Thoughtless recording artist Arthur Oskan performed this past Friday at Li'ly in downtown Toronto. The young producer, fresh off the heels of his debut full-length, A Little More Than Everything, kicked off his long-drawn grooves around midnight. The slightly more ambient feel of Oskan's newest LP (as can be heard below on "Sentimental") made it difficult to predict what his live set would be like, as many producers neglect more ambient material altogether when performing in a club setting. As Oskan took the stage, it became clear that he was to favour the heavier four-four side of his work.
Li'ly is an upscale club–a quality sound system and well-dressed patrons made it clear that they shed great expense to make the best of the bar experience. Walking down to the basement (thankfully where the show occurred–the main floor was host to bright lights, a crowded bar and horrid music) I was greeted by a friendly bouncer and entered the pen-style room hosting the show.
While a number of other performers supplemented the music of Oskan, unfortunately I was only able to experience his set. The highlight of the performance was Oskan's version of "Fat Mobile" from A Little More Than Everything (below), which was seamlessly introduced and pushed the mix forward from an otherwise relatively uniform set. The early set time saw the Toronto DJ dealing with a relatively stagnant (but appreciative) crowd–albeit Li'Ly may not have provided the optimal experience for Oskan himself.
Toronto-based Thoughtless recordings is a label to watch out for–keeping high-quality dance music alive in the city, the label recently celebrated their 50th release. The label also puts on events on a monthly basis, be sure to catch other Thoughtless acts like Noah Pred, Deepchild, Talal & Zoi and many others sometime in the near future. Check their website below for specific times and dates.
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