We’ve been chasing storms all winter in Toronto, so we shouldn’t have been surprised when the biggest one of the year rolled in on the first weekend of March. Luckily we booked a legend and it didn’t really matter; no amount of snow was going to deny the hardcores a guaranteed night of stellar beats.

Jeff Button maintained status quo by simmering the dance floor to perfection in the early hours. It has to feel wicked to have one of your favs walk up to the decks while you have 300 locked in a groove. Jeff’s getting to know this feeling all too well.

There’s a crazy level of nervous anticipation when you’ve booked a top level DJ. You know he’s going to rock it, you just hope you can come through on your end. Add on the threatening weather and the phenomenal rush from the music and floor was well deserved when the party was absolutely going off at peak time.

Jody Wisternoff quite simply torched the place. A flood of unreleased tracks and edits, always mixed at the perfect pace, overwhelmed The Mod Club. Jody came through big time at a time that our crew and all of the EXPOSED faithful needed a release from the dark days of this season.

And I know its becoming cliché, but progressive is far from dead. If it’s kept updated and anything but obvious, it’s truly the best electronic music out there (in btb’s humble opinion only… of course).

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Our original goal with the bringthebeats bookings was to bring in one fresh artist each month and debut them in Toronto on The Mod Club stage. Admittedly this was a pretty lofty goal considering how competitive the T.O. scene is and how clubbers have become so attached to particular DJs and sounds.

Though we did our best to stick to this policy, we decided to bend our own rules after Neil Quigley’s EXPOSED performance in November. He was so impressive we knew we had to bring him back asap. There wasn’t nearly enough progressive house heads on the floor for his first visit and we needed to expose more of the EXPOSED faithful to this wicked talent.

We rolled the dice with this mid winter booking - on a Friday of a long weekend - and are we ever glad we did. Neil’s first EXPOSED.live recording provided all the promotion we needed. There was so much hype around that set; people were forced to brave the cold and a potentially long party weekend to check out Neil’s second Toronto appearance.

He definitely didn’t disappoint. We couldn’t believe that it could happen, but Neil was even more on point this time than last. He still had the enthusiasm of playing in a new market, but now he was more comfortable with the crowd, vibe and venue. He was finely tuned in every aspect and put together three hours of some of the highest quality dance music played anywhere in the world.

We’re extremely proud to have jump started what seems to be a loyal and extremely up for it following for Neil Quigley in this city. Combined with Jeff Button, the hottest new local DJ in Toronto right now, Quiggers has provided two of the most successful btb bookings of EXPOSED so far. He’s become a “can’t miss” event, so if you didn’t make it to either of the first two, don’t miss the next one, I’m sure he will be even better whenever it goes down.

Look for the set coming soon after Neil’s Kiss mix is aired on John Digweed’s radio show next month. He can’t let out all the secret gems at once.

Download -  Neil Quigley - EXPOSED.live pt.1 - February 15, 2008
Download -  Neil Quigley - EXPOSED.live pt.2 - February 15, 2008

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Once again I was counting days till the weekend and another EXPOSED Friday at Mod Club. I have also been actively recruiting my friends and acquaintances to not miss Hector Romero as he is known to be one of my all-time favourite DJs.

My love for Hector began when I heard his promo set for New Year’s Eve at Sonic nightclub at my friend’s place last January. That night I impudently snatched the CD from her and headed home looking forward to listening to it again. The next morning I transferred it to my iPod and kept playing it over and over while riding gloomy TTC for the next few days.

The next logical step was to add Hector on MySpace, since browsing MySpace was one of the highlights of my last winter. I must have been really bored, but I ended up messaging him and letting him know how much I really liked his set. To my surprise, not even an hour later he wrote me a personal thank you reply with a link to his live set from La Gare nightclub in Turin, which I still have on my iPod till this day.

“Wow, what a friendly DJ,” I thought to myself. Ever since I have been following his tour dates and occasionally downloading his mixes, which never disappoint.

What makes Hector’s mixes so special is that he never plays similar sets, and that you never know what to expect from him. He may occasionally drop the same track or two, but overall the mood of the mix is different each time. I came to witness this in person when I saw him play this summer at The Docks, which is now known the Sound Academy, and his set was unlike any of his mixes that I had previously listened to. He was the headliner for one of the Sunday Sunset Sessions, which ended up being my favourite party of the summer.

