Chicago born, LA-based, Lee Foss drew a large and early crowd to the park for his 5 pm set. Wearing a retro zip up and short shorts, Lee immediately took us a little back into the past. Throughout his set Lee played tracks from his highly claimed release Alchemy, older releases, collaborations, and a series of fun remixes from MGMT to Destiny’s Child. His unique mix of sultry, druggy tech-house vibrations with a disco-inspired flare were welcomed by the crowd with enthusiastic dance moves.

On the smaller stage Detroit’s Nitin Kalyan, better known as just Nitin, took the stage for his 5:30 pm set. The stage area, while loose at the front, was packed quite tightly all the way to the walkway. Over the last decade or so Nitin made Toronto home so his fan base is rooted quite deeply in the Six and showed up to share the love this afternoon in high energy and Kalyan did not disappoint.

For unknown reasons Guti was unfortunately not able to perform so Toronto’s Demuir took his place. With a handful of solid collaborations behind his belt (Cassy, Carlo Lio, DJ Sneak) Demuir is also known for his “prolific DJ sets” and this evening’s set was a great example of that. Right after, the main stage welcomed UK duo Dusky to the stage at quarter to eight. The duo are very calm and collected behind the decks, not showing much emotion or movement, but the music rattled through the festival grounds with a bang.

Down the road George FitzGerald stepped up for his nearly two-hour-long set. The stage was repeatedly enveloped with thick fog (see our Instagram story) creating a surreal environment for a good half of the audience. Being completely blinded by the white cloud people were dancing with their eyes closed in psychedelic bliss, while George calmly worked his way through his playlist. The tracks from All That Must Be and Fading Love cross over well to dancefloor music while staying true to their deep, all-encompassing nature that makes you want to turn up the volume in your headphones while pounding life.

The event wrapped up on a high note when Hot Since 82 turned the party into the late-night house music party that is was craving to be. What RA called “visceral, grandstanding house music” comes to life in full color on stage. The night felt particularly dark and we all felt like guests on a live edition Pete Tong’s Essential Mixes episode, dancing, sweating, drinking cold beers, and hoping summer never ends.

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As someone whose reputation for dubstep and house singles is respectable, Fitzgerald is the man behind steamy, taunting tracks like “Thinking of You” to the sensual after-hours feel of his Child EP that is equal-parts yuppie lounge and illegal venue. Fitzgerald fits comfortably with S-Ampel to Dusky so Fading Love, his debut LP, out April 28^th on Double Six is a discreet step towards something else.

The lead single, “Full Circle,” features vocals by Boxed In frontman Oli Bayston, and it is tender with gloom in its songwriting movement. As a track about the “unfulfilled promise of stagnant relationships,” “Full Circle” is a break-up song in a record sourced from Fitzgerald’s personal life. The unchallenged mood of club beats is broken up into motifs that knit Fading Love together, and it also points to the new direction Fitzgerald takes in songwriter territory.

The album rarely lies heavy on the heart with its club motifs dispersing like a gentle mist over the song instead of catching on like a batch of tinder. There is stagnancy to this record, and the overall impression is that it does not accumulate so much as it vanishes like a pent-up sigh. “Beginning at the End” and “Shards” are expansive works that head down a certain path and arrive at their individual destinations without fanfare or much ruckus.

Clean but warm and rich, Fitzgerald creates a chain of harmonic memory that echoes the song that went before it, noticeable from the last half of “About Time” to “Full Circle.” Softly illuminating meaning and connection, Fading Love is like when the shining sun is out when the sky is raining. A nuanced palette of conflicting moods that is represented in the arresting combination of its upbeat sluggishness and its use of emotional tricks that keep Fading Love at bay. Detached in its abstract qualities, Fading Love ends on a strong note with the one-minute charmer “Frank Is Sleeping” to “The Waiting.” Radiant with the sobering truth that “I’ve been waiting too long for you,” Fitzgerald finesses a subtle pop song in “The Waiting.”

With Fading Love, Fitzgerald can be counted among Jon Hopkins, Caribou and the like.

Album release: April 28, 2015

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