By Erin Holdbeck. Senior Editor. Toronto was given a taste of LA this past Friday as DJ Dodger Stadium took the stage at The Hoxton.  The duo, consisting of Body High label founders Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy, have spent the last few months touring while releasing tracks from their upcoming album, which is to be released in January.  Each release has stayed true to the duo’s unique blend of house and techno, a sound that has become a staple of the Body High label.  The artful music videos paired with each single have become another distinctive trait of the duo making DJDS one of the most exciting and game-changing acts in house music.

I’ll start by mentioning that this event was moved last minute from The Garrison, where DJDS was headlining, to The Hoxton where they were billed as the openers for Lido.  The switch resulted in DJDS opening for an audience who were only there for Lido, were there for an entirely different sound and essentially had no idea what was going on.

I stood close to front and center for the entire performance in pure bliss while trying to ignore the confusion and disrespect coming from the crowd.  The duo delivered one of the best sets I’ve ever seen in Toronto playing a mix of their new album such as “In the Flames,” fan favourites including “Love Songs” and a handful of classic Body High edits.  While their energy was contagious throughout their set you could tell they were just as frustrated with the crowd situation as I was.

While Samo offered a brief introduction Jerome LOL managed to barely look up from the mixer once.  At least this saved him from witnessing the dance circle debacle that erupted during “You Don’t Have to be Alone,” which otherwise served as a perfect finale.

Toronto crowds tend to think of themselves as some of the most welcoming and receptive audiences in dance music.  However, with the amount of shoving, phone cameras in DJ’s faces and now front and center dance circles on the rise I am losing faith in the community I used to love.

Despite giving an incredible performance Toronto did not give DJDS the respect they deserved.  I hope this experience doesn’t prevent the Body High crew from returning to the city in the future.  For anyone who wants to check out what they missed check out the video for their latest single “Stand Up and Speak” below.