Archive for the '1992' Category

Jimmy J

Out for a night on the town in early 1990, Aaron ultimately ended up at a dark and dank hole in the wall located at 318 Richmond Street in downtown Toronto. With only a strobe light, fog machine, and some strange new sounds pumping from the bass bins courtesy of none other than Mr. C of The Shamen, this would be a night to remember! Acid House and Techno were already hugely popular all across the UK, and “unlike anything I had ever heard before. I vividly remember sitting on the edge of a stage taking it all in, everything just made sense. Not to sound cliche but it was very much a religious experience!”.

That would be the evening that would change everything for the 20-year-old electronic music enthusiast. “I became obsessed with early hardcore techno and breakbeats trying to recreate what I was hearing out on the weekends”. Fast forward a year… through a mutual friend, Aaron was introduced to promoter Alx of London (of Chemistry fame) who would give Aaron his first opportunity to showcase his music at one of Toronto’s earliest large-scale rave productions: “The Magical Mystery Trip” went down on Saturday, May 16th, 1992.

Chemistry The Magical Mystery Trip

“It was on River Street in the East end. I was set up on top of this scaffolding monstrosity” Aaron chuckles. “During my set, some dude scaled up the side and said he wanted to bring me to Rochester, NY the following weekend to play at his club” and with that, the artist known as ‘CHAMELEON’ would be born.

chameleon first live PA chemistry

As Rave culture spread, so did Chameleon’s popularity being the first person in Toronto to swap turntables for synthesizers and drum machines and perform live becoming a mainstay at all the top rave events in Toronto.

Chameleon Rave PA 1994

In 1993 Chameleon would release his first 12” titled ‘Abc’s & 303’s’ on DUBHOUSE RECORDINGS (his label co-owned with Pleasure Force’s John E and Michael Stein) which would be licensed by none other than Casper Pound of Rising High fame for European release. 1994 saw the release of the well-received ‘4 brakes e.p.’ showcasing Chameleon’s versatility and musical growth with the ever-changing sounds of the underground.

chameleon (ca) · LIVE PA Pleasure Force

If you attended any of the big rave events between 1992-96, then it is a safe bet you experienced one of Chameleon’s infectious live sets.

His performance at Virtually Reunited on Boxing Day 2020 was 25 years in the making and a great homecoming for Toronto’s own CHAMELEON.

On June 26, 2021, Chameleon returned with an encore Virtually Reunited performance featuring tracks from his 90s vault along with brand new tunes.

You can catch up with him on his YouTube or SoundCloud accounts.

Jimmy J

For at least a decade, the name Malik X has been synonymous with mystery. It’s as though the X itself was representative of an unsolvable equation. And, of course, the greatest legends are always fueled by rumors – I had heard my fair share as to where he was and what he was up to.

You see, back in 1991 whether he was coming at you via radio waves or a venue’s sound system, his community was very tuned in. He was a pivotal figure in the Toronto after-hours scene – especially during the earliest days of Toronto rave. He was one of its biggest promotional forces. In a city that had no idea what a rave even was, no one spread the word faster. And no one spread the music faster, as his collection of techno was unparalleled. He had developed a massive following and the highest respect from his peers. He was even producing his own music.

He achieved everything that DJs typically only dream about. And then he quit.

Where in the world is Malik X?In November of 1991, Malik shocked Toronto’s original ravers by announcing he was packing in his DJ career. He made a final appearance at what also turned out to be Exodus’ final event at 23 Hop in 1992. He kept his radio show going for a period of time, giving Dr. No a 30-minute time slot dubbed, “The Techno Lab.” While the doctor continued to showcase techno, it seemed as though Malik was slowly phasing himself out and distancing himself from the scene. By the mid-’90s – with the Toronto rave scene exploding – his whereabouts were unknown. In the second issue of The Communic8r we published an article titled, “Where in the World is Malik X?,” asking him to get in touch. He never did and the mystery continued to grow.

Then around 1997, while working at Industry, I made contact. Well, a friend of his contacted me. Apparently word had got out that I was sitting on a Malik tape collection and his friend wanted some recordings to give to Malik for his birthday. It was an honor to make a pile of tapes for a man who often gave his music away to friends. And the cool part was that I even had a tape where Dr. No wished him a happy birthday.

