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What is JSTDRMN?

☁️ Our Mission: Foster Toronto Talent from Local Spaces to Global Stages

We help aspiring artists & creatives...

🤝

Connect with Like-Minded Creatives

Through our SyncedIns and Dreamer Community

🧠

Improve Artist Skills & Knowledge

Through our Bootcamps and SyncedIn Speakers

🥰

Build a Local Fan Base

Through our Showcases, Open Decks, and JSTDRMN Sessions

We Are Toronto's Electronic Music Artist Incubator

The JSTDRMN Community (pronounced "Just Dreamin'") brings together 300+ aspiring dance music producers, DJs, and vocalists from all across Toronto, spanning genres such as House, Techno, Drum & Bass, Dubstep, Trap, and more! 

Along with pushing forward musical boundaries, we also features a vibrant space for multimedia creatives, including photographers, videographers, visual artists, and VJs. We Organize: 

  • 🎉 Showcases: This is your chance to shine! Perform on state of the art production systems for hundreds of potential fans, get discovered by industry professionals, and relive it all over again through JSTDRMN Sessions! 🚀 The showcases also serve as a graduation ceremony for students in our DJ Bootcamp. 
  • 🔂 SyncedIns: These are our monthly hangouts for creatives featuring renowned industry speakers across Toronto's music ecosystem. The events are open-format convention style, featuring open decks on CDJ-3000s, Inspirational Speakers, Production Studios, Content Creation, and many more! Come meet future collaborators and walk away full of inspiration! ✨
  • 🧠 Bootcamps: For those starting off their artist journeys, we package all of the learning into short 5-week long bootcamps with practical projects/performances to tie up the experience! Our bootcamps are focused around DJing, Production, Branding and Business. 
  • 💿 Releases: Once we've helped you debut on stage, we'll encourage you to produce your own music, with options to release them through the JSTDRMN Label! Your music can be played by 100+ community members, propelling you towards global recognition! Releasing through the label is the graduation project for students in our Production Bootcamp. 
     
Check out our community here! 

Our Story

😷 Pandemic Days (2020-2022): JSTDRMN formed in 2020 (during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns) as a group chat of DJs experimenting with live streaming. We hosted multiple streams and collected $2800+ for various social causes, including Stella's Place for improving Toronto youth mental health. In 2022, pandemic lockdowns were lifted, setting the stage for our inaugural in-person event in October (Masquerave) which sold out to 177 attendees. 

👶 Early Growth (2023): Performance opportunities for aspiring artists in Toronto were limited, and we believe that anyone with a dream can and should be enabled to pursue them. We hosted 7 live shows, featuring 30 local artists on our lineups. We realized that there were many structural issues to starting an artist career, and launched SyncedIn and Open Decks to provide a safe space for Dreamers to meet like-minded artists, learn, and experiment. We also started uploading these sets to our YouTube under the series JSTDRMN Sessions. Our artists started gaining industry-wide exposure, and received paid opening opportunities for major international acts - you can check out some of their releases on our shared Spotify playlist! 

🚀 JSTDRMN Platform (2024): Imagine a rocket launch - our Dreamers are the rockets, and JSTDRMN is the platform to support their launch. Out of the 40 artists that we supported in 2024, 58% of them debuted on a stage for the first time! We engaged in multiple local business partnerships in Toronto to further enhance our artist journeys - collaborating with Chatime, Waterfront Night Market, Sleepless Studios, Forbidden City, and fundraising for the Barbra Schlifer Memorial Clinic with our International Women's Day Event, Empowoment. We debuted our Lunar New Year showcase, featuring two stages, 22 performances, lion dancers, and a variety of cultural activities, ultimately gathering 790 attendees. Recognizing that WhatsApp was insufficient for community growth, we undertook a massive migration to Discord to better service our Dreamers. To help aspiring artists get started even easier, we created our first DJ Bootcamp and debuted 4 students at our Halloween show - The Reckoning.

