Parkdale is most definitely in the house this weekend. On Friday, the Elizabeth Shepherd Quintet will be playing a CD release show at the Gladstone Ballroom. Parkdale (at right) is the follow-up to Shepherd's acclaimed debut Start to Move and is being released by Do Right! Music. John Kong has acquired an eclectic label roster and the label is top notch. They've already promoted Parkdale with a making-of video and a podcast. It's worked too,......

Photo from Skratch Bastid. It's a night of east coast hip hop at the Danforth Music Hall on Friday. Acclaimed party-rocking DJ Skratch Bastid will be manning the decks first as an opening act and then accompanying Buck 65, who headlines the night. The Halifax-raised DJ is well-known for his Imperial Death March beat juggling routine and is an accomplished turntablist. Recently, he laced Buck 65's latest album Situation, which has produced a video......

It's a Hollertronix weekend as Wrongbar hosts Diplo on Saturday and Eli Escobar on Friday. While he may have dipped a little under the radar in the last couple of years when was the ambassador for baile funk, Diplo has serious skills. He has secured a place in many a music lover's heart for producing M.I.A.'s fantastic "Paper Planes." The Philly based DJ is also responsible for acclaimed remixes for Kanye West and Yeah Yeah......

Attention, stalkers of local multihyphenate Tyler Clark Burke: either you'll have to figure out how to be in two places at once this weekend, or you'll be flipping a coin. Heads: from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, TCB fetes her new exhibit, "A Murder of Vs," at Katherine Mulherin Contemporary Art Projects (also known as a "gallery," located at 1086 Queen Street West). The artist promises "paintings and sculpture and prisms" (oh my!)......

In a city that, he says, is devoid of an electrifying dance music scene, Matt Sims is offering up a brand-new way for party-goers to dabble in dj beats. "I feel there been a lot missing from the dance music scene down here," Sims wrote in a release sent to Torontoist, "so we’re here to save it!" His solution? Dopplehertz. Dopple-whaat? The new group is promising to throw parties and spin sounds all 'round town.......

Dancemakers just closed its latest show last night at Harbourfront's Premiere Dance Theatre. Called Double Bill # 1, the show consisted of two pieces danced by the company choreographed by different artists. Though quite different, both pieces explored the repetition of physical actions and the idea of "covers." The music was provided entirely by local curiosity The Reveries, a group that exclusively covers love ballads. The twist is that they play the covers with......

Since its opening last October, Wrongbar has been a blessing to the Parkdale area. This Friday, it'll be hosting the second edition of the Stone's Throw Move Toronto party. The respected California indie hip hop and funk label will be sending off one of its biggest stars as Madlib spins a set. One half of Madvillian and Jaylib, Madlib also releases records under his Quasimoto guise. He will be joined by label mates Egon and......

Ahh, Toronto, do you have the fever? Dance fever, that is. In June, our fair city will not only have auditions for So You Think You Can Dance Canada, but will also host the rehearsals for Toy Story: The Musical. (We suspect some dancing might happen at this shindig too.) It's enough to make a grown man suit up and dance. First up, Leah Miller has been named the host of So You Think......

Photo from The Chameleon Project. Local livetronica trio Chameleon Project celebrate their sophomore album ...if it takes all night with a two set-show at Revival on Friday. The instrumental group has undergone a number of changes since releasing their debut Stereoscopic five years ago. The new record features a stripped down sound and smooth guitar tones, which isn't surprising since their guitarist threw a Yacht Rock–themed party last year. Joining the group will be......

This weekend, Toronto was impossible to miss at Miami's Winter Music Conference and Ultra Music Festival. Currently, five Torontonians occupy the number one and two and slots on the electro house chart on Beatport, which has become the de facto standard website for legally downloading electronic music, and a major player in the Winter Music Conference. Additionally, an Ontarian holds the number two spot on Beatport's tech house chart—Londoner John Acquaviva with "Sofa King."......

