caulfield got their start? I'm talking the era of the Transcendence parties, etc.

It's just English Canadians are conservative in tastes, follow trends ("indie" is the new "electronica" now), and there's shit for arts funding and no good venues here.

I don't have anything (good) to say about MSTRKRFT and their music, but if we listen to them in this interview the Canadian house/techno artists worth talking about are who? Peaches and Tiga. Wow. Sure.

There is loads of great underground music going on in TO and MTL. house, techno, whatever. I know there are not great "scenes" in either cities, but maybe these guys are a little too dialed into the international circuit if they can't even keep tabs on what "progressive" material is being released in their own cities.

Yeah, as usual, Greg, we agree. And also who says MSTRKRFT are techno? That's not how I'd define the genre, but maybe I'm a snob.

Actually the fact that MSTRKRFT (imho mediocre hipster irony poser outfit) are "making it big" whereas a myriad of other artists from Toronto pas and present are not says more about the mediocrity of Toronto than anything else...

I think it mainly says something about the worth of indie creds, your electro can be sub-par electro but if you come into the world riding the crest of an indie band's popularity wave you can go global without having to be innovative in the slightest in the studio.

Yeah, I remember stroking my chin to this same question on the 313 mailing list, and at every Ritual party that had amazing locals playing to half-empty rooms. Not much has changed since then.

It's no suprise, Ontario has the same problem with everything it produces... It can't be good if it comes from home, right? Wine here is the same way... amazing wines, sabotaged by our own liquor retailer and provincial governments, and unsupported by our own population. Isn't this what it means to be Canadian? Hate your own?

Oh, man... Ryan, don't get me started on Ontario wine. Outside of reisling and ice wine it simply doesn't compare to old world or new world hot climate wine. And it's overpriced.

I have to disagree and say this is kind of foolish. Now is a great time to be in Toronto among the ranks of some of the world's most talented dance music producers. In fact, in the last three months, Toronto-based artists have consistently dominated the charts on BeatPort.com:

Jelo, Deadmau5 and Hatiras are fucking bringing it, so to speak, and repping Toronto in a huge way. In the last week of August, Deadmau5 alone had 5 tracks on the top 10 most bought.

If you include all Ontarians, Richie Hawtin is another one who is getting huge play all over the world. That means a lot!

So I gotta disagree with MSTRKRFT here, love them as I do. Toronto is the place to be right now and will only become moreso in the coming months!

Are you kidding me, Jerrold?! There are plenty of great Canadian wines out there - outside of ice and Reisling. Fuck, what I would give for some canadian wine over here!!!

I beg to differ. Wine preference is a very personal thing. My tongue is my tongue, and it's rarely tickled by a Cabernet Franc from Niagara. Cooler climate reds just don't do it for me.

Furthermore, wine "made in Ontario" accounts for under 40% of the total wine market in Ontario and just 1/5th of "Ontario wines" are VQA wines (made from 85% or higher Ontario grapes). A large proportion of the stuff you're calling "Ontario wine" is made of imported grapes/juices.

"Ontario wine" is only required by law to contain 30% local product, and in 2006 (due to a really bad growing season) the law was temporarily ammended to allow for 99% imported product in "Ontario wine".

To stick to the techno theme, it'd be like calling Juan Atkins a Torontonian because he played at a party here once in 1995.

Jerrold, it'd be fine if you learn what you were talking about. Yes, there is a whole categrory of "Cellared in Canada" wines, which only two of the province's wine makers (Vincorp/Constellation and Andrew Peller Inc) are allowed to make. If you carry the VQA label, it is 100% Ontario content. I don't call that other shit Ontario wine.

Basically, your taste sucks. There's fantastic wine in Ontario, you're just too cheapass to afford it, and your palette has been ruined by bulk shit wine made from raisinated irrigated grapes exported from Australia that even the locals won't drink.

To get back to your "techno" theme (MSTRKRFT is no more techno than Yellow Tail is wine), it'd be like calling techno from Toronto shit because you turned on the TV and saw Electric Circus.

Dipshit.

Ryan, I don't really understand why you need to resort to insult here. This is the first time I've been labeled a "dipshit" for having an opinion on blogTO.

You are correct - VQA does mean 100% Ontario (I read the web page wrong - to be labelled as VQA from a specific region, it need be 85% from that region). That doesn't really change my tastebuds, nor my opinion, nor the fact that around 80% of Ontario wine isn't VQA (and thus may contain imported grapes/juices).

Furthermore, why do you interpret my distaste for Ontario wines to mean that my taste sucks, that I'm cheap, and that I drink Yellowtail schlock? If you saw my wine collection of fine wines in my cellar, I'm 100% certain you'd immediately realize otherwise.

As for techno, I'm also not sure why you're freaking on me and talking down to me. I know what techno is. Ask Greg. He'll vouch for me. He's even been to some of the events I helped throw back in 98-2000 (bringing local acts like naw, Vortex, Kenny Glasgow, Allan Caballero, Mike Shannon, Deja Vu, Bliss, Sunkissed, Crave, Todd Smith to small town Ontario, and bigger names like John Tejada, Terrence Parker, Kenneth Graham too). I've been a staunch supporter of local techno for over 10 years, mate. You're barking up the wrong tree and it's rather insulting to be honest.

These guys obviously have made it big MAKING music. What kind of Canadian says they enjoy themselfs in Belgium or wherever more then T.O? C'mon. I was a fan untill I heard this interview. They think theyre better then what they are. Also, why dont they like whats happend in T.O rather than detroit? fuck detroit you douche bags. cant wait till my shit drops on their heads

Toronto kicks ass! Yeah it's cold but like they said. Everything thats cool comes here. We have the best talent in this city every weekend. We have the most ethnically diverse city on the planet, that means we got the best damn food!!! There is always something to do in this city. If people wanna leave then leave, don't talk trash about the dot! Remember who bought tickets to see you when you were the ones playing small shit venues standing behind a laptop and watching you bob your head while beat matching mp3's. I find that comment insulting. Sorry if I'm being harsh, but come on...

I downloaded a number of songs by MSTRKRFT last year, listened to them once, and promptly deleted all of them. Sorry guys, you are boring. Since listeners' ears (at least, the ears of those 30+ years of age) are acustomed to better techno/ambient/industrial acts, here are a few of my faves:

1. Kraftwerk
2. Front 242
3. Moby
4. Carl Cox
5. Komputer
6. VNV Nation
7. John Foxx
8. Covenant
9. Underworld

It consistently amazes me how defensive people are when it comes to Toronto. Fuck, if I made it big, I'd go all over the world too. Why stick to a local scene when you can go global?

cannibal corpse