Techno Is Dead in Toronto

Of course, this is nothing new. But I doubt it's ever been more obvious than it was last night.

I could tell what kind of night it was going to be from the moment I arrived. About half the people there were standing around in heavy winter coats. This proportion didn't appreciably change as the place filled up. All in all, there was no indication that this crowd had come to dance.

First up was the unadvertised (????) local heroes who played to a stoic throng of forty or so people. After the venue filled up to some extent (although it was nowhere near sold out), the German techno star took to the stage while 90% of those in attendance paid him no attention, seemingly oblivious to the fact that this was the guy they'd paid money to see. Gradually, people warmed up to the fact that dancing was not only allowed but was encouraged. This golden age lasted maybe thiry minutes, after which the venue began to gradually empty out. Therefore, local act #2 (seemingly given the headlining spot since it was his hometown and all), played to an audience maybe half the size of Mayer's. So much for the home field advantage. Fortunately, most of those who remained had plenty of energy left, and a good time was had by those who had bothered to hang around until the end.

The weather? The Oscars? A Sunday night? No. There were no excuses for this.

OK, the music ... Matt and Mark Thibedeau have been producing consistently excellent, soulful tech-house on the local scene for years, and last night's performance as Repair was no exception. It's beautiful stuff that provides a handy missing link between Montreal-micro and Terry Lee Brown Jr's dark&sweet house. Michael Mayer spun a solid set, building from minimal Kompakt techno to harder, trancier stuff. And finally, Jake Fairley delivered a slamming live performance. He began with crisp, track-y robo-funk and gradually eased into the euphoric "Touch Not the Cat" material.

I danced. It's fun if you give it a try.