➡️ Our Plans for 2025: Monthly SyncedIns, Quarterly Bootcamps and Showcases, Open Decks to fill in the gaps in performance.  If you're interested in joining a community of 180+ passionate creatives, apply here. If you're interested in collaborating with us, send us an email at hello@jstdrmn.com. See here for open roles. 

Let's redefine Toronto's dance music landscape together! 💪

The Dream Team

This is the team that makes everything possible! Sometimes we have open roles, or you can let us know what you think we need here! 

Crew Leads

These are the folks who are on the ground every day, making sure that JSTDRMN runs successfully!

Leo (ZHUKEEPER)

🧑🏼‍🚀 Executive Producer

Leo combines 10 years of experience as a violinist with 8 years of DJing to push the boundaries of live performances as ZhuKeeper. He has experience leading product management in various industries, including E-commerce AI, Real Estate, and EdTech, and has spearheaded countless initiatives!

Fabio (KUROTEK)

🧑🏼‍🚀 Managing Producer

Fabio is a Toronto-based DJ and producer recognized for his deep grooves in the techno and house scene. With a passion for music and meticulous attention to detail, he delivers unforgettable audio-visual experiences as KUROTEK. Beyond the studio, he brings his expertise as a tenured finance and compliance professional in the investment industry to his role as the Managing Producer at JSTDRMN, where he ensures the delivery of large showcase productions.

 

Theo Do Forro

☁️ Community Lead

Théo is a professional Photo/Video Creator who thrives to create moments through both media
and real life experiences. Théo creates meaningful connections through relationships and or creative collaborations. With a deep love of storytelling and thirst to understand the people
around him, he is able to take anyone’s life story and weave it into a spectacle.

Sydney (Squidney)

🎉 Showcase Lead

Sydney is a creative individual passionate about transforming ideas into unforgettable experiences. Her journey into the creative industry began at TMU, where she developed a strong foundation in the business. With a deep-rooted love for music and media production, Sydney brings a unique perspective to content creation and event planning, blending her love for music with her media expertise.

Sean (Sean Savage)

📚 Learning Lead

Sean Savage brings 20+ years of experience in music production, remixing and ghost production for many top tier electronic acts driven by his love of music and passion for creation.

As a former Recording Arts Professor, Sean enjoys sharing his knowledge with those who are in the early stages of their musical journey. Always paying it forward. His passion for music production evolved into Deep House, Tech House, Techno, Liquid Drum and Bass, UK Garage and Trip Hop.

His DJ sets are characterised by long emotional journeys and seamless mixing.

He is currently a syndicated Radio Presenter and an in demand Mixing and Mastering Engineer.

Omar (Mazzy)

💿 Label Lead

Mazzy, a Toronto-based DJ and producer, seamlessly blends his deep house roots into all his productions. With a passion for electronic music that runs deep, Mazzy has made a name for himself in the underground scene. His tracks have been featured on Boosted Music, showcasing his talent and unique sound to a global audience. Supported by fellow DJs in Toronto, Mazzy continues to captivate listeners with his infectious beats and innovative productions, solidifying his place in the electronic music community.

Crew Members

These are the folks working with the crews to get shit done!

Charles (CIEL)

👀 Special Projects

Charles is a Toronto-based bass music producer/DJ. With a passion for high energy music, he aims to help cultivate a vibrant creative scene within his community and to become a household name for Asians in the bass music scene.

 

Eunice (Eunicecycle)

📱 Content Specialist

Eunice (also known as eunicecycle) is a Toronto-based content creator, singer, and DJ with a passion for storytelling. She spins an electrifying mix of K-pop, house, and DnB, connecting deeply with her audience through music and content.

Her journey began with three loves: music, bubble tea, and social media. From creating buzz around new flavors to launching viral social trends, Eunice has collaborated with renowned international and national brands such as Chatime, Miniso, Temu, Kayak, Tantan, Sensodyne, and Lay’s

Jo

⚙️ Ops Specialist

Kevin (NPC Groove)

🎨 Design Specialist

Yufu (Yuzu)

🧠 Learning Coordinator

Andrew (Mancan)

💜 Community Coordinator

Angela

🌱 Intern

Sena

🌱 Intern

Venecia

🌱 Intern

Advisors

These are the industry masterminds who are helping us redefine Toronto's musical landscape!