A historic tour rolls into town this Wednesday, as Jay-Z and Mary J Blige bring their Heart of the City co-venture to the ACC. Since 1996, Jigga has released ten studio albums, two collaborations with R. Kelly, a mash-up album with Linkin Park, and an MTV Unplugged with The Roots. He also managed to squeeze in a three-year retirement, during which he served as Def Jam president. When no major labels would sign him, he......

Photo by Rafael Style. It's Easter weekend, and it's the perfect time to resurrect your love of psy-trance. Israeli goa dance pioneers Infected Mushroom return to Toronto as part of the Guvernment's massive Decadance party on Thursday. They'll be joined by hometown heroes MSTRKRFT and famed boyfriend to pseudo-celebrities DJ AM. Since the party takes place in the entire Guvernment and Koolhaus complex, get ready to have your elbows ready when trying to walk......

Photo by Caesar Sebastian. Justice brings their gigantic glowing cross and their hot electro-house beats to the city on Monday. While the Sound Academy (ex-The Docks) is usually an awkward place to see music, it's well suited for this show. There will be plenty of space for people to "D.A.N.C.E." and the duo has a sound large enough to match the venue. They'll be joined by fellow Parisian Busy P and Fancy at the......

It's Canadian Music Week and that means there's an unusually large number of hip hop shows going on. KRS-One will be teachin' at The Opera House on Saturday as he continues his Stop the Violence movement. RZA dons his Bobby Digital mask on Sunday at the Phoenix. There's also grimy New York hip-hop (M.O.P. on Friday), French rap (DJ Orgasmic and Cuizinier on Thursday), and a strong showcase of local talent (Friday's Exclaim! event). Also......

Photo by Linnea Helmersson. There's something about Sweden and disco that is as perfect as America and apple pie or Toronto and complaining. Following the footsteps of ABBA, Ace of Base, and Robyn onto the dancefloor is critic's darling, Sally Shapiro. The mysterious singer will be making her first public appearance in North America spinning a set with her producer Johan Agebjorn at Wrongbar on Tuesday. Shapiro has other links to Toronto as Paper......

If you like dancing and the TTC, this is probably the sweetest thing you will see today (other than, maybe, that Spadina Bus video). On Saturday afternoon, Jared Alleyne––inspired by Toronto's Improv Everywhere–inspired stunts like the Eaton Centre freeze and the no-pants subway ride––organized a small group to fill a Yonge-University subway car with spontaneous, unsolicited, and definitely unchoreographed dancing. We'd say more, but the video above pretty much does all the talkin' for......

The coolest movie opening this week is Be Kind Rewind, which is a treasure trove of Things White People Like, as it stars Jack Black and his black friend played by Mos Def, and is directed by Michel Gondry, and has lots of irony, seeing as how it is about a couple of people who erase all the videotapes in their video store and then make their own mocking versions of the movies they......

Photo by Darryl Scott. Danger! The Mothership descends onto the Phoenix this Monday, bringing George Clinton and his ace group of funkateers, Parliament Funkadelic, into town to tear the roof off the mutha sucka. Meer mortals are powerless to Dr. Funkenstein and his bop gun. All attempts to fake the funk are punishable with potential exile to the Zone of Zero Funkativity. Accept that it's one nation under a groove. (Note: resistance to groove......

In the music industry's latest attempt to lazily claw itself out of the grave, the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) is proposing a $5.00 per month licence fee on Canadian Internet accounts that would legalize music downloads. They're calling it the Right to Equitable Remuneration for Music File Sharing, a "reasonable and unobtrusive system of compensation" that will allow consumers to fill their bellies full of all the music they can handle from any......

If you're looking for some place to take your special someone dancing, nothing screams Valentine's Day like Andrew W.K. The man who is dedicated to partying hard will be performing his live show and a DJ set at the Sound Academy this Thursday. His set kicks off a weekend that is busier than usual due to the new Family Day long weekend. Every holiday has their own set of unique traditions and clubs are working......