Same thing happened at Mod Club the night that he played. Prior to the party I have been listening to his mix from Big City Beats, which mostly consisted of uplifting tribal tracks with lots of passionate female vocals. I was coming to this event hoping to hear something similar, but was in for a big surprise, because once again he played a completely different set.

First of all, Romero kept appearing and disappearing on stage with a big smile on his face making the crowd think that he was coming on to play soon, but didn’t officially start his set till about 2 am. DJ Addy played an awesome warm-up mix before and already had the dance floor full anxiously waiting for the headliner. Once Hector took over, he unleashed a very dark electroish and progressive sound, which I thought was appropriate for the timing and the mood. Occasionally, he threw in a tribal track here and there, but I wouldn’t say that he stuck to a particular genre throughout his whole mix. The mood somewhat reminded me of the night when Lexicon Avenue played at Mod back in October.

The night was definitely one of the busiest EXPOSED Friday nights. The last time Mod Club was as busy was when DJ Vibe played back in November. People really seem to love Hector Romero in Toronto, and he seems to like us back because he visits the city quite often. I am definitely looking forward to seeing him play once again.

I was slightly disappointed that he did not play any vocal tracks because as a girl I was looking forward to getting lost to a few cheesy tracks on the dance floor. So he better make it up to me next time he is in Toronto. Perhaps, he should headline an EXPOSED event again sometimes soon!

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If there was one guy that could brave the Canadian cold and put on a show despite a blizzard, NYE hangover or any other January blahs excuse, it’s Eli Wilkie. And of course B.C. is always the perfect wingman. These two complete madmen put on a show for the EXPOSED hardcore with some kick ass comedy house.

It was a pretty interesting mix of people on the floor for this event. Many thanks to the bringthebeats following that came out to support. Our promotions group and of course our good friends Eli and Brad definitely appreciated the kick ass energy you all brought to the night.

I’d say the craziest aspect of the party had to be the girl on stage left. People on the stage have been a dilemma throughout our first six months, and to tell you the truth, we’d rather people not be up near the booth.

But this girl, who I’m sure you can all point out in the pics, was so over the top that we had to let her continue to do her thing. I’ll leave it at that because you really had to be there to believe what she was up to, but I will give her props for some absolutely uninhibited, funky ass moves.

Brad played a more up tempo opener than his December gig with Naveen G. He’s just so freaking versatile. Brad can play in any roll, across so many genres and make it flow like no other. Dude is awesome, no question.

In many senses, Eli was the night. His relentless enthusiasm and appreciation for being behind the decks was super satisfying for our team. He rocked it out especially hard for the EXPOSED faithful, but maintained his signature, light-hearted sound. Eli has serious skills, but his sets are far from that. How injected pure fun into the night was most refreshing for us.

Download - Eli Wilkie - EXPOSED.live - January 11, 2008 | EVENT.info | Gallery

The first party of ’08 is also the first party after New Year’s, traditionally one of the slowest club nights of the year. Don’t tell that to Jeff Button’s crew.

EXPOSED opened its doors sans the cover charge for two debuts, Jeff Button’s debut extended set and Kevin Hardcourt’s first appearance for the promotion. The stellar showing proves that both have made quite a name for themselves online and on Toronto’s deep underground dance floors.

I’ve come to know Jeff as a passionate talent with a pure desire to entertain. He loves the music he plays and enjoys being on the floor as much he does the booth. He is a dedicated supporter of the EXPOSED effort week in and week out and has truly become an extremely valuable asset to our team. Feeling this way and listening to how well Jeff played made this EXPOSED event one of the most gratifying for me so far.

Our crew was coming off one of the best clubbing experiences of our lives last Friday, freshly jaded and prepared to stroke our chins at the next seemingly mediocre set we heard. But Jeff completely stuck it to us with one of the best programmed, tightly mixed three hours of progressive music we’ve heard in the city for a loooong time.

Whether he was shakin’ hips or pumpin’ fists, Jeff maintained a steady groove his entire set. Matt Coleridge hit it right on the nose saying quite simply, “Jeff plays all the right tracks.” Some guys always set the perfect vibe regardless of the pace; J Butts seems to be that kind of DJ.

From how highly Jeff speaks of Kevin Hardcourt, Kevin’s to Toronto tribal what Jeff is to Toronto progressive. He’s another dude obsessed with all aspects of the scene both behind and in front of the decks. I love to see a fresh, totally up for it DJ in the booth, so it was as satisfying for me to have Kevin up there as it probably was for him. From the 40 minutes or so that I heard, this DJ fits in right in at EXPOSED.

