TRANSITION
In this concert production, join Aurorah - the sonic painting weaver - as she Transitions from a solo artist into an expanded Orchestral Symphony including cello, flute, and acoustic & electric rhythms, paired with beautiful melodies, over dirty beats and whompy bass.
The Boreal Orchestra - the core of which is comprised of Stephen McNie and Johnny Craftsman - will also feature Enlight in ensemble in this performance.
They will be joined by the hardware electronic duo MOONBEAN who are no strangers to playing their psychedelic sets, at late night forest festivals. This performance will also feature dj sets from the one and only Barroness and the incomparable Enlight - characters we all know and love.
Live music, DJs, and visual & installation art in the city's most beloved place to dance: Wiggle Room Toronto. Come and enjoy as these delightful characters perform and share fresh new musical sounds, delivering a night to remember.
Meet our performers below...
MOONBEAN is a Toronto-based psychedelic electroclash duo comprised of Valentina Morelli & Colin Harrington. They perform a high-energy, all-live hardware electronic set that blends new-wave, acid-house, and techno with a raw punk energy. Led by front women Valentina whose vocals add a lush and energetic urgency to the music.
Their performances weave mantras to empower their audience, speaking to self-expression and community. Although their music is electronic, MOONBEAN's unique live setup makes room for spontaneous improvisation and audience engagement.
Their musical inspirations align with Peaches, Nine Inch Nails, Ladytron, and Eurythmics. MOONBEAN's music is innovative in the way that it tricks you into feeling something nostalgic but by the end of the show, you realize it is unlike anything you’ve heard before. They've toured both nationally and internationally three times each, and headlined Hillside Festival, Folk On The Rocks, played Rainbow Trout Music Festival, Terminus Festival, Do West Fest, Sled Island, Electric Eclectics, Sappyfest and many more.
https://moonbeanmusic.bandcamp.com/track/lets-go
https://www.instagram.com/moonbean_music/
STEPHEN McNIE studied cello at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music before being lured away by a career in entertainment marketing. Over the years, he worked for three major record labels, managed family entertainers Sharon, Lois & Bram, pioneered monetization initiatives for CBC and CTV, co-founded the Corktown Ukulele Jam, and presented Ontario’s first ukulele festival.
Later in life, Stephen returned to the cello, studying with Toronto Symphony Principal Cellist Daniel Domb. He has performed with several ensembles including The McFlies, Quattrocelli, Bravado!, Orchestra Toronto and the Corktown Chamber Orchestra, serving on the boards of both orchestras and that of the Canadian Independent Record Producers Association.
Stephen has always been intrigued by the fusion of electronica and acoustic instruments. He is thrilled to explore those possibilities with The Boreal Orchestra, bringing together his passion for the cello, with his longstanding fascination with the evolving possibilities of music.
JOHNNY CRAFTSMAN brings an unstoppable, tribal energy to drums and percussion, combining a lifelong love for gospel music, rhythm, and funk, and its convergence with electronic music.
A natural beat-maker since age five—and a master craftsman in traditional timber framing—he draws inspiration from powerhouses like Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, and the offbeat accented style of John Bonham.
As a core collaborator with Aurorah for over a decade, Johnny's engine powers The Boreal Orchestra with grooves, flair, and foundational rhythms that make you realize... he's got you moving from deep in your soul.
AURORAH is a classically trained pianist and York University graduate, and has performed on every kind of stage solo, collaboratively, and compositionally throughout her career.
Notable performances include the National Ballet of Canada, Nuit Blanche Toronto, Samba Squad, and festivals such as The Beaches Jazz Fest. She’s also involved in and performed at underground electronic movements such as Shambhala, Whomp, Boreal, PhantomFest, Camp Wiggle, Reflections, and WiccanFest, as well as countless private and corporate concerts and collaborations throughout North America and Europe. With backgrounds in dance, Ancient Greek theatre, and atmospheric design this renaissance artist creates and performs interdisciplinary experiences like no other.
A musician first, Aurorah weaves seamless sonic tapestries with threads of classical keys, powerful vocals, live synthesizer & percussion layers and electronic production: each piece a unique sonic work of art ranging genres of house, drum & bass, trip-hop, down-tempo grooves, and a genre she pioneered called the Classical Whomp.
Inspired equally by both the composers of old and the electronic dance floor, Aurorah is overjoyed to embark on this journey of orchestration with The Boreal Orchestra: a tribe of delightful musicians each a force on their own, who share the same love of convergence of sounds, and bring a new wealth of depth and range to her vision.
https://soundcloud.com/aurorah-artistry
ENLIGHT (Dolph Legends) is a Toronto underground mainstay, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, MC, DJ, flautist, and dancer whose multi-decade career has helped shape the city's live and electronic landscapes since 1997. The mission of ENLIGHT is to "communicate the message of love effectively." His work is rooted in pure connection, genre fluidity, and an infectious dance floor presence.
