Obuxum is one of Toronto’s most exciting artists. Her beat-driven compositions advance J Dilla’s intricate yet neck-snapping sample collages by drawing on very different ingredients. Her music exemplifies a contemporary but timeless Toronto sound. Tonight she flexes her curatorial muscles for the first time in presenting three emerging female artists who relate to her worldview.

“This showcase for me is specifically focused on women of colour that are making ground-breaking music in ways that I think is almost revolutionary” she says. “To me, all their music has the perfect texture, blends, and tones that I think is progressive and healing all at once. I wanted to curate a showcase that will rejuvenate anyone that comes through to bear witness to their magic. The show is the perfect mash-up between electronic, futurism and progressive music.”

VHVL is the recording alias of Harlem-based beatmaker Veronica Lauren. Her tracks burst with bright, chiming melodies, and her heavily thumping beats ensure that her brand of instrumental hip-hop is atmospheric but not lightweight. She debuted in 2013 with a self-released digital album titled Myrrh. Her 15-minute track “Fvrfew” took up the entire B-side of Seat of the Soul, a split cassette with Ras G released by Leaving Records in 2014. While working on her next release, Lauren suffered from a spine injury, and was bedridden or wheelchair-bound for much of 2015 and 2016. After regaining the ability to walk in June, Leaving Records released her EVN EP in August of 2016.

YourHomieNaomi is a new Toronto based Ethiopian-Canadian singer and songwriter. She comes forth with catchy melodies, but with roots in the art of spoken word, her songwriting is heavily lyric-focused. Using groovy alternative-R&B to convey stories that challenge society’s narrative of women and love, YourHomieNaomi writes songs about finding strength through vulnerability.