we dj. we produce. we remix. we book artists. we throw parties. we promote events. we dance. we sing. we have fun.
If Canuck heroes Bob and Doug McKenzie traded their fishing hole for a rave cave, they would probably sound a lot like Ottawa beat destroyers Jokers of the Scene. Hoser!
After five years running their wildly successful club night Disorganised - which has hosted the earliest Canadian appearances of such party favorites as MSTRKRFT, CSS, Diplo, Crystal Castles and Girl Talk - longtime selectors DJ Booth and Chameleonic decided to dive headfirst into producing tracks of their own, and Jokers of the Scene was born. JOTS take the best and most mind-meltingly intense parts of dance music through history - the ecstatic buildups of big room Euro house music, the hyper-distorted basslines of electro rock, and the lighthearted samples of 1990s rave - and throw them all in a blender at 130 BPM. It's loud, it's fun, and it's lighting up dancefloors worldwide.
The duo's remixes of underground favorites DJ Blaqstarr (Mad Decent), Muscles (Modular) and Brodinski (Mental Groove) have placed them front-and-center among the new club producers to watch for 2008, and their debut 12" on Fool's Gold, "Y'all Know The Name," only makes the buzz louder. Already a pre-release smash, JOTS' cheeky hip-hop rework has been getting dropped everywhere from sweaty basement parties to Ibiza megaclubs. At this past year's Lollapalooza and Coachella festivals, Flosstradamus cranked up "Y'all Know The Name"'s massive breakdown while accompanied by projections of a 20-foot mechanical dinosaur - all too fitting!
With more official remixes and a follow-up EP due on Fool's Gold this summer, Jokers of the Scene's club infestation isn't going to let up any time soon. Grab the wax and get on board early, eh!
"One last mention goes to B-More/Fidget outfit Jokers of the Scene, who shone last year. I’m predicting that this Ottawa duo, newly signed to A-Trak’s Fools Gold label will go on to big things in 2008." Sinden, FACT UK, Kiss FM.
"Apparently it’s becoming almost impossible to think up a cool name for your DJ crew… Wow, the mental image of a bunch of DJs sitting around a room and trying to come up with a name is a spectacular one… hehe… um, where were we? Oh yeah, bad DJ names. Jokers of the Scene will be conjuring mental images of weirdos clad in medieval apparel doing the devil sticks and juggling tonight..." Only, Vancouver.
"While Jokers of the Scene hail from Ottawa, not Baltimore, this hour-plus mix features both B-more-style beats and a more experimental approach similar to M.I.A. producer Switch. Most of all, they share a dedication to euphoric intensity that recalls (and at times directly references) early rave music, combined with an understanding and appreciation of hip-hop; no matter how utterly bonkers the often atonal, stuttering tracks become, they're always funky. The cross-pollination of these traditionally black and white musical genres, hip-hop and techno, hasn't been this exciting since the late 80s, when house music seemed to spawn a new offshoot every few minutes; now both seem to be entering a new creative era thanks to influences from the other. Mixes like this are inspirational, not only for their purely sonic thrills, but also for the underlying philosophy: the more race ceases to be a factor, the better." Party Ben, the Riff Blog (Mother Jones).
"Lately, there's been increased debate – among DJs, peeps posting to Stillepost.ca and in these very pages for example – about what makes a DJ good. Is it having the right tunes (whether on vinyl, CD or MP3) or knowing how to play them? Are irony, fashion sense and an ability to draw dozens to hundreds of “friends†to your gigs more important than programming and mixing skills, especially in this time of trendy indie parties? Well kids, here you get it all with Ottawa's Jokers of the Scene, a.k.a. DJs Booth and Chameleonic. Their mixing skills are as tight as their tunes and 'tudes. Go hear how it's meant to be done." Denise Benson, Eye Weekly.
RELEASES/PRODUCTIONS:
Bonde Do Role - Melo Do Tobaco (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Mad Decent
J.O.T.S. - Juggle It - Fools Gold
J.O.T.S. - Y'all Know the Name! - Fool's Gold
Apostle Of Hustle - 24 Robbers (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Arts & Crafts
Blaqstarr - Shake It To The Ground (J.O.T.S Remix) - Mad Decent
Kid Cudi - Day & Nite (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Fool's Gold
Brodinski - Bad Runner (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Mental Groove
Water Lilly & St. Plomb - Shake A Leg (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Mental Groove
M.I.T.C.H. feat. Uffie & Feadz - Euros (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Mental Groove
Vitaminsforyou - Flesh Python (J.O.T.S. Remix)
SLUTTT - Stop Copying Me (J.O.T.S. Remix) - S.L.U.
Dandi Wind - Searching Flesh (J.O.T.S. Remix) - S.L.U.
J.O.T.S. - Acidrod - Fool's Gold
BagRaiders - Fun Punch (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Fool's Gold
Muscles - The Lake (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Modular
South Rakkas Crew - Mad Again (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Mad Decent
Thunderheist - Jerk It (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Nasty Mix
Destroy Disco - Fly or Bounce (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Secure Recordings
Nacho Lovers - Go On (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Fool's Gold
J.O.T.S. - Baggy Bottom Boys - Fool's Gold
Tittsworth - WTF (J.O.T.S. Remix) - Plant
Bonjay - Staring At The Sun (J.O.T.S. Remix)
MIXES
Disconnected Vol 5 (Dec 2007) - LINK
Topshelf Motherfucker Mixtape (Sept 2007) - LINK
Discobelle Mix (March 2007) - LINK
Guest Mix on Sinden's radioshow (KISS FM) - NO LONGER AVAILABLE
Holiday Mix-mess (December 2006) - LINK
Canadian Boys Club Tour Mix (July 2006) - LINK
ALL BOOKINGS CONTACT: [email protected]