A few weeks later I got a message from Malik on my answering machine thanking me for the trip down memory lane. He described the tapes as, “a real ear-opener.” It was so cool I ran out to Radio Shack to purchase a “telephone pick-up” mic to record it to my computer. The gadget was basically a mic mounted on a a suction cup you stuck to the back of the telephone. Sadly, the computer crashed soon afterwards and I lost it. So I couldn’t really prove to anyone it ever happened.

Malik’s friend had mentioned he wasn’t DJing anymore but said he was performing spoken word. I went to see him above the Senator restaurant near Yonge & Dundas. I shook his hand at the end of the performance, but he was way too distracted to have a conversation. Apparently he went on to write two books of poetry and produce numerous jazz poetry discs.

In and around the new millennium he made some sporadic DJ appearances and gave an on-camera interview. Then he vanished yet again. But now in the age of the internet, where everyone is usually just a few clicks away, the mystery grew exponentially as he continued to fly under the radar.

Needless to say, when The Communic8r was re-born online I had always hoped Malik would catch wind of it. His community-style approach was the main inspiration behind the entire project. Maybe I’d hear from him one day. Heck, maybe he’d make a return to DJing for a Boomin’ Reunion? (Hey, I can dream…)

Well, I’m happy to report: seven years after launching this site – he reached out. Our email exchange has been brief but I know he’s appreciative of this website and all the kind words from our community. And while most of the mystery remains – the important part is that he’s still out there and still making music. And of course, still sharing it.

He sent me this 13-track volume – under his pseudonym, DJ Saville Rowe, but, as he explains, “all from the mind of Malik X.” And, he was sure to mention, “I just do it for fun, no DJ-ing, but they are yours to do with entirely as you wish.”

Enjoy.

UPDATE 5/2016: Malik mentioned he’d be sending us mixes every so often. So here’s another installment of his Communic8r HiFi Alkali House Mixes. As the man Malik says, “Music to make a grown man cry.”

UPDATE 7/2016: A brand new broadcast from the past produced by the man himself. It will all make sense when you listen…I’ve seen the future…

UPDATE 2/2021: Malik emerges with a new track. “Straight From Jah – Feat. Fat Larry. Taken From The Forth Coming Albulm – OPAL FREQUENCIES – O.S.T.
New “DubLight” Release From Internally Live Music. Stand By – More Coming Soon.”

Jimmy J

We’ve been on the hunt for Exodus footage for over six years now. The exhausting effort is detailed here. Unfortunately, we still haven’t found any footage from Exodus’ stay at 23 Hop in 1991. Strangely, no Hop footage from any event or year has ever surfaced.

We did however manage to find Exodus footage from their post Hop era. And what footage it is.

On Saturday November 28 1992 Exodus took over the Masonic Temple aka Concert Hall. The event boasted a live performance by Shut Up and Dance and Pete Bouncer whose track “Raving I’m Raving” was a commercial anthem earlier in the year. To the original Exodus faithful it was a bit of an odd selection, as we had always associated Exodus with cutting edge underground tunes. Toward the end of the year I’m Raving was very played out, mostly at The Factory in the summer months.

But it was a sign of the times, Exodus wanted to grow their audience and potential for profit. Despite being pioneers of Toronto rave – they were now competing in a different scene that was evolving way too quickly.

Exodus Raving Im Raving

The commercial PA aside, John and Anthony also brought in a pair of DJs from the UK. Unknowns to us at the time, DJs Jason & Terry were from NHS 104.9 in Glasgow. They were billed alongside the remaining members of the Boomin’ System – and this was the Exodus we all remembered. The tunes turned out to be top notch. The rave was packed. New punters educated. Cries of commercialism quashed.

The best part of this footage is the music – partially because the PA wasn’t recorded. Although it would have been fun to watch, it’s better that the soundtrack to this video is by DJs. And while Sykosis and Pleasure Force had introduced us to faster jungle sounds earlier in ’92 (Loon-EE-Tunes was the week previous) Exodus mostly held true to their signature techno sound.

