No fun Toronto turfs Foundry from dream venue

Electronic fans in Toronto are gearing up for Foundry, a month long concert series entering its second year as a powerful new force bringing international and local producers and DJs such as Four Tet, DJ Harvey, Shed, Purity Ring, Gingy, and Kevin McPhee together for high energy, art-first dance parties.

The promoters hit a snag yesterday, and the city of Toronto is to blame -- yes, the same city championing us as a "music city" on the same scale as Austin, where SXSW is taking place right now. The entire series will be forced to move from the historic Tower Automotive Building (recently used for the Promise Heart Party) to 99 Sudbury -- still a worthy venue, but at best a serious inconvenience to both promoters and ticket holders.

While Foundry has been working with City authorities and received "repeated reassurances" that the permits would go through, a zoning technicality stood in the way at the final minute (even after the promoters took a chainsaw to the building to make extra exits). Foundry's statement on the venue change reads in part: "We hope that one day in the near future, we will be allowed to take greater creative risks in a city that we love so much."

Foundry promises the concept and spirit of the will remain the same at 99 Sudbury, where their connected project Visions has hosted events in the past. The show will go on, but city officials should be taking note of what's happened here -- Foundry is pulling international attention toward Toronto's music scene, and this doesn't make us look like we have our act together.

Read our preview of Foundry's month long series, which begins this weekend with Four Tet on Friday night at 99 Sudbury, here.

Photo at 99 Sudbury by Javin Lau