With another Canadian Music Week in the rear view, it’s time to reflect on the sets that made the 2016 edition one to remember.
Here are 5 of our favourite sets from CMW 2016.
Smino
Pigeons & Planes recently called 24-year-old rapper Smino "the rapper about to put St. Louis back on the map," and his CMW appearance at Adelaide Hall did not disappoint. Despite an early set time, the amiable emcee exhibited a contagious stage presence, dancing through the melodic bars and progressive beats found on the stellar EP BLK JPTR. In a musical landscape where Chance The Rapper is one of the biggest stars on the strength of his own independent hustle, there’s no reason the similar-sounding, and equally driven Smino couldn’t hit those same heights. Nelly (and the St. Lunatics) would be proud.
KLOE
Scottish hitmaker-in-waiting KLOE dazzled CMW crowds with radio-ready hooks, on point vocals, and a ethereal stage presence, as she belted out half a dozen incredibly catchy tunes, backed by a two-piece band and a hyperactive fog machine. Ellie Goulding meets Sia is a workable place to start in describing KLOE’s music, but it was the down-to-earth, tension-cutting stage banter that sold us on the whole package. When undeniable talent mingles with an innate likability, a star is born.
Skepta
You would never know that when Skepta hit the stage in Toronto, he had just gotten off of a 14-hour flight direct from Japan. The Boy Better Know boss hit the stage with ferocious energy, celebrating the release of his fourth studio album, Konnichiwa, in front of a capacity crowd that was eager to bounce along to 140bpm. “Man (Gang),” “It Ain’t Safe,” and “That’s Not Me” received huge reactions, but the opening sample on “Shutdown” set the crowd off. Drake was nowhere to be found in the Danforth Music Hall, but even so, no one was left disappointed by Skepta’s legendary CMW function. Truss mi.
White Lung
Like Skepta, White Lung also spent CMW celebrating the release of their latest album, Paradise, at the Velvet Underground. The post-punk poster children sounded a bit shakier than usual on the new material, but as always, vocalist Mish Way held hypnotic command of the audience from start to finish.
WILDE
Dreamy electro-pop outfit WILDE are slowly making a name for themselves in Toronto and beyond, propelled by the captive voice of Giselle Mapp, and the halting production work of Brandon Merenick and Olutobi ‘Nyra’ Akinwumi. The group closed out CMW on Sunday at Adelaide Hall, joined by two additional musicians for lush, filled-out arrangements of the brilliant songs found on their debut EP, Flashlight. Gorgeous soundscapes, perfect for a festival finale.