TORONTO (Digital Journal) — Some say it’s the people who put a club on the map. Others insist it’s the music that dictates any spot’s destiny. But however you cut it, Toronto is now bumpin’ and grindin’ along with the best of them in North America’s club scene.
Why? Credit innovative indie promotion and superior tech design, adding up to a club scene that sizzles with energy.
Take Toronto’s Boa-Redux, a 5,000-square-foot dance floor where the music sounds perfect, especially on one centre tile known as “the sweet spot.” You can feel the bass reverberate in your chest, legs and arms — a 360-degree sonic sensation. The music pounds and the vibe is electric.
Home to one of the world’s most advanced nightclub sound systems, Boa features the all-digital Dynacord Alpha Concept club system consisting of digital controllers, power amplifiers and loudspeakers — per square foot, the largest blueprint of its kind.
“It’s definitely the best sound system I’ve ever played on,” says resident DJ Sean Miller, who has played across Canada. “It’s so clean and so crisp it feels like you’re entrapped by the sound.”
With hefty sound comes a hefty bill, even if the end product is worth the price. Toronto audiovisual experts Dymax loaded the $300,000 system with 16 Dynacord Alpha Concept bass cabinets, each with two double 18-inch subwoofers, plus eight top-end cabinets with two 15-inch horns and tweeter arrays. It dishes out a dynamic range of over 115 decibels and Boa’s specially tiled floors and walls are suspended from the original structure to ensure an acoustically balanced space. Simple décor (sans flashy materials like glass or aluminium) also minimizes echo and distortion in the stylish after-hours club.
“This imprint is meant specifically for the venue,” says Peter Lima, sound engineer at Dymax. “This is engineered strictly for dance. You could have a rock band on stage, but it’s not designed for it. We went for 100 per cent dance.”
Boa’s become a bigger player in the Toronto nightclub scene, standing tall beside major clubs such as The Guvernment, System Soundbar, The Docks and Lucid. With the rush of super DJ stardom over, a group of about 50 different promoters across Toronto have kept the scene’s integrity, grooving with longevity in mind. Today, the city’s nightlife scene is going big again, treating the district’s 70,000 club-goers with a range of clubs, lounges and dance-heavy bars.
Local promoters (such as milk, RNB, Garage 416, Matt C and Destiny) are developing a better-connected Toronto nightlife by catering to more eclectic crowds rather than hosting big DJs and over-the-top parties. More intimate venues like Revival and The Mod Club draw 300 to 1,000 people, hoping to stand apart by being more visually dazzling and more collective on the dance floor.
“Now we have a crop of revitalized old-school promoters who’ll all play a role in how Toronto continues to develop as a scene,” says Ash, promoter of college nights at 5ive on Wednesdays and Breathe at System Soundbar on Fridays. Ash is also promotions manager at Ireson’s new “Boys In Lust” night at Lust on Saturdays, where electro pounds on the third floor and the crowd mingles on the second floor overlooking the main room pumping house music. Performances at the emerging club include local theatrical troupe Purr Project and strutting drag queens, showcasing Toronto’s diversity and gay-friendly atmosphere.
“It’s more about the night as a whole,” says Ash. “People are going where they feel comfortable rather than what’s new [and trendy] and where big parties are prevalent.”
But it’s not always about going hard on the dance floor for hours on end. Much of Toronto’s nightlife activity is quite chill. New venues like C Lounge and Ultra Supper Club are ultra chic, with big spenders and big names.
For the more jeans-and-shirt crowd, The Velvet Underground, Phoenix Concert Theatre, El Mocambo, Lee’s Palace and The Opera House are known for packed dance floors and friendly regulars.
“Toronto is growing through sheer numbers,” says Don Ellis, editor of Martiniboys.com, an online city guide covering Toronto’s nightlife. “The peak is right now and owners know they just have to open their doors to bring in club kids.”
Regardless of the venue, what Toronto represents is a blend of bodies and bass, a strong example of the city’s rise through the nightclub ranks.
This article is part of Digital Journal’s national magazine edition. Pick up your copy of Digital Journal in bookstores across Canada. Or subscribe to Digital Journal now, and receive 8 issues for $19.95 + GST ($39.95 USD).
