Articles by Ryan B. Patrick

Bird

La Notte

PUBLISHED Jul 9, 2013

Toronto, ON musician/producer Aaron Bird's La Notte is an intricate and difficult album to define. Bird labels the verdant production of hi...

Five Noteworthy Facts You May Not Know About Maestro Fresh Wes

PUBLISHED Jul 5, 2013

Everyone knows the Maestro Fresh Wes hip-hop classic "Let Your Backbone Slide" from his 1989 platinum-selling album Symphony in Effect, but...

Maestro Fresh Wes

Class Act

PUBLISHED Jul 2, 2013

The man known as Maestro Fresh Wes can rightly be called a trailblazer, in the literal sense, in forging a path for hip-hop and rap in Cana...

Maestro Fresh Wes Talks His 'Orchestrated Noise,' Streams New Album on Exclaim.ca

PUBLISHED Jun 18, 2013

As the Godfather of Canadian Hip-Hop, Maestro Fresh Wes (a.k.a. Wes Williams), gets set to drop his Orchestrated Noise album next Tuesday (...

The Lytics

Nocturne, Toronto ON, June 15

PUBLISHED Jun 16, 2013

If Winnipeg rap crew the Lytics were a bit bummed that the venue was at less than maximum capacity, it wasn't evident on this night. What w...

Miles Jones

Nocturne, Toronto ON, June 15

PUBLISHED Jun 16, 2013

"Crazy time slot," said MC/producer/DJ Miles Jones during his NXNE set. It was one in the morning. Add to the fact that Brooklyn teen wunde...

Simone Denny

Hard Luck, Toronto ON, June 14

PUBLISHED Jun 15, 2013

If you were in attendance at the Hard Luck Bar expecting to hear Toronto diva Simone Denny bust out some Love Inc. joints from her DJ Chris...

Akua

Hard Luck, Toronto ON, June 14

PUBLISHED Jun 15, 2013

Synth-soul sister Akua Carson (AKUA) is all about keeping things minimalist — stripped down lyrics and an ethereal electro vibe. The...