Enlight first broke out as the freestyle rapper for seminal hip-hop/jazz crew Gruvasylum and the chordless Cuban jazz outfit Curazo, which earned the prestigious Gran Prix du Jazz at the Montreal International Jazz Festival. Mentored alongside bandleader and award-winning jazz composer/trumpet player Brownman Ali, he honed a razor-sharp improvisational edge, opening for jazz legends including Wayne Shorter, Saul Williams and sharing the stage with heavies like Randy Brecker, and Larnell Lewis. His hip-hop credentials run equally deep: from crafting beats early on for family crew OnPointMuzic alongside VLXL (then Via Linez), to opening for Busta Rhymes with Turkish-Canadian rapper/producer Evren and his band Rhymestone. Today, that live lineage continues to evolve as he revives his work with Evren and Rhymestone, alongside drummer Brad Park - with whom he's workshopping a new live jungle-jazz ensemble - talking with Aurorah on collaborations in the future.
Across the electronic spectrum - spanning jungle, UK garage, dubstep, bass, breaks and house - Enlight stands as a true culture weaver. In his early MC years, he served for Flirt Canada with foundational UKG DJ's Sassa'le, Butcha & Divy then on to Jungle, with mentor - Medicine Muffin with whom he could be heard on the Rinseout show on CKLN 88.1FM along with DJ Chase as well as an early partnership with the Amen-driven producer 16ArmedJack and Illegal Sound. He helped bring the Dubstep sound to Toronto as the MC for the Dubslingers Crew holding down weekly Wednesdays at the iconic Thymeless bar. Over the decades he has regularly performed alongside standout artists including Rumbleton, Marcus Visionary, Klute, Illfingas, Joyride, Spazzmonk, Karsh Kale, ill.gates, Frankie Gunns, Rollin' Cash, Chase, Capro, Sidenote, COI, Hans Ohm, Joyride, Purpelle, Plasticmotive, Sassa'le, Jungle PhD, Butcha, Freeza Chin, and daDJet. As a resident MC and key member, he has helped drive some of the city's most respected collectives and movements, including Drumcraft, Illegal Sound, Suhana, Future, Re: Form, Architextrures, Flirt Canada, & soulWHAT.
More recently as part of the Wiggle Room family, Enlight had been featured playing live flute with Takin, Greg Gow & DubTribe Sound System at Harvest Festival. He's teamed up with protege-turned-partner DJ Nostrabrammus to form the house-focused 2SHOES Crew, and most proudly has been working with Aurorah for the last few years. Together they performed a special presentation called Soul Work (which has evolved into The Boreal Orchestra) where Enlight is able to display his wide range of musical abilities including finger drumming, flute, singing, rapping, freestyling, and live percussion.
Whether producing under his Dolf Legends moniker, playing flute over DJs, holding down a mic, or cutting shapeson the dancefloor, his philosophy remains unchanged: "I like making music with friends. I like making friends with music. If you love music, chances are I love you" #practicekindness
INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/dolphlegends/
BARRONESS is a cosmopolitan force, blending her passion as a front-left speaker freaked since 1999 with a natural ease behind the decks. Since 2016, she’s been transforming late-night sessions into unforgettable sets, weaving sultry, provocative, and socially charged vocals with bass-heavy beats.
As a fixture if both Toronto’s underground scene and surrounding festivals, her connection to the culture extends beyond the booth. As a visionary behind PHANTOM Events and PHANTOMFEST, her theme parties and hidden raves capture the old-school essence of the underground.
Whether in a packed club, a dark after-hours, or under the open sky, Barroness brings the beats, the vibes and the magic.
https://soundcloud.com/barronessofficial
WIGGLE ROOM is a vibrant hub for emerging dance music, artists, and events. Our dance floor is a platform for local communities to build collective joy, positivity, and inspiration. With its stellar staff, great sound, welcoming friendly atmosphere, and bouncy beats, Wiggle Room is a place for stories and friendships to unfold and develop.
One of my favourite things at Wiggle Room is the forever evolving decor, which is contributed to by a rich community of artists of all kinds. The visual art and installations you will be enjoying during Transition were created by: Madame Wiggle, Aleks Bartosik art, Jimmy Scott, Wiley Coyote, Tomasz Ciesla, Mike Dunn & Aurorah.
Location
Wiggle Room Toronto, M6J1V1