Sometimes it’s the unexpected nights that come out best.

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With a big commercial party going on at TIL and solid bookings at both Footwork and Revival just across the street, we knew we were facing a lot of challenges leading up to this night.

But its quality, not necessarily quantity that’s important and for this event we couldn’t have asked for a better group of people on the dance floor. And thankfully, the one thing we do have under our control, came through as always… absolutely fantastic underground house music.

It had been two months since Brad Copeland’s last EXPOSED appearance - two months waaaaay to long. He assumed the warm up duties for the first time at EXPOSED, a position in which our crew fell in love with him during the progressive glory days of Fridays at Stereo in Montreal. Though he’s moved on to become a world class headliner since then, he definitely hasn’t lost his touch in the set-up role.

Brad finds a way to combine pace with deep selections, warming the floor like only a few can. I’ve never met a DJ who didn’t appreciate the way Brad handed off the decks, and this event was no different. The entire floor was moving and in great spirits as he wrapped up. Naveen couldn’t have asked for a better vibe to be left with.

Fresh off some really cool gigs in South America, Naveen G made his first trip north and most definitely didn’t disappoint. Aware that there was a large bringthebeats crew on the floor, he started off on a housier tip which totally pleased the btb faithful. His selections showcased the highs and mids, a stark contrast from the bass heavy beats that have dominated the past few EXPOSED events.

Naveen literally bobbed and weaved through the entire progressive house genre with many unexpected turns and many, many uplifting moments. As a friend pointed out on the floor, you can tell he’s an intelligent person, as he’s extremely systematic at the decks. Like a surgeon of sorts… oh yeah he is an MD… go figure! It really was incredible to see and hear someone who understands the music and the importance of “playing it all” while maintaining a flow.

Though I wish we could have brought more people to the club to experience the overwhelming talent of this totally wicked dude, Naveen himself made this a night to remember. And in the end, that’s really what it’s all about; letting the DJ set the pace, establish the vibe and the rest of us just jump in and enjoy the ride.

Download - Brad Copeland - EXPOSED.live - December 12, 2007
Download - Naveen G - EXPOSED.live.pt1 - December 12, 2007
Download - Naveen G - EXPOSED.live.pt2 - December 12, 2007

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Excitement about Saeed Younan coming to Toronto began building up weeks prior to his arrival. I was one of many people looking forward to seeing him play at the Mod Club for the first time. Having not attended a few of the recent EXPOSED events, I knew that I could not let myself miss this night. Even DJ Dan who played at This is London the same evening could not have stopped me from coming to Mod club despite my love for his music.

The night began early, as I was at the club around 11. DJ Neno quickly warmed up the dance floor with his funky progressive beats, and his set was a true delight to my ears. He definitely knows how to get people moving on the dance floor.

As I walked around, I kept seeing many familiar faces that I have not seen in a very long time. As I found out later, it was the first “EXPOSED” experience for many who came out to Mod club that night. And, I must say – it was definitely a first time to remember! Saeed tore that place down.

As soon as he took over the decks, the crowd went absolutely ballistic. He played a combination of many styles, but overall his set was full of tribal and electro tracks. He kept the crowd energized with his big build-ups and big bass lines, which only left everyone wanting to dance more. The visuals at the venue definitely added to the Mod Club atmosphere and complemented Saeed’s set.

So far this was my favourite EXPOSED event, and I truly enjoyed hearing Saeed’s big tribal sound at the Mod Club. He even managed to throw in Axwell’s remix of “I Found You” in his set, which I think has been a little overplayed the last few months, but his mix-in only made the crowd more excited.

I left the club at around 3:30am with Saeed was still going strong. Seeing so many people enjoying the music with big smiles on their faces made me not want to miss anymore of the EXPOSED events. Friday at Mod just keeps getting better and better!

Download - DJ Neno - EXPOSED.live - November 30, 2007
Download - Saeed Younan - EXPOSED.live pt.1 - November 30, 2007
Download - Saeed Younan - EXPOSED.live pt.2 - November 30, 2007

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The core of our booking strategy is underground, under the radar talent. We want to build confidence in the venue and the promotions so that EXPOSED doesn’t get caught up in the name game.

