The Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) finished its Toronto semester last week. Held annually in different cities worldwide, the festival-style series of workshops, lectures, recording sessions, tutorials and gigs brings together the DJs, producers and musicians from dozens of countries. From a pool of some 2,250 applicants, Toronto's Class of '07 comprised 60 artists over a pair of two-week terms, plus in-house technical advisors (flown in as well as locally picked), visual artists and Red Bull Canada organizers, including Lubor Keliar, who navigates the studios and lounges smoothly: "It's kind of like a camp," he chuckles. Participants take in hours of daily lectures from guests and faculty insiders, alongside club showcases, gallery events and recording sessions (and not quite enough of the latter, notes up-and-comer Japanese minimal tech producer Akiko Kiyama). Among the final lecturers of the Toronto 2007 academy (it's Canada's first time hosting) was Tony Allen, Fela Kuti's drummer and pioneer of the singular Afrobeat shuffle on the drum kit, which he demonstrated following a longer interview-style lecture (Youtubed after the jump).

Moderated by South African-raised, Toronto-based hip-hop producer Shaheen Ariefdien whose thoughtful questions guided the corduroy-and-leather-clad Allen, the two-hour talk consisted of colourful stories interspersed with tracks from Allen's catalogue, from the early days with Fela's Koola Lobitos -- the highlife-jazz fusion that would become Afrobeat as the legendary Afrika 70 -- to Allen's later creation of his own fusion genre, Afrofunk (borrowing from electronica, R&B, rap and dub), which he's explored in collaborations including Blur's Damon Albarn and U.K. producer Simon Tong.

Talib Kweli may get labeled as a conscious hip-hop artist enough that his next album will be titled "Prisoner of Conscious", but Thursday night at the Phoenix the Brooklyn-based MC did his thing freely, sprinkling in the odd Black Star nuggets among tracks from his latest disc, the tour-de-force Eardrum.

Mr. Scruff's "Get a Move On" video (used in several ad spots in the U.K.)


Once more, the long weekend hits and not everyone can make it out to cottage country. Whether you're home with time to spare this weekend by choice or not, the stalwart folks behind the long-running and popular milk. and Footprints events series are teaming up to bring back everyone's favourite Manchester-bound, nutbar-in-a-good-way, remix-lovin' DJ and artist Mr. Scruff (both of whose media -- music and animation -- are above in the video).

Heads-up for any Thursday night revelers looking for fun on the cheap: Up From The Roots, a CIUT 20th anniversary celebration, hits Lula Lounge tonight with performances from global groove producer eccodek, Trini-meets-Jamaica calypso-reggae musical activists Kobo Town and Afro-Brazilian drum ensemble Maracatu Nunca Antes (who are cutting a new album) along with CIUT DJs David Dacks and Medicine Man.

The event is free. Doors open at 8pm.

Read David Dacks' CIUT recollections after the jump.

"I don't get up at this time of the morning often," announced Blue Rodeo co-frontman Jim Cuddy at around 3:30am, during his band's headlining set at Lee's Palace Thursday night. "But I love this time of the morning."

The appreciative crowd, which remained engaged from the kickoff of the showcase (recorded by BBC Radio Two as part of their NXNE coverage), didn't lose focus. Though the bar had closed, everyone remained drenched in the lazy, beery glow of sweet guitar reverbs from the night's acts -- many of Ontario's finest roots, bluesy indie alt-country and rock-pop acts -- Oh Susanna, Kathleen Edwards, Jim Bryson, Justin Rutledge, Ron Sexsmith and hubby and wife Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland. It was an audience more than content to soak up the soothing lap-pedal steel-string (slide) guitars, standup bass, 12-string electric mandolin, harmonicas and Hammond organ that added warm, crackly notes to the respective sets through the night.

Karsh Kale performs with Realize (source)

Staying in town for the long weekend? Have a yen for some fine nightlife, do you? Right then. [UPDATED] Choice functions worth hitting up include:

Friday night:

-MC Abdominal's much-anticipated CD release at Supermarket. The highlight of the "big potential for all kinds of freestyle antics"of which DB scribbles may well be the powerful alfaia of Aline Morales, artistic director of Maracatu Nunca Antes and all-around show-stopping performer with them and in a number of other projects as well. Watch for more from her, and others in or linked to the Nunca Antes family, in the coming months.

- Brooklyn-based star producer, composer and DJ of Indo-electronic fusion Karsh Kale plays a special (and rare) Toronto show along with Gurpreet "The Tabla Guy" Chana's live collaboration with DJ Medicineman, and Bhangra and Bollywood from Besharam promoter and DJ Amita. All this takes place at Dragonfly on West Queen West for the Fifth Annual South Asian Music Festival, presented by Small World Music.

(Oh, there's more after this here jump. Click away, I dare ya.)