VELD Music Festival: Five Acts to Watch For
For one weekend in August, electronic music lovers will get to revel in the splendour of 30+ artists/DJs at the VELD Music Festival. This shockwave of EDM talent turns Downsview Park into a dance Mecca on the 4th and 5th, with two stages, VIP areas, top-line acts, and so much more.
Helmed by INK! Events – a leader in Toronto's entertainment scene – VELD is a one-of-a-kind EDM concert experience that's not only rad, it's essentially unprecedented in the city, let alone Canada. Headlining this two-day explosion of the best in electronic music is Deadmau5, but there are a few other acts that are vying for concert-goers' attention, and rightfully so...
Who: Steve Aoki
The Lowdown: Notable for being “that dude who started Dim Mak Records,” Aoki's had his hand in the careers of artists like The KILLS, MSTRKRFT, Mystery Jets and Klaxons, to name just a few. His remixes of tracks by Michael Jackson, the Killers, Lenny Kravitz and Drake flood clubs and have turned him into an all-star DJ/producer. Not too bad for a fella from Newport Beach.
Interesting Tidbit: Steve Aoki has two bachelor's degrees, one in Women's Studies and another in Sociology. Maybe that's why the ladies love him despite his sometimes dishevelled appearance.
Who: Avicii
The Lowdown: Just shy of his 23rd birthday, Stockholm-born Avicii (Tim Bergling) is no stranger to the worldwide Beatport charts. He's a remixer of remixers, like Tiësto, David Guetta and Armin van Buuren, and has laid his stylings on the likes of Robyn and Bob Sinclar.
Interesting Tidbit: Avicii has three other monikers: Tim Berg, Ashwin and Tom Hangs.
Who: KILL THE NOISE
The Lowdown: Hailing from Rochester, NY, Jake Stanczak (a.k.a. Kill the Noise) is a d'n'b, dubstep, and electro/house DJ/producer known to many as the “creep with the diamond-eyed skulls”. Creepy, maybe; creep, no. Kill the Noise has a trademark of dynamic sound, blending different genres and tempos of music to create masterful beats.
Interesting Tidbit: A video game fanatic, Jake's early territory was nerd-dom thanks to his love of Magic the Gathering.
Who: Darth & Vader
The Lowdown: The duo behind D&V, Hugo Castellan and Diego Becker, split earlier this year and now Darth & Vader is the sole project of Hugo. Born in Rio de Janeiro, this 24-year-old electro powerhouse fuses influences of rock and dubstep as well as Brazilian and dirty electro into his sets. His credibility grew exponentially with the release of the Dataloss Freefire remix, which reached the third post on Beatport's Top 10 Electro House.
Interesting Tidbit: Hugo didn't get into EDM until 2007. Before then, it was rock n' roll all the way.
Who: Krewella
The Lowdown: In a male-dominated festival, Krewella's composition of boy-meets-girl-meets-girl is a refreshing change. Sisters Jahan and Yasmine Yousaf are amped up by producer Rainman – rest assured it's not Dustin Hoffman in a reprise – and transcend EDM norms with their seamless merging of hot melodies, female vocals and infectious dubstep beats.
Interesting Tidbit: You are not going crazy, those cute girls really do look alike - both are pretty and talented, it must run in the family.
