Controversy over the term “Israeli Apartheid” plagues Toronto Pride
Jeremy Dias
This year’s Toronto Pride parade, which drew over 1.4 million people, was plagued by a war of words. It all started May 25th, when Pride Toronto organisers decided to censor the term “Israeli Apartheid”, and effectively banned the group “Queers Against Israeli Apartheid” from marching in the parade. Pride Toronto had received complaints about the term since last year, with some people saying they felt the term was hateful and made some communities feel unwelcome.
The situation escalated when Martin Gladestone, a Toronto lawyer and gay rights advocate, used footage from the 2009 Pride Parade and interviews from the Jewish community to make a documentary film which he distributed widely. The film claimed that the participation of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid in the Pride Parade promoted anti-Semitism. Gladstone proceeded to demand that the City of Toronto cut their funding to Pride Toronto, using the argument that it promoted hate and violated the city’s anti-discrimination policies.
Queers Against Israeli Apartheid is a well-established group led by prominent activists, including many queer Jewish members. They claim that the use of the term “apartheid” in simply a description of the experience that individuals face daily in Israel and they work to promote a dialogue about the situation in the Middle East.
Under all the pressure, Pride Toronto made the decision to ban the term. This decision did not sit well with Queers Against Israeli Apartheid as well as many community leaders in Toronto. As a result, an aggressive dialogue ensued where members of the community demanded that Pride Toronto remove the ban, arguing that it was an act against free speech. The dialogue got so heated that over 20 community leaders returned their Pride Toronto Awards (honours as Grand marshals, Honoured Dykes, and others).
In the end, the ban was removed on June 23rd, just a week before the parade.
International
European Union plans to fight for LGBT rights worldwide
Rex Wockner
The Council of the European Union on June 30 adopted a "Toolkit to Promote and Protect the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People." The kit details what the EU should be doing to defend LGBT human rights in other nations. It calls on diplomats, the new European External Action Service, and EU member states to actively work for decriminalization of same-sex relations worldwide, to further denounce discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and to support human rights defenders in repressive countries.
"The Council's Working Party on Human Rights is showing some leadership in the area of human rights for LGBT people, which I applaud," said Ulrike Lunacek, co-president of the European Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT Rights. "This is a very welcome tool, and one that the Commission, Council, and the European External Action Service should start using as soon and as often as possible, for instance by supporting LGBT human rights defenders in Moscow and St. Petersburg."
Intergroup Co-President Michael Cashman added: "For the first time, the Council has taken an excellent and long-lasting initiative for LGBT people's human rights abroad. We will be with them along the way to ensure that (the) European External Action Service and other relevant EU institutions follow these important guidelines -- starting with their work with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries."
3 million at São Paulo pride parade
Rex Wockner
Step aside, United States, Toronto and Sydney. Your gay parades are not even close to the biggest.
Organizers and media reported that the 14th annual gay pride parade in São Paulo, Brazil, attracted 3 million people June 6.
And it even had a political theme: "Vote against homophobia: Defend citizenship" in the October presidential and congressional elections.
The cost of the massive event was paid by the federal, state and city governments, the state-run oil company Petrobras and the government bank Caixa Econômica Federal.
In the lead-up to Pride, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a decree establishing a National Day Against Homophobia each year on May 17.
"The decree is the governmental recognition that homophobia exists in Brazil and that concrete actions are needed to reduce or eliminate prejudice, discrimination and stigma against the LGBT community," said Toni Reis, president of the Brazilian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Association, or ABGLT.
"We hope that Brazil's example will be followed by the 75 countries where homosexuality is a crime and in the seven countries where the death penalty exists for homosexuals," he added.
The decree was published in the Official Gazette on June 7 and took immediate effect.
Leading the Modern Disco Revolution: The Freemasons
The Freemasons bring their signature funky, disco house style to Pier 54 for Dance on the Pier 24
Danny Legare
Russel Small and James Wiltshire of Brighton, East Sussex England, otherwise known as disco-house sensation The Freemasons, have had success in the late 90’s, either as one half of ‘Phats & Small’ or as ‘Jimmy Gomez’. The duo has been unleashing mayhem on the dancefloors since the release of their international club hit “Love on My Mind” in 2005. During that time, they have also released countless remixes for such pop staples as Beyonce, Shakira, Moby and Faith Evans. The dynamic duo now have their sights set on taking over North American dancefloors after solidifying themselves as a force to be reckoned with overseas.
