Showing love to the DJ and supporting Canada’s music industry was the motive of the night at the third annual DJ Stylus Pre Award Show nominee party at The Mod Club Sunday night, which was hosted by Rock Da House and sponsored by vodka brand Stoli Canada.
DJ Ritz, who is a 2012 Toronto DJ of the Year nominee, spun hip-hop and R&B tracks throughout the evening while guests, which consisted of industry heads, DJs, artists, producers, management and supporters of the craft, took the opportunity to mingle and celebrate their achievements and recognize those who are making a large impact on Canada’s music industry.
David “Click” Cox, co-producer of the annual DJ Stylus Awards, says that the pre-party is a big part of the Stylus weekend as it allows for a more laidback, casual vibe than the awards ceremony and gives an opportunity to artists to showcase themselves at an industry event.
“They deserve the recognition, they deserve to be heard and they deserve to be seen,” he says. “That’s the main motive behind it all.”
The seven performers of the night which consisted of artists such as Raz Fresco, Shaun Boothe, Shi Wisdom, Son Real and JRDN all varied immensely in style, yet all were welcomed equally by the audience. With acts from Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto who ranged in music genres such as R&B, hip-hop, from young to mature and involved both male and female acts, the event exemplified the diversity of artists in Canada.
M.A.G.N.U.M, hailing from Montreal, nominated for Mixtape of the Year, also hit the stage and spit a lyrical set, which energized the crowd for the remainder of the evening. He says the more relaxed vibe of the night was the motive in order to celebrate and enjoy the music and networking, as opposed to the award ceremony, where the spotlight is solely on giving the DJs the recognition they deserve. The Montreal emcee says it’s not all about performing and winning awards; everyone involved, or who attends the Stylus Awards, wins.
“It’s a good scene; it’s a platform for all these artists to get recognized on a national scale. Whether you’re nominated, or you win, or even if you’re in attendance, it’s a good place to network,” he says.
Four awards were given out throughout the evening which included Most Original DJ Mixtape of the Year to Dames Nellas for his work on Hip-Hop Ain’t Dead, It Lives In The North Vol. 4, Club MC of the Year was awarded to Almighty Chops, DJ Manifest & Flo took home the Stylus College Radio Show of the Year for their Toronto Morning Live show on CHRY 105.5 FM and Underground DJ of the Year was awarded to DJ Law.
“We have so many talented artists in Canada,” Cox says. “We have so many different awards that we really can’t do it all in one night.”
