The Quartertones / Oddities

Not only did tonight act as a showcase for one of Canada's premier live hip-hop bands, it was also the hard-working Oddities' welcome home party. With friends and family at hand, the crew returned to their base after a national tour and showed that the travel hasn't worn them down. The crew sounds good on wax, but it's when they're rocking mics live that the Oddities really shine, using their energetic skills to heighten their flows and production to a more intense level. Circle Research also managed to step up from behind the decks to drop an Oddities-assisted gem. Closing their set with their self-titled theme song, the Oddities left the audience with another verbal victory under their belts. The atmosphere switched up from mics to instruments as the Quartertones gathered on stage with tools in hand, delving into a set of organic, hypnotic rhythms. Sometimes similar to the live remixes of Breakestra, this Toronto ensemble takes classic break beats and layers their own instrumentation on top to create a pleasing funk spectrum. With Planet Pea manning the MPC and DJ Serious operating correctly on the decks, these producers dropped slick percussion for Kori Ayukana to lay down heavy bass lines and Tai Ara to deliver guitar chops over, but it was the voice that capped off the formation. Katherine Bates adds a sultry presence to the Quartertones sound, lending her gorgeous vocals to the already daze-inducing beats. It would really be amazing to see this band increase in numbers and deliver these sounds on an even broader scale, because this crew may be on the verge of something large.