Secret Society Sessions Two-Year Party
@ Pacific Junction Hall, Toronto
March 22, 2017
March 22, 2017 marked the 2nd anniversary of Toronto house music social collective, Secret Society Sessions. To celebrate, the popular mid-week live-to-broadcast electronic jam at Pacific Junction Hotel followed up with a banging after party at One Loft, featuring Secret Society residents Thomas Cardin, MRKG, and Sierra. The One Loft party, like many of their early parties, spread through word-of-mouth – old school style. It was a strong celebration among electronic music lovers and not-so-secret Secret Society members.
“Two years of great music, good company, and a project that gained overwhelming support in the underground house music community of Toronto,” Thomas Cardin (Scardinius Recordings), DJ, Secret Society Founding Member and Executive Director said of the event.
Secret Society continues to build a strong presence in Toronto’s house music scene, holding a special place for the electronic music community. Their beloved weekly Wednesday night podcast/live broadcast, running 6-9pm at King St. East bar Pacific Junction Hotel, is an after-work favourite for many – especially in the winter months when the crew is unable to host their secret Full Moon Parties on a magical, hidden beach in Toronto. Each Wednesday you are able to unwind after a long day and reconnect with friends over amazing music, solid craft beer, tasty cocktails and snacks while still heading home at a decent hour. It has become so popular that it has its own tag, #betteronwednesdays.
“When Secret Society Sessions began two years ago, the goal was to create an atmosphere for a regular gathering — an event in celebration of getting over the midweek hump, centered around a love for music,” Matt von Wilde, founder, and DJ explains. “This weekly event encourages the community to go out early with friends, to listen to artistically curated sounds, and to go home early — proving that a night out does not have to be followed by a day in.”
Cardin acknowledges the tremendous support from Toronto’s growing underground electronic music lovers and members of the inclusive community who have helped Secret Society to grow as a social collective. “The unique musical vibe created by the different weekly pairings of local DJs is what keeps people coming back week after week for two years,” says Cardin.
On March 22nd, the show reached Episode 105 – the milestone of the event series. This marked both a celebration of Secret Society Sessions but also of Toronto’s exploding DJ talent that is able to fill dance floors across the city every week – even on a Wednesday night.
“Every event we bring a fairly unknown DJ and they have a chance to rock a packed dance floor on a Wednesday evening, we are proud,” resident DJ, MRKG (aka Tim San Andres) and Scardinius label AnR says. “We are lucky to have a community that is so open and positive. This was the support that allowed us to release a compilation CD, a physical representation of this sea of talent. As the second year is passing, we are already compiling the second album, along with more individual releases under our label, Secret Society.”
“SSS: The First Year” LP features 11 tracks by the artists who have performed at first year of the weekly podcast. Have a listen below.
(Photography by Thomas Cardin)
#secretsocietyto #WETHEMUSIC #betteronwednesdays