The Freemasons return to New York City after their first booking from the Saint at Large in September 2009. This time they come with the good-natured backup of online gay dating website gaydar.net to wow the masses slated to show up for the 24th Annual Dance on the Pier during NYC Pride this coming June 27th. According to the NYC Pride website, the Dance on the Pier is “is a protest set to music, a celebration set to the western skyline and a reminder of how far we've come.” All proceeds from the Dance on the Pier benefit New York City's LGBT Pride Week events and community organizations. 2B caught up with the Freemasons after their gig at Montreal’s Unity to talk about their past, present, their anticipated return to NYC and their thoughts on today’s electronic dance music scene.
2B: What are the influences that bring out the “Freemasons’ sound?
The Freemasons: We are always influenced by all forms of dance music - over and underground, but our biggest consideration whilst working is the song and we always try to bring that bubbling to surface with every record or mix we do.
Both of you have remixed many of the top pop divas blending funk, soul and disco into a mashup filling floors all over the world; almost sounds like a bit of ‘Chic’ thrown in here and there.
Interesting that you mention Chic as their production style always revolved around a stunning rhythm section and groove, provided by drummer Tony Thompson, Bernard Edwards on bass and the amazing knife-like guitar parts from Nile Rodgers. We've always tried to bass our tracks on solid rhythmical foundations as then the song will always shine on top of a great groove.
After making yourselves household names in the UK with “Love on My Mind” and then remixing Beyonce and Shakira to name a few, it looked as if you guys hesitated before invading North American soil, playing in NYC only in 2009. Was there any reason for that?
We wanted to make sure (due in part to the size of the continent), that we found the right people to work with and equally important, that we were ready. It’s a really big step for a UK artist of any sort to hop across the pond musically, but we're really glad we did this the right way as now we've found partners to work with that we trust and consider friends which is always the optimal way to work . We are very glad to be travelling to the North America now though, and every trip continues to surprise and delight us.
With having so much exposure through working with several North American Artists, once you hit North America, what was your impression of the dance music scene here? Any major differences between here and on the other side of the pond?
There are differences in every country, but what we have loved is the passion for music we have encountered and interestingly, the lack of musical snobbery that can often taint certain areas of the British scene. Everyone we've talked to in North America always has a story about their musical favourites and it's really inspiring to see that even though the industry is being hit from all sides from a sales perspective, music in North America is a vital part of people's lives. We are also fascinated by the cross-fertilisation of r&b and dance music; it’s producing a melting pot of ideas and records, the like of which haven’t been seen since Late Disco and Hi-Nrg collied in Chicago and other cities to create the first house records. These are exciting times for electronica.
Do you find it equally satisfying remixing other people’s music than producing and releasing your own? Is it an equal mix of playing Freemason’s material vs other artists during your live gigs?
It's always pretty special when it's your own record and the dancefloor is on fire, but we are equally proud of all of our remix work. We NEVER take on a mix if we don't like the song. Some have, in the past, taken us up to four weeks to complete so we treat each piece of work as if it is our own . Around 80-90% of what we play has either been created, remixed , edited or mashed up by ourselves - it makes our sets kind of unique.
As she is seen as the first lady of pop, how did the collaboration of Kylie Minogue’s “The One” come about?
We were editing an album for a Swedish Act called Laid signed to the same record label ( Skint / Loaded). We heard an early version of the song and were surprised to find out it wasn't included on their album so we decided to cover it. About half way through we realised it would work perfectly as a Kylie record, so we stopped working on it and sent it up to her label. A few months later, she had written an alternate version with Biff Stannard (who has now become a great friend from the same town as us - Brighton) and before we knew it it had made the album . It was a very natural progression and we loved the finished record. It's been a pleasure to play our club mix over the last few years and the reactions have shown that it's a song her fans have really taken to heart
You’ve also remixed New Order’s “Blue Monday” and Eurythmic’s “Here Comes the Rain Again” for the Shakedown 2 compilation. What was so special about those seminal tracks that brought you to remix them?
Some records are timeless and have the power to move floors between generations. It was so much fun updating both those and others for the 21st Century and we’ve had fantastic responses back from the original artists. You will always see us singing along to these!!
