Electronic Shore bringing trance to Hamilton for fourth year

Hamilton Spectator

3 days ago

To some, trance music can sound pleasing to the ear or spark emotions.
To Rady Luy, the genre had a monumental impact, guiding his career as a DJ and artist in a time he described as 'dark,' reeling from relationship woes.
The shift happened at a trance festival in Toronto.
'The next day and the months leading after, I just kept focusing on that purpose of trying to take myself out of that dark time,' said Luy.
Trance music emerged from techno and house music in the early 1990s and features fast-paced drum hits, echoey vocals and repetitive melodies. The genre is described as euphoric and meditative, gaining popularity in Germany and the U.K.
Luy, one-half of Hamilton duo Hnr Sound, hopes to positively impact listeners when they perform at Electronic Shore on Saturday.
And he believes that so far, they have done just that.
'I look out and I see a lot of people with their hands up in the air and their eyes (are) closed and they're just absorbing that sound,' he said.
But the two are not just performers — they also organize the festival.
The stars aligned in 2017 when Ponce reached out to the then-Toronto festival organizer, John Busza.
The DJ duo wanted to share their music in Hamilton, and Busza would soon move his life — and the festival — to the city.
Having graduated from McMaster University, Busza already had a circle of friends in Hamilton.
Planning began in 2019 before the pandemic shut everything down.
Now the festival is in its fourth year since its start in 2022. This year features six other sets — some returning, including Kris Morton, Osito, Millz B2B The Psyntist, Johnny B, Peter Smith and Mat Coste.
But the genre did not always have a place in Hamilton, said Ponce. Hnr Sound received many rejections as budding trance DJs.
'It was 70 per cent of the time and that's when myself, Rady and John, we would start to think of certain areas that would be a great location to start creating something from the ground up,' said Ponce.
Ponce and Luy connected at a car meet, before quickly becoming friends. They often bonded over sharing cultural music. Ponce is El Salvadoran and Luy is Cambodian.
In 2016, the two attended A State Of Trance Festival in Toronto, a night that deeply impacted both of them.
'I looked at him and I said 'One day I want to be up there on stage playing my music that I make, to the world,' ' said Luy.
Before long, the two were making and mixing trance beats, cycling between each other's basement as practice grounds.
The two play about 20 per cent of original beats in their sets.
'We decided to join creative forces just because of how easy and everything all the ideas flow together with one another,' said Ponce.
The two have performed locally, including with one of their major musical influences, Aly and Fila, an Egyptian trance music duo, at Club 77 in 2023.
On Saturday, Rady Luy, left, and Herman Ponce of Hnr Sound are performing at Electronic Shore, a trance and progressive music festival they helped organize.
On Saturday, the duo plays the festival that is free to make the music accessible, said Busza. It is hosted from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Pier 4 Park (
64 Leander Dr.
), by the waterfront.
'It's thanks to a network of people with good connections, we're able to really keep the costs down,' said Busza.
Donations are accepted at the end of the festival to recoup costs.
Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, coolers, barbecues, blankets and beverages. Dog are also welcome.
DadbOdd and the everyman, Not The Author and Hamilton-based Fifteen Rockets play Ooeey Gooey's (
107 George St.
) for a night of rock and roll on Friday. Doors open at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $15 at the door.
All you need is a blanket or lawn chair and you're ready for the free outdoor concert at Burlington's Central Park Bandshell (
2299 New St.
) on Sunday (Turbo Street Funk) and Wednesday (Swingline) from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
The concert runs every Wednesday and Sunday until Aug. 27.
Visit
burlington.ca
for more.
Art in the Workplace presents Exhibit 42 featuring artist John Pingree and more than 150 works from local artists at McMaster Innovation Park's The Atrium (
175 Longwood Rd. S.
) on Thursday, July 31.
From 7 to 9 p.m., meet the artists and celebrate with wine, cheese and live music.
Admission to the exhibit is free on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Listen to the catalogue of the Blue Note Records featuring the Glenn Paul Trio on Friday July 25 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Crown and Press Gallery and Cafe (
303 Ottawa St. N.
). Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $19.56 on Eventbrite.
Visit
crownandpress.com
for more information and tickets.
Stonewalls Restobar (
339 York Blvd.
) continues their Sunday Patio Series with The Flying Dutchmen and Martin and Ray on Sunday from 3 to 6 p.m.
Can't catch the Sunday show?
Bradley Hailz and Ty Price from multi-genre The Killin' Time Band perform for Lazy Wednesdays on July 30 from 6:30 to 9 p.m.
Cash cover is $10. Visit
stonewallshamilton.com
for more.
Dance for free with Royal Scottish Country Dance Society at Waterfront Stage Pier 8, near Williams Cafe (
47 Discovery Dr.
) every Wednesday from until Aug. 27.
The next dance is on July 30 from 6:30 p.m. to dusk, weather permitting.
No experience is required and you can come with a friend or solo. Visit
rscdshamilton.org
for more.
Cheyenne Bholla is a reporter at The Hamilton Spectator.
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