This might just be the coolest and most unexpected thing a rockstar from Toronto has ever done.

Shaun Frank, most known as for his role as lead singer in Toronto-born rock band, The Envy, has teamed up with Spanish DJ Marien Baker to create the smash hit dance track called "Unbreakable" which is currently climbing the European dance music charts... and soon the world no doubt.

Check out the video below!

Frank also appears to be a part of a new electronic outfit called PUPPETMAST3RS (see teaser below), its not clear whether he is just being featured on a track again or if he's actually involved with this project full time. No official announcement has been made as to whether or not these projects will effect The Envy... but after listening to these two stadium-worthy tracks, one can't help but imagine the bright(er?) future he might be headed towards in the electronic music world. 

A fusion of talent from different genres is not only refreshing, but also very exciting -- for both the artists and fans. We look forward to watching the full story behind these endeavours unfold in the near future.

A new Daft Punk song "Giorgio by Moroder" has been leaked on the inter-webs, and we are shrieking with glee. Naturally, we can't help but share the goodness - enjoy! :)

The track is the second release off of their upcoming fourth studio album Random Access Memories, due out May 21st via Daft Live and Columbia Records. The title is no doubt named after the man himself, Giorgio Moroder, who is featured on the track. Other album collabrators include; Panda Bear, Julian Casablancas, Todd Edwards, DJ Falcon, Chilly Gonzales, Nile Rodgers, Paul Williams and Pharrell Williams.

Frank Turner has been making a splash across the pond for quite some time now, and unfortunately we've been late boarding his punk-folk boat. But we're here now, and we're loving it.

"The Way I Tend To Be" is the second official single off of Turner's fifth solo album Tape Deck Heart, released April 22, 2013. 
The video is nothing special, Turner walking through woods and fields until he arrives at "the spot" where he starts to dig. He digs for four consecutive days while news teams and supporters watch, curious as to why he's digging.  It's never answered in the video, but perhaps its meant to be a metaphor as opposed to be taken literally. 

Regardless, watch and enjoy. 

With driving beats, catchy melodies and anthemic chorus' primed to get a crowd dancing - Vegas is a Canadian artist bringing a fresh perspective to Canadian pop music.

Vegas (aka David Arkwright) grew up in the small town of Wasaga Beach, Ontario and began playing the drums at the age of six, which ignited his passion for performance. "I used to play along to my dad's Beatles records," says Vegas. "They were a huge influence on my decision to pursue music as my actual career." Over the years he would find inspiration from a number of diverse performers and songwriters including Coldplay, U2, Bon Iver, Tiesto, Dianne Warren and Max Martin. His exceptional talent as a percussionist afforded him the opportunity as a teenager to perform across North America and even to other countries, including Japan. He eventually settled into a permanent role as both a songwriter and drummer with pop rock group Trainlight. The band toured with artists such as Stars, Karl Wolf, Family Force 5, The Midway State and The Envy, cultivating a loyal fan base along the way.

In 2010, he decided to explore other opportunities, which lead to writing and recording new material, as well as, producing and collaborating with various industry hit-makers including The Messengers (Chris Brown - Crawl, Next 2 You; Justin Bieber - Pray, Never Say Never, Mistletoe). From this new chapter, the professional name of 'Vegas' was officially born. "Exploring multiple musical outlets is a dream come true," comments Vegas. "It pushes me to not hold anything back. Even if a song isn't the right fit for me to perform, it can still get its day in the sun living through someone else's voice."

That being said, Vegas is more than ready to take centre stage. His first single ”Let This Break” is already at HOT AC radio stations across the country and can be requested at any local station. "I've really tapped into the sound that I've been striving for," says Vegas. "I'm ready to share it with the world!"

Since her critically acclaimed 2010 debut album Catching a Tiger, Lissie has forged a reputation as one of the most talented and enigmatic female rock artists of recent times. Today she releases a new single, Shameless, available now on iTunes.  Her much-anticipated sophomore album is set for release this September through Columbia Records. 

Bristling with distorted guitars and fiery attitude, Shameless is a smoldering commentary on the culture of modern celebrity, introspectively examining what it takes to achieve fame and success in current times. Building towards its rousing climax, Lissie's raw vocals and gritty, heartfelt delivery make for a compelling and blistering return.