James has also participated in a presentation during the British Music Experience exhibition in 2009 revealing just about all of your production secrets to the public. With all the experience you both have amassed in the music industry and with the ever-changing array of technology available to aspiring and established dj’s, do you feel it’s important to pass along your knowledge to the newer generation?
James - I came through the recording studio route and even took time away from dance music to work in all the major London studios to learn more about the traditional methods of recording and I'm really glad I did . There is a layer of knowledge that is getting lost now that studios are available in a single computer and I think it's really important that young producers do learn how to amongst others, create a great headphone balance for a singer (which is the one thing that will influence their performance more than any other factor), and that they know how to set up a microphone properly. Having said that, technology is creating new working methods and styles, so every day for us is still a learning curve. It's actually really nice to swap this kind of knowledge as it will only make better records. DJing is now quite very exciting experience although it's always good to check that the overuses of technology does'nt mean three hours of noodling behind a laptop with a confused crowd. People pay money to enter a club and they want their money's worth of entertainment and we hope we always manage to deliver.
Do you guys miss vinyl?
We miss the sound of vinyl - certainly not the weight !!
Having played in Montreal before – were your expectations (if any) met about the Montreal crowds?
Russell - We don't really have any expectations, each club, crowd is unique . Most of the time we are surprised , never disappointed.
You are spinning at the Dance on the Pier event in NYC this summer. This being a huge Pride event, one of the biggest in the Pride season in the US, what do you have planned for the NYC crowds?
This is obviously a huge gig for us. We are very proud to be playing this summer in NYC, a city we fell in love with last year and we cannot thank Gaydar.net for bringing us out again. We always try to bring something unique to an event of this size and right now we are working away in the studio on some re-edits, exclusive mixes, dynamics and tricks. We will also be testing out some new material, one track featuring the beautiful vocals of NYC singer and all-round angel, Wynter Gordon.
Hot & Dry Weekend celebrates the impending summer heat during Victoria Day Weekend
Danny Légaré
The BBCM Foundation, makers of the annual Black & Blue Festival, is holding its annual nod to the imminent summer with its Hot & Dry Weekend, which takes place this year from May 21 to 24. The main events will occur on Saturday May 22 and Sunday May 23.
The Hot & Dry Party is the second biggest event organized by the BBCM Foundation after the Black & Blue and is a crowd favorite for locals and tourists alike. Be sure to catch the Hot & Dry Party and a variety of events all weekend long during the famed Queen’s birthday.
The Hot & Dry Party will feature DJ Norm and VJ Dan Saycool at the infamous Sky Club (3rd Floor) on Saturday May 22 from 10pm-3am. Once the glitter has settled after last call at Sky, head on over to Circus Afterhours to take in Italy’s biggest dance music import, The Cube Guys, who'll be providing their staple progressive-tribal-vocal-house sound along with our very own homegrown talent, Domenic Pandolfo, and Montreal-born, West Coast-based DJ / “Rhythm Therapist” Mat St. Marie. As someone who cites Michael Jackson, Kraftwerk and Victor Calderone as influences, Mat St. Marie is definitely someone who covers all his bases. Not to be missed!
After a disco nap you'll be primed for the next day of festivities that starts off with the official Hot & Dry Brunch at Restaurant le Planète followed by the official Hot & Dry Tea Dance at Sky Pub featuring local promoter/DJ Mike Savoie and Montreal’s very own unspoken DJ treasure, Ian Key. This year’s Fresh! Party takes place at Parking Nightclub and begins at 6pm, featuring local DJs/house superheroes Paskal & Vesselinov while David Morales, a perennial Montreal favorite, headlines the event. With no tickets being sold prior to the event, patrons are asked to get their tickets at the door. If any of the previous events that featured Morales at Parking is any indication, you’ll be sure to know to get there early and designate line-up “shifts” amongst you and your clubbing pals. We Montrealers know the drill when it comes to a hot party, so these kinds of arrangements are mere semantics.
The Fresh! Party continues at Circus Afterhours with After Fresh! featuring the cream of the crop in progressive house and trance from the UK and beyond. Nick Fanciulli --who has been called upon to remix a plethora of acts that include Underworld, Kylie and Deep Dish-- brings his brand of electro progressive house to the Circus main stage. Also performing at the After Fresh! Party is the euphoric, tech-driven trance ofRonski Speed, who has been in just about every major dance music port in the world. Joining them is Bart Claessen, a DJ from Holland who as Barthezz had two major hits in the early 00’s with “On the Move” and “Infected”. Tipped as one of the biggest names to look out for in 2010, Claessen’s tracks are played by all the Tiesto’s and van Burren’s, making this party almost a triple bill. Definitely worth the $25 cover charge if you’re looking for something different, refreshing (hence the name of the party) and a good taste of the finest progressive house and trance DJs from across the pond.