Thankfully the camera person kept the recording to only a few seamless shots – which means the music stays mostly intact. Sure, there’s lots of camera jostling, but the camera’s mic managed to capture the most important part very well. And, to his credit – the shooter also perched the cam in some pretty choice areas and just left it running. The stationary footage toward the end is amazing.

Go-Gos glorified by IntelliBeams. A large Easter bunny even makes a cameo (rumored to be Scott Fraser/Guru Skot from the Factory.) Ravers going hard in every corner and level of the venue. Dr. No on the MIC. Whistle posse in effect. A power outage. What more could you ask for?

By far the best footage we have discovered. We highly suggest playing it just for the tunes too.

Big shout to Jennifer O’Brien aka Chippy for preserving and providing this gem.

Jimmy J

We recently got our hands on a Toronto rave relevant personal diary written almost 25 years ago. Noteworthy as a historical timeline, but we also we get some youthful insight from a witness to the birth of raving in Toronto. She reminds us of how exciting everything was and the reasons it was so easy to get swept up in it.

And what could be more old-school than a handwritten diary? A hobby that is likely near extinct with the array of digital platforms people now use to express themselves.

The first series of pages outlines important dates, details, parties and people. Further evidence of how our city’s rave history unfolded with 318 Richmond at its roots.

Diary Timeline #1

Timeline 3

Timeline 3

Then she shares some of her experiences and thoughts:

Diary Entry 1

Diary Entry 2

Diary Entry 3

Followed by some fun stuff – a track list:

Image (184)

And some essential techno track lyrics and MC chants:

MC Chants and Quotes

MC Chants and Quotes

And now you know what was on her mind. (Techno for all mankind!)

Jimmy J

We know you’re still hurting from the Jays loss to KC last night. There is hope, but next year is just too damn far away. So to tide you over and help heal your wounds we’ve dug up some Toronto World Series rave history.

In order to restore your faith please listen to this quick two minute clip, then we’ll dig deeper below.

That wicked sound bite is from a 1993 Toronto rave called Unity. But let’s rewind even more, back to the first time we got to celebrate a World Series victory at a rave. It was Saturday October 24 1992 at event called Lost In Space – hosted by Chemistry Productions. The game went into extra innings and several ravers had tuned in on their car radios en-route to the venue. When they entered the party the news spread virally, the old-fashioned way. That involved humans communicating with each other in real time. It was called word of mouth. You see, instead of getting an update on your smartphone, an email, or text – another person would engage you in an actual conversation and tell you the news. Imagine that.

Unfortunately no audio from Lost In Space exists, or at least it’s never surfaced. But according to local legend, Chemistry’s Alex of London is said to have a stash of recordings tucked away somewhere…

But for now we’ll just have to flashback via the flyer from that magical evening at Scooter’s Roller World (a now defunct space-age roller rink that was tucked away in the ‘burbs.)

Chemistry Lost In Space Rave

Now back to Unity. Unity conceived as a fundraiser by a gentleman known as Trevor Hardcore. He was (and is) a personal friend of the Ben and Mike from Sykosis. The intention was to raise funds for the massive financial losses that occurred at Sykosis’ “Ravestock” which happened a few months previous. Ravestock was Toronto’s first rave festival – it was ahead of its time and that usually translates into a disaster on a financial level.

Sykosis Ravestock

Hardcore approached several rave companies and pitched the idea of pooling promotions with the proceeds used to repay the debts Ravestock had racked up. Several rave companies agreed, then bailed for one reason or another. Eventually it turned into a team effort by Sykosis and Infinity.

Unity Toronto Rave

I managed the recordings that evening and captured three sides of two 90 minute cassettes. Back then recording audio wasn’t as easy as clicking a button on a laptop. In our day you had to press record on a tape deck – remember to flip it 45 minutes later and then swap it out for a new tape after another 45 minutes. And repeat throughout the entire evening.

This recording is one of the most infamous Toronto tapes out there. Mostly due to the fact the MC (Clive G) repeatedly reminded the crowd that “The Blue Jays Won!” If you were at the rave that evening his voice has since been indelibly etched in soundtrack of your 1990s mind.

So without further ado…this is what happens when you’re at a rave and the Jays have just won the World Series…

And in honor of the Jay’s great 2015 season – have this never before released portion, on us:

Go Jays Go.

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