“We live in a society where terrible behaviour is rewarded with coverage and attention, where celebrity is seen as a talent in itself. I understand the allure of image and of a good story but I sometimes feel like it trumps the content. When I wrote Shameless I'd just been feeling so over how much bullshit style over substance there is to ‘making’ it in this business” said Lissie. 

In March Lissie headed to Austin, TX to perform a set of shows at SXSW Festival, and it has recently been announced that Lissie will perform at Bestival on Isle Of Wight in September.

livemusicTO is proud to announce the launch of our new monthly mixtape series, the TDOT MIX. Available for free download featuring the hottest dj's from across the city!

For May 2013 we are featuring Toronto DJ Owen Zahara aka O-GOD who has been playing professionally for the past 7 years and describes his sound as varying between funk, rock and a genre he likes to call "Beardhouse". He currently holds residencies with the Major Rager DJ's every month at Andy Poolhall (College and Bathurst - First Saturday of the month) and at Insomnia (Bloor and Bathurst - Last Sunday of the month)

Get to know more about O-GOD via this Q&A session on Electricity Events!

Hear more from O-GOD on his Soundcloud and Facebook

It instantly drew me in. Not because it was loud and in your face, but because it was a different rock…and it was ambient…and it was heavy – all at the same time. The array of musical soundscapes I heard coming from my speakers was new to me – in fact – it’s so new that the likes of you have probably never heard it, or heard of it. I’m of course talking about the Toronto-born mystery man ( iago ) and his debut EP release, Wanted.

As a lover of genre-mixing, new jingles and purely the joy of discovering original music, this petrified me to the spot – completely lost in its all encompassing musical vibrations.

Less than a year has passed, as work for Wanted began in the fall of 2012, with ( iago ) producing and mixing the EP himself, and finishing with the mastering in Montreal, Quebec. Although ( iago ) has resided in Los Angeles since his youth, the talented musical Houdini traveled back and forth to Toronto during the production, and states he has a strong emotional connection to both cities. Oddly enough, the connection can almost be heard, evident in the music if you can analyze it that deeply. It’s indie like Toronto, but very out there and weird like L.A.

During my multiple replays of the 13 minute and 44 second long production, I drew many similarities to other artists; however, I want to be clear in stating that Wanted is unlike anything I have ever heard before. It’s for that very fact that leads me to believe that Wanted may become the hottest new release of 2013.

It opens up with “Don’t Let Go”, a Kanye West / Trent Reznor sounding clash-up that makes you really wonder…. What have I just stumbled upon? It begins soft as a rolling hip hop beat chimes with driving drums, underlying as a very muffled voice inputs vocals. ‘Don’t let go’ are the only words clearly audible as these minimalistic lyrics instil a strong importance or theme to its listener, playing with the rhythm of the tune. The song unfolds like an onion, revealing layer after layer as it slowly succumbs to a climax, then abruptly drops off and floats away.

Flowing flawlessly it transitions into “Evolve”, a short minute twenty of ambient tom foolery. Again we hear a simple repetitive piano riff accompanied by crescendo drums before the muffled ( iago ) reappears – sounding as he was broadcasting from a space suit. With either synth work or programming, or some cool rendition work, ( iago ) transforms this track into an eerie space-rock tune.

“Promise” follows suit with a strong rhythm; flaunting fast-grooving drums with time-keeping bass and melodic piano. We hear him show off his falsetto as the vocals become much more prominent in an early, almost a cappela, bridge. He hits the highs like Abel Tasfaye of The Weeknd and growls like Reznor – mixing together to form a ‘grunge-melodic’ singing – as if he were a new age Kurt Cobain. The song stays strong for quite some time after the band kicks back in from the breakdown, and slowly drifts off as we wander out of our bodies and let the music guide or minds.

