Recording: Mas Aya

Artist: Mas Aya

Song: Mapale^*

Recorded at Festival Main Stage (BIG on Bloor Festival), July 21, 2018.

Mas Aya - Mapale

I dipped into this busy street festival just long enough this year to see Brandon Valdivia ignite a conscious party. His flute/vox/electronics were accompanied throughout by percussionist Reimundo Sosa, and the spirit was further enlivened by a very-pregnant Lido Pimienta who not only provided the stage area's jubilant/pointed artwork installation ("Families Belong Together") but also came onstage to dance and add vocals to "Hoy" and "Masters". (Congratulations to the truth-to-power couple on that child's recent arrival!) With happy children dashing about and friends and passers-by stopping to dance it felt like a joyful and positive space — this is what our streets should be for, after all.

^* Thanks to Brandon for passing along the title to this one!

Recording: Mamalia

Artist: Mamalia

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at BIG on Bloor Festival – St. Clarens Stage, July 23, 2016.

Mamalia - unknown

Shutting down Bloor from Dufferin to Lansdowne, BIG on Bloor landed in the midst of a heatwave that made an afternoon tour down the middle of the street feel like a field trip to the surface of the sun. Things were more tolerable under the leafy trees at St. Clarens, where one of the day's stages was quite excellently curated by Justin from Holy Oak. Hewing towards funky and r'n'b sounds, this felt like a mini-block party within the larger event.

A relatively-recent arrival to T.O, this Vancouver (via Chicago via Stockholm via London) funkateer managed to find her community at Holy Oak. Currently in the process of creative retooling, she has decade's worth of jams to pull from at a show like this, all ready to dazzle fresh ears. With the day's heat finally abating and evening strollers taking to the streets, there were more dancers old and young to feed their energy to a performer who wasted no time in jumping down from the stage to join them, joyfully vibing and going off-script when the mood called for it.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: OG Melody

Artist: OG Melody

Song: Take You Home

Recorded at BIG on Bloor Festival – St. Clarens Stage, July 23, 2016.

OG Melody - Take You Home

Shutting down Bloor from Dufferin to Lansdowne, BIG on Bloor landed in the midst of a heatwave that made an afternoon tour down the middle of the street feel like a field trip to the surface of the sun. Things were more tolerable under the leafy trees at St. Clarens, where one of the day's stages was quite excellently curated by Justin from Holy Oak. Hewing towards funky and r'n'b sounds, this felt like a mini-block party within the larger event. This longstanding slo-jam duo from Isla Craig and Thom Gill seems to exist in a form of infrequently-interrupted hiatus, but like an Ontario apricot, OG Melody can suddenly appear in the midst of a hot, dry season to provide some sweet, juicy relief.

Recording: Prince Nifty

Artist: Prince Nifty

Song: unknown^*

Recorded at BIG on Bloor Festival – St. Clarens Stage, July 23, 2016.

Prince Nifty - unknown

Shutting down Bloor from Dufferin to Lansdowne, BIG on Bloor landed in the midst of a heatwave that made an afternoon tour down the middle of the street feel like a field trip to the surface of the sun. Things were more tolerable under the leafy trees at St. Clarens, where one of the day's stages was quite excellently curated by Justin from Holy Oak. Hewing towards funky and r'n'b sounds, this felt like a mini-block party within the larger event. Working in his "dancefloor" mode, Matt Smith reminded the crowd at the outset that they needn't feel obliged to watch him as he bent, crimped and spliced his beats. With the day's last stretch of harsh sunshine pressing down like a blanket, the dance crew on hand looked as if they decided it was time to sweat to keep from melting.

^* Does anyone know the title to this one? Please leave a comment!

Recording: LAL

Artist: LAL

Song: Find Safety

Recorded at BIG on Bloor Festival – St. Clarens Stage, July 23, 2016.

LAL - Find Safety

Shutting down Bloor from Dufferin to Lansdowne, BIG on Bloor landed in the midst of a heatwave that made an afternoon tour down the middle of the street feel like a field trip to the surface of the sun. Things were more tolerable under the leafy trees at St. Clarens, where one of the day's stages was quite excellently curated by Justin from Holy Oak. Hewing towards funky and r'n'b sounds, this felt like a mini-block party within the larger event. Local resident Rose Kazi looked right at home here, talking about the changes in the neighbourhood she's witnessed over the years and musing on how the city can change without allowing the turmoil of gentrification to push away long-established communities. Alongside laptopist Nick Murray, the set focused on tunes from their superb Find Safety, the album's textures rendered more as simmering bangers in a live setting — heatwave solidarity jams where the drawing-together dance vibes create a feeling of community.