However, things have been going off so well and the venue has been so great, it’s too tempting not to bring in some of the more established DJs (“names”) in the scene. DJ Vibe is the first true giant we’ve brought to EXPOSED and as expected, the party was fantastic.

Call me crazy, but this was my favorite Addy set at EXPOSED. He played much deeper than in his headline sets and displayed a versatility that I’m sure many wouldn’t expect from a guy who can bang it out with the best of them.

Vibe hit the booth with his array of technical equipment and proceeded to drop a set of straight up electric tribal. This dude is a pro. His programming and mixing is fluid and if you’re into the tribal sound, I can’t imagine anyone better.

The crowd, which was the largest we’ve hosted since the Grand Opening, was on fire. We’ve struggled to keep the liquor fueled College crowd on the floor until the very end of the party, but on this night it wasn’t a problem. Vibe had the room rolling till after 4am… it felt like an old school, big room house event again.

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There is a huge amount of stress a promoter feels when he or she is bringing in an underground talent that may not be that well known by the T.O. clubbing masses. My worldwide contacts thought I was crazy; “Dude, its Neil Quigley?!” But I knew that even though Neil is supported by some of the most established brands in the business and is ultra popular in Europe, the majority of Toronto had yet to discover this incredibly talented DJ / producer.

My stress level was amplified ten-fold when Jeff Button’s car stalled on the highway in Mississauga just minutes before he was to open the room. Thanks to Manfred’s driving beats, a two track fill-in and an efficient cab driver, Jeff’s delay wasn’t an extended one and the night began with barely a hiccup.

Jeff spun his signature silky smooth and stylish opener and had the floor right into it when Neil walked on. To my very pleasant surprise there were a lot of Neil Quigley fans up front and centre when I walked him to the booth. Their excitement truly took the room’s energy to the next level and from track number one of Neil’s headline set the party was completely off the charts.

Neil’s opening track had this super sexy vocal sample. That track melted into another with a funky, funky Mediterranean vibe, highlighted by island drums and horns. Soon enough it got darker and deeper, with chuggy tribal baselines, and before you knew it, it had switched back to a driving progressive and then to a more melodic house feel.

All night Neil weaved in and out of genres, but it was always deep and the mixing was absolutely seamless. Rarely have I heard such an eclectic array of House music within one set, from one DJ. Neil is a class performer; no wonder Bedrock, Renaissance and Urbantorque have brought him on to their most prestigious stables.

In most respects this night was a success, but I have to tell you it’s still a struggle trying to get people off the name game and committed to a new fresher outlook on clubbing. Despite his vast experience within the UK club scene, Neil was and maybe still remains a relatively unknown talent within the Toronto market.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure this night turned a lot of people on to Neil and the funkier, more light hearted and fun (imo) side of house, but we still have a long way to go before the city’s clubbing faithful put their complete trust back into the promoter and the venue and not just DJ Mag’s Top 100 list.

This is the way it was back in my early Breathe days and it’s that kind of attitude and booking that still has me completely addicted to the music many, many years later. This is what we’re trying to build with EXPOSED.

Download - Neil Quigley - EXPOSED.live pt.1 - November 2, 2007
Download - Neil Quigley - EXPOSED.live pt.2 - November 2, 2007
Download - Neil Quigley - EXPOSED.live pt.3 - November 2, 2007

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Carey has done a wicked job pushing the tribal sound in Toronto the past few years. He’s helped make Chus & Cebellos two of the most in demand internationals in the city and all the Stereo Productions events he’s put together have been absolutely mad parties. This night with Oscar De Rivera held true to form.

Addy’s had the opportunity to step out of the headline spot for these events and has done a great job getting the room moving with his deeper tracks. Of course the Addy energy remains second to none and that definitely helps to put the punters in the perfect mood.

Oscar came out on fire and didn’t stop till the last track. Talk about energy!? This guy was killing it with his music and feet all night. Toronto loves an animated DJ and Oscar played right into that perfectly.

He didn’t play straight up tribal throughout. There was a fair bit of electro and periods of minimal, the most variation I’ve ever heard from a Stereo Productions artist. Oscar has a lot of versatility and amongst all the rockin’ in the booth; he seems to be working equally hard at shaping the set. Oscar De Rivera has impressive skills for sure.

Again we were celebrating another birthday from within the team. Nuno our in house “everything” guy had a huge crew out to support and we definitely thank them all for coming out. Nuno is of the slickest dudes in the club for sure, it was great to see so many come out to tear it up on his big day.

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