The daze is quickly broken with the start of “The Chance”, as this different beat grips while you wait for the head-banging, fist-pumping anthem to kick in. It too builds gradually; hosting harsh guitar riffs, grooving jungle drums, and an ambient high-pitched ( iago ). As it continues, cleaner vocals overlay over the muffled and a hint of what sounds like a female accompanist, before it veers into another song from within. This new beat has its own procession, building before looping back to the first riff. The drums change too, with the cymbals similar to that of breaking glass, all together sounding like an angry rampant cry. It is ( iago )’s version of a war song; he’s showing us what he’s made of. This being the debut of his music, it fitting, and one can only think it’s another message to us. He’s going to show us that he is something we need – something our ears will love. It’s aptly suitable for the closing, as Wanted draws to an end.

On a whole, I get excited thinking about this new artist, as I can’t help but draw similarities to the story of Toronto’s own The Weeknd. Now, ( iago ) is a  new musical phoenix, rising from the ashes and billowing the world with mystery as he presents us with the only clue to who he is – his music. Coming out of nowhere, knowing little of him, his background, or his qualifications, he present us with a gift in hopes that we, as hungry guppies drowning in a sea of endlessly similar music – will bite. On a whole, there’s not much I can say about ( iago ) because nothing can be found past these four songs. Therefore, drawing what I can, Wanted proves to be a strong debut release, and one that (hopefully) can only be proceeded by a widely popular full-length. Nevertheless, from start to finish, Wanted is sending you a message, a message to any listener. How it’s interpreted… perhaps to each their own. Suitably tag-lined, "I am not what I am and I am not what you see, because I have time but I do not have forever."

--by Katlyn Fledderus

For Fans of: The Weeknd, Nine Inch Nails, M83, Drum n Bass

You can download ( iago )'s Wanted for free at: www.iamiago.com

Canadian electro-pop trio Dragonette has racked up a long list of accomplishments in the past year: they won a JUNO Award for their hit single “Hello,” performed live on Good Morning America, and released their third critically-acclaimed studio album, Bodyparts. 

The band has kept busy touring in support of the album, and fans will have another chance to catch Dragonette’s infectious live show on their co-headlining tour with The Presets, which kicks off May 5th. The band is also excited to announce additional US headlining dates in June!
 
Album track “Giddy Up” is an upbeat, bubbly cut with buzzing electronic sound effects and a sing-along chorus. The band shows off showing their playful, fun-loving side with a video for the track, which shows them goofing off in their rehearsal space in Canada. You can check out the “Giddy Up” video above.
 
Driven by heavy-hitting electro rhythms, pulsing beats, and sing-along choruses, Dragonette’s music packs a mean punch. From emotion-packed ballads to fist-pumping anthems, Bodyparts takes listeners on a wild ride. Be sure to catch the band live in your city!

Upcoming Toronto Show: May 10th @ Danforth Music Hall

Check out the new music video (“Sun Shy”) from Portland, OR indie pop duo DRESSES below which premiered today on Baeble Music.

Baeble says, “There's an intangible dynamic embedded within male-female musical partnerships. The connection between the two artists radiates and draws us deeper into the musical mood, theme, and style of the duo. Today, we're pleased to introduce you to the dream-pop, Portland twosome of Timothy Heller and Jared Ryan Maldonado who go by the name Dresses, by premiering their new music video "Sun Shy". In "Sun Shy" Timothy lures you in with whispery sincerity, and Jared locks you in with a party pop rhythm.” 

An MP3 of “Sun Shy” is also available as a FREE download on DRESSES’ website: www.dressestheband.com.

Up today – April 24th –  we "Come Around" with new music from the Transplants, come "Together" with the xx, and lose our heads over "Handshake" from the Two Door Cinema Club.

First up, we have Northern Ireland alternative rockers Two Door Cinema Club's music video for "Handshake", from their sophomore album Beacon. Try to stay out of the gutter with TDCC as they take you into another dimension where still-lucid severed human heads are swapped in as bowling balls. 

Directed by Sam Pilling:

Next up are indie dream-pop rockers, the xx, with a new track titled "Together" featured from The Great Gatsby movie soundtrack. Yet another big tune to add to the already notable line up from the Jay-z produced soundtrack. 
Did the xx simply produce a made for movie track, or create another work of art adhering to their style and sound?

Lastly, from the punk/rap-rock supergroup, The Transplants release "Come Around"; the second single of off upcoming album In A Warzone due out June 25th via Epitaph Records.