Flow 93.5 Summer Jam

The second annual FLOW 93-5 Bacardi Summer Jam, which took place at The Masonic Temple last Friday night, was definitely Toronto’s party of the summer.
Tickets, which were sold out in one day, could only be won on-air, drawing in a diverse crowd of radio listeners, rather than genre-specific fans. The night was jam-packed with Canadian talent as DJ Starting From Scratch spun the ones and twos before performances by The Airplane Boys, Dru, Shawn Desman, Melanie Fiona and host, Kardinal Offishall.
“It’s a real nice party atmosphere and the people that came out to see everybody, they’re not the sometimes ‘typical’ Toronto mood, everybody is really enjoying themselves, which is always a good surprise, so it’s dope,” said Kardi, who hyped up the audience with his comedic personality and spirited stage presence.
The Airplane Boys began the show with a bang, performing tracks such as “Born To Be” and “Beau Monde” with the unique sound, swag and stage presence the group is known for. The hip-hop duo even cooled the audience down by pouring two bottles of water into the crowd.
Shawn Desman, who is a performing veteran, sang hits such as “Shiver” and “Electric” with two backup dancers, showcasing why he has continued to stay relevant after over a decade in the game with hit after hit.

Melanie Fiona, who also performed last year at the first Summer Jam, headlined this year’s event, and proved why she is Canada’s R&B princess by belting out her hits such as “Change The Record”, “4 AM” and “Give It To Me Right” in a pair of killer red heels. She held it down as the only female on the bill, while the crowd sang along with her every word.
“It’s fun being able to be home and being able to do a show with this cool vibe and everyone is a little nice off the Bacardi and it’s beautiful,” said Fiona. “FLOW is doing its thing for the city and I appreciate it. Sharing the stage with fellow Torontonians and artists, it’s the best shows you can do.”
The Summer Jam’s party vibe and all homegrown talent on the bill made it a unique showcase. Only two years in, it is safe to say that the jam will only get bigger but many of the artists say that it is important to keep the event Canadian based.
“The beauty of FLOW Summer Jam is that it’s Toronto’s urban station and a lot of artists look at this as their haven, their environment, it’s our own – it’s Toronto. When you say FLOW – that’s us, that’s this city, so it should stay this city,” said Beck Motley of The Airplane Boys.

Each artist shared that they only have hopes for the Summer Jam to grow in the future, but an all-Canadian cast will only flourish with the help of more media outlets such as FLOW 93.5 FM.
“As the radio stations and media outlets continue to support our own talent, it’s going to be a bigger bill and more of a demand to see Toronto artists,” explained Fiona. “I think it’s just going to get bigger and better.”

Photos by: Fitzroy Facey

DJ Starting From Scratch Spotlight Series

DJ legend Starting From Scratch is a staple in the Canadian urban music scene and has been involved with the Stylus Awards since it began in 2006. After winning three awards during the first year, Scratch took himself out of the runnings to join the corporate side of the show. This year, he looks forward to co-hosting the event and taking in the new generation of DJs that he has helped pave the way for.
HOW HAVE YOU SEEN THE STYLUS AWARDS EVOLVE SINCE ITS BEGINNING? Production-wise, it’s gotten to a whole new level. It’s up there with all the other award shows, especially “urban shows”; to me, it blows them away just by the screen values and the guests and artists and everyone they’ve been getting to come through. Crowd-wise, that’s the thing that needs to be worked on. Numbers are there, but I don’t think it’s the ideal crowd. It’s still a little bit of a ghetto feel to it, which I guess, over time, they hope will turn into more of a mainstream crowd, but for now, I don’t think the production value meets the crowd value and I don’t think it’s appreciated by the crowd that’s showing up.
WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE STYLUS AWARDS MOMENT? The first one; when I won. I won three [awards] in the first Stylus Awards, so to me, that was amazing, because it was essentially the first DJ show of its kind, so to be honoured like that and to be voted, especially by other DJs and all the record people — that will always stand out to me. After that, I kind of jumped to the other side and got on the corporate side of it, so that was my first and only experience with it, so I will always hold that very dear.
WHY ARE YOU NO LONGER BEING NOMINATED? I made that conscious choice awhile back to jump on the other side and stay out of the rat race, because even as you win, you still get tons of hate and negativity from all the other guys, so I just took myself out of it and decided to become a part of the show so I’ll always stay relevant and I’ll be where I need to be. I’ll still be represented at the show; I just don’t need to be in the rat race… It’s still tough. There’s still the fighter in me that sees things happening and it’s like, “I could have taken that” or “I could do this,” or “I know I’m better than this,” but I’m actually glad I am where I am. I have more fun with it, there’s no pressure on me and it’s a totally different view, being on the side that I am on.
WHAT DO THE STYLUS AWARDS MEAN TO YOU? To me as a DJ, I wouldn’t say it’s the be all, end all, because to me, the be all, end all is the crowd coming to support you in the clubs. This is more of an industry event, so just to be represented and shown respect within your industry is a huge step. I don’t think the general public understands the awards and doesn’t really attend the awards, because they don’t understand them. In the Canadian music scene itself, I still don’t think it’s respected as it should be… They have the Junos and these “DJs” are winning these Grammys, but the guys that are doing the footwork and the roadwork aren’t really getting recognized. It’ll get there over time, as long as they keep pushing it in the right direction.
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO AT THIS YEAR’S AWARDS? As usual, to see who the underdogs are, who the upsetters are, the performances and so forth; I know production-wise, it’s going to be raised to a whole new level again. I just like to see the underdogs take it. I know a couple guys that have been retired so it’ll be interesting to see what the new generation is going to come take these awards now.