Travel far enough west on King Street in the heart of Toronto’s downtown core, and you will come across a gem of a nightclub called Cabal. Club owner and music aficionado, Borzoo Mehrzad has effectively created a venue that melds the best of the Arts together in a warm and intimate setting. Infusing the underground music experience, with local artists occasionally painting on large murals situated along sides of the bar walls during events, is what makes this venue a music groundbreaker and mainstream shaker. The club’s vision is to bring together creative minds who appreciate good things, be it food, drinks, music, or art, and this vision has been consistently upheld. To experience an event at Cabal is to have almost every one of your senses heightened to a level that leaves you feeling as if you’re lucid dreaming. It is by far my favourite club in Toronto and dare I say the best club in the city when it comes to cultivating an atmosphere and environment that not only lends itself to emblazon the best artists in the scene but moreover, to embrace and extol new up and coming local talent. Cabal is a model venue when it comes to fostering a community of serious and supportive music lovers.
I was completely stoked to revisit Cabal on June 24th to experience Andre Lodemann. Getting us prepared for an evening of sheer spellbinding music was Jad Ad who warmed us up proper, and of course, Borzoo, who never disappoints when he steps behind the decks!
With over 20 years of music experience, Andre Lodemann, a Berlin native, modestly yet boldly took us on an unforgettable musical journey with a soulful deep house, and techy set that had everyone moving in sync to its natural progressions from one track to the next. The build ups were intense and “eargasmic”, I was completely blown away and determined to take some amazing pictures to help capture this memorable evening in all its glory. I pretty much lost all control of myself when he dropped Complex by Jonas Rathsman! Clearly I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, as everyone seemed just as high in spirits, and the expressions on their faces communicated and proved a certainty of elysium. I didn’t want this evening to end!
June 30th and I was determined to celebrate the beginning of my summer holidays and Pride in our beautiful city! I was elated to be returning to Cabal to watch the eclectic and eccentric artist Lawrence aka Peter Kersten, who interestingly enough used to be a gardener before delving completely in his love for music. Having this artist in our city was groundbreaking, as his profile is notably low-key. This was a milestone for music lovers, and another example of Cabal’s visionary expectations being met.
Lawrence’s delicate approach to imbue a sense of organic progression during his set was made evident right from the start, abrupt breaks in his track changes left us feeling like there was a problem with the sound system; what a comical, extremely entertaining and genius attempt to keep his audience captivated and entranced! There’s no doubt in my mind that Lawrence’s inconspicuous demeanor is what gives him a charming appeal, and he continued to further display these qualities when he coolly ended with Dil Withers “So”, leaving us all feeling like we had just enjoyed a decadent dessert after a fulfilling and satiating music meal of undulating appetizers and melodic side dishes. Another euphoric experience on my music journey was had, and I was content to revisit them in my future slumbers.
