I think my dog wants to check out the reggae party my neighbours are throwing in the alley behind their building. Toronto is a fun town sometimes

Jedi battle in Parkdale

It always scares and impresses me to watch workers take down trees

As I was leaving, I ran into a few people from my generation who I hadn’t seen for years. One of them commented that they still see my dad out at parties most weekends. There aren’t many music subcultures that are as cross-generational as this.

Even back in the 90s, Theo Parrish’s DJ sets connected to earlier eras, more influenced by Ron Hardy’s work in 1980s Chicago than 90s rave culture. And Hardy wouldn’t have existed without what Frankie Knuckles was doing in the late 70s, which came out of David Mancuso’s earlier loft parties.

Detroit house legend Theo Parrish was DJing in Toronto last night, and I realized that I’ve been listening to him for 30 years. Which means more than half the people at this party weren’t alive when I bought my first record by him. Underground dance music seems to exist outside of trends