The Hot & Dry Weekend winds it down with Les Lundis de l’Humour (Hot & Dry edition) at Cabaret Mado, featuring the city’s finest drag personas and entertainers. A portion of the proceeds going to the Fondation d’Aide Directe-SIDA Montreal.
For more information regarding the Hot & Dry Weekend, including ticket prices and points of sale, please go to
Montreal-based singer/songwriter TigerBilly sets his sights on the future
Photo: Isabelle Sénécal
Danny Légaré
A quick glance at local vocal impresario Tommy Morin, aka Tigerbilly, and you have nothing but admiration for this charming and talented individual. Having crossed the global front as a singer/songwriter (not to mention an accomplished competitive figure skater), Tigerbilly is a bona fide local treasure. After performing his songs on various Montreal stages (Parking, Sky, Unity), Tigerbilly now has his sights set on solidifying his creative path.
After getting his stage name from a high school nickname, TigerBilly took to the stage with his amassed repertoire of self-penned pop songs and his flawless stage mantra. His performance skills leave an impression on the audience that he was born to be on stage. With a bright and positive attitude in tow and an unmatched talent to entertain, the very articulate and opinionated Tigerbilly is a name you will be hearing a lot of in the time to come. 2B managed to grab the attention of the infamously busy Tigerbilly to catch up on his past, present and future.
2B: Do you remember your first vocal performance in front of a live audience?
TigerBilly: Absolutely! As a teenager I was singing in a gospel choir, and we opened our first show with my solo performance. We had been told our crowd would consist of mainly a few nuns, priests and gospel music lovers. But when I got up on stage it turned out to be this huge crowd of 7,500 people. I don't think I've ever felt more nervous in my life than at that precise moment.
2B: Who would you say would be your biggest influence(s) and why?
TB: My biggest influences are various. From Pet Shop Boys, Robbie Williams, En Vogue, Kylie Minogue to Madonna, Goldfrapp, Janet Jackson and Lady GaGa... She combines the catchiest tracks with the most dramatic live performances. As busy as she is, she still finds the time to scream at President Obama at a gay rights rally on Capitol Hill and to perform for the Queen in England. In the span of a year, this woman has somehow managed to get the whole world turning in the palm of her hand. She is unbelievable.
How did your singing career come about? Was it an overnight success or have been you honing your skills for some time?
After performing in musicals and a few events, I realized that I enjoyed performing on stage, but I was bored of singing songs that meant nothing to me at all. So I started writing my own songs and learned how to produce my own music. I think I must have spent a million hours working in studios. Learning how to make music is a very long process; it's like learning a foreign language, and that language becomes the vehicle of your creativity.
One night I met the then-promoter of Stereo nightclub at a private party and we talked about my music, as I had just come back from recording "Turn Me On" at the studio. I made him a copy of the song, and the following Saturday, while I was at Unity II nightclub with a bunch of my friends, I heard my song playing! A few weeks later I was invited to perform "Turn Me On" live at both Unity II and Sky nightclubs. Soon after, my song was being played regularly at clubs and I was invited to perform many other shows.
It is also known that you have done some figure skating in your time. How has that helped you for your live performances?
Being a competitive athlete has definitely taught me how to manage stress. Once you have competed at the national championships, especially in a country which is home to some of the world's best male figure skaters, it takes a lot to rattle your nerves. As an athlete, I learned discipline. I learned determination. If I fell, I learned how to get back on my feet. All these skills have helped me tremendously as a person and as a musician.
You recently performed at the the Electrosexual event at Parking. How did that gig come about?
It was DJ K-nox, the creator and host of this monthly event, who invited me to perform when he heard a remix of my song "Lovetoy". I was very excited, especially when I found out that Dave Audé, one of my favorite producers, was going to headline the event. I was invited to perform again on New Year's Eve.
According to your MySpace page, you have also performed in Milan, Italy. How did the performance at Gasoline Rock Club come about?
