Wavelength Winter Festival Celebrates Global Indie Artists in its 25th Year

Wavelength Music—a Toronto non-profit that focuses on promoting the work of under-recognized artists and musicians—recently hosted its annual Winter Festival, celebrating 25 years of supporting independent artists. Held from February 27th to March 1st the festival featured over a dozen artists from Canada and abroad.

From the beginning of the night the strong sense of community and appreciation was immediately palpable, and you recognize that you’re in a welcoming and accepting space.

The venue—which has been Wavelength’s home base for many years now—featured two rooms, a large main room on the first floor with a prominent stage typical of a traditional concert hall, and a basement that felt like more of an underground club scene. Attendees shuffled back and forth between floors between each act, which kept the momentum up as there was always someone on stage to watch.

The evening started with the ethereal vocals of Montreal-based Swedish composer, Erika Angell. A prolific producer and writer, Angell has released 16 albums and been featured on countless tracks by other artists. Her unique, trance-like vocals and beats set the stage for a fun evening of music.

After her set, the crowd headed downstairs to experience Toronto artist Jane Inc.’s signature funk, pop synth sound. She revved up the vibe with a set that took the audience through highs and lows, with a mix of mellow and upbeat danceable tunes. This was the first time I had heard of Jane Inc. but immediately looked her up on Spotify after the show and I suggest you do as well!

Third in the night’s lineup was the Montreal-based shoegaze band, Bodywash. A five-piece group with synths, guitars, keys and drums, they treated everyone to a bunch of fun synth-pop tunes before announcing that they were working on a rock album and played a few of their new harder-hitting songs, to the thrill of the crowd.

Then it was back downstairs to hear the ambient vocals and swift beats of UK-based, British Hong Kong artist, Mui Zyu, whose atmospheric and pulsating set was mesmerizing. Her voice, soft and pretty, fit perfectly with the galactic sounds of her guitar and synth. One of my favourite experiences of her set was when she sang a song in Cantonese, paying homage to her heritage and proving that great music spans across cultures and dialects.

Capping off the evening was Canadian multi-instrumentalist and composer, Owen Pallett. A musical genius in his own right, Pallett played a 90-minute set of his signature style, using a looping machine to layer the rhythmic plucks and singing strings of his violin overtop of a catchy guitar melody and soft vocals. You could tell he was the main reason everyone was there, and it was exciting to watch him use his musical ingenuity to create right in front of us.

Pairing art and music, each downstairs performance was accompanied by kaleidoscopic visuals and light projections by artist Anthony Piazza and General Chaos Visuals upstairs. A supernova of colour and shapes, they punctuated the music perfectly and provided a visual stimulus that complemented each act.

I’m disappointed to admit that this was my first time attending a Wavelength event, but it won’t be my last. With festivals and concerts happening year-round, it’s great that there’s an organization dedicated to showcasing the work of today’s more obscure artists, proving that there is a thriving underground music scene that is worthy of recognition and celebration.

Cover image by Green Yang