Once a proud Torontoist staffer, now a published YA novelist: Jill Murray is celebrating the release of her first book this week. Break On Through is the story of Nadine, aka Lady Six Sky, a badass b-girl who dreams of winning the Hogtown Showdown with her breakdancing crew. But when her parents announce that they're moving from Parkdale to the fictional suburb of Rivercrest, Nadine's world is turned upside down. Now she's lost her crew,......

This week, Musicologist is pleased to share that Wavelength will be hosting a festival celebrating their anniversary. The weekly music series has come a long way since its inception in 1999 and has seen various bookers, venues, and, of course, musicians contribute to the success of the series. Wavelength commits to showcasing great music at an accessible cost (all shows are pay-what-you-can) and most recently, has made a vow to feature diversity in the selected......

Photo by nevbrown. The last couple years have been tough ones for fans of the Wu. Their last album, 8 Diagrams w,as marked by group infighting and public denunciations of the album by Raekwon and Ghostface Killah. Still, GZA's appearance at the Sound Academy is expected to be a great show. GZA (aka. The Genius) will be performing his classic album Liquid Swords in its entirety. The Friday night show will be as much......

It's hard out there for a scenester these days. So many parties, so many DJs, so many Next Big Things... and so few brain cells to spare. We all know how important it is to like the right stuff, but between finding hot new ways to wear neon headgear (hint: there aren't any) and figuring out which prescription drugs don't mix, who has the mental energy to figure what exactly that stuff is? That's why......

Rabbit in the Moon, the legendary Los Angeles-based funky techno crew best known for their insane, pyrotechnic, costumed stage performances and dark, live beats, is headlining the last ever all-ages party at The Sound Academy, a.k.a. The Docks, this Saturday at Destiny's Together As One. This will be the first time Rabbit in the Moon has performed within city limits since 1999, which should prove to be a frenetic, immersive performance with wearable lasers,......

Two giants in the New York rap scene will be spinning sets at CiRCA this Friday as part of Sneaker Pimps. Although G-Unit DJ DJ Whoo Kid has been dominating the East coast mix tape game these past few years, this night belongs to legendary producer DJ Premier. In addition to his work as one half of Gangstarr, Primo shaped the sound of 1990s New York gangsta rap by lacing tracks for Nas, Biggie, and......

Photo by Media Eater. It's hard to believe that it's been 12 years since DJ Shadow dropped his groundbreaking debut, Endtroducing .... Since then, the Bay Area DJ has helped form the respected indie hip hop label Quannum Projects and released a couple of lesser acclaimed albums including 2006's hyphy influenced, The Outsider. Since then, DJ Shadow has been working with fellow crate digger and former Jurassic 5 DJ, Cut Chemist. The pair will......

Photo by Jeff Croft. Since The Beastie Boys dropped an album last year, their resident DJ Mix Master Mike has had some time to fill. The turntablism legend and three-time winner of the DMC World DJ Championships will be spinning a set at This is London on Wednesday night. Undoubtedly, he will bust out a crazy scratching display like this one from his appearance at Republik last September. Indie-electro dance nights are a dime......

Photo from Monolith Festival. One of Chicago's finest, Kid Sister makes her return to Toronto at Wrongbar this Friday. Ever since landing the cover of Urb's Next 1000 issue, Kid Sister's career has been moving firmly in the fast lane. She landed a Kanye cameo for her debut video Pro Nails and she's already proven that she can rock a Toronto crowd. Kid Sister will be joined by Ottawa's Jokers of the Scene and......

Photo from Plexifilm. For lovers of Detroit techno, the new year keeps on giving. This Saturday, legendary DJ Derrick May hits up Footwork. He will be joined by local favourites Greg Gow, Derrick Ramirez and Gerald Matrix. With his high school friends, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, May became known as one of the Belleville Three. The trio invigorated the 1980s Detroit house music scene and are credited with pioneering techno. May continues to......