Leading up to that headline slot by Dubfi re, we had a warm and bouncy opening set by Justin Martin, including his feel-good vocal sample track Don’t Go. Then Chus & Ceballos brought their bouncy tech-house sounds to the growing main stage crowd as they moved from Justin’s house set to what would surely be a pure techno showcase from Magda. While the Spanish duo was fi nishing up their set, Magda was plugging in her Xone DB4 mixer and prepping to bring the energy to a whole new level. Contrary to some DJs who try to blend in to the previous performers set, Magda let the music stop before dropping the biggest tune of the night. Her opening track, Marc Houle and Miss Kittin’s banger Where is Kitten took the system up by a few notches and had the stage rattling as we were popping in our earplugs to protect against the inevitable morning-after tinnitus. Following a perfectly executed journey across the techno spectrum, Magda gave way to the evening’s headliner and main attraction, Dubfi re. Thank god both and Magda were slated to play the after party at Footwork, because Dubfi re’s set left us wanting way more deep, dark techno, which was delivered by both veterans until sunrise, bringing this epic weekend to a close.
The only constructive criticism we have for the fi rst year of Brrrrr! was that there wasn’t much going on aside from the stages and the warm-up dome for GA fans. Perhaps some more art displays or interactive activities would have added more to the experience. The fi re pit was a great idea; more of those would have kept the crowd a little warmer. The ice sculpture at the entrance was a great touch, maybe more of them with varied themes and shapes would have made a great addition to Brrrrr! All in all, the fi rst edition of Brrrrr! was a huge success. With over 4,000 people on the dance fl oor, it was a fun experience and defi nitely something that makes Toronto a more vibrant city to the international electronic music community. Toronto loves to party; rain, shine, snow or wind and Brrrrr! proved this very well.