Alan (STRANJAH)

Advisor

STRANJAH, a prominent figure in North American drum and bass, has influenced the genre for over two decades with releases on labels like Metalheadz and Hospital Records, and his distinctive sound combines expressive bass, 90s synths, and syncopated drums. He also supports emerging artists through his YouTube channel and label Deviant Audio, fostering innovation in electronic music.

Tina

Advisor

Digital marketing leader with 10+ years of experience. Enabled high business impact consumer journey orchestration and tool capabilities for platform personalization, experimentation and channel optimization for digital banking and retail industries. Recognized as a creative problem solver, results driven leader and collaborative team mentor leveraging Agile methodologies. Committed to obsessing and delivering exceptional digital experiences by turning gaps into opportunities using data to influence and drive business impact in highly matrixed environments.

Currently, pushing the boundaries of Nike's marketing & data ecosystem to deliver digital experiences that provide real value for consumers with ever-changing needs.

 

Simon (Garrison Hill)

Advisor

Simon is a diehard electronic music enthusiast with over 10 years of multi-disciplinary professional experience in the music industries working in consulting, record labels, events, audio engineering, music production, A/V tech, and adjudicating for organizations such as the JUNOS, ECMAs, MusicNL, MusicPEI, and FACTOR. While completing his Masters Degree in Popular Music & Culture in 2021, Simon began working at Monstercat and currently holds the title of Digital Rights Manager. In this role Simon works cross-functionally and with external stakeholders to ensure the accurate collection and distribution of royalties, maintenance of release metadata, and publishing administration.

 

Past Contributors

We wouldn’t be where we are without the hard work of those who came before us - thank you to all our past contributors!

Aaron (DJ Malig)

Cofounder

Aaron Malig, better known by his stage name DJ Malig, is a Canadian DJ and music producer based in Toronto, Ontario.  He blends infectious beats and pulsating rhythms to create unforgettable experiences on the dance floor. With a unique ability to captivate audiences worldwide, DJ Malig continues to push the boundaries of electronic music.

Jeremy (Jaire)

Cofounder

Jeremy has played various instruments in his youth. He dabbled for fun in guitar and singing but he knew music production and DJing was calling. Jeremy’s experience spans over finance, e-commerce, sales, SaaS solutions as well as marketing.

Heather (HEATER)

Rafael (LERION)

Based in Toronto, Canada, Lerion is a talented dubstep artist hailing from New Zealand and raised in Sydney, Australia. Born Rafael Lerion, he started playing guitar at a young age with the guidance of his musician father. Growing up immersed in metal and rock, Lerion went on to play in various bands before eventually discovering his passion for electronic music production. He began experimenting with Kpop beats before diving into the dubstep scene and finding his unique sound.

 

Dennis (TRVN/KUROTEK)

Dennis is a Toronto-based house and trance DJ/Producer. Known for his creative mixing and euphoric melodies, he takes listeners on an emotional journey like no other. Off the decks, he is a pharmacist by day who strives to keep everyone safe on and off the dancefloor. 

 

Ali (Ari Grey)

Ari Grey is a rising star in the world of dance music, renowned for his contemporary spin on progressive house music. His tracks are characterized by pulsating beats, uplifting melodies imbued with euphoria, and an alluring blend of hooks that keep listeners hooked. In live shows, Ari Grey is known to electrify the audience with his captivating performance style and natural talent for energizing the crowd.

Ryan (Ryan Mirage)

Ryan Mirage is a Toronto-based DJ known for his dynamic tech house sets, seamlessly blending elements of bass house, deep house, and more. With a keen ear for energy and groove, he delivers sets that keep the dance floor moving. Whether it’s a high-energy club night or an intimate underground event, Ryan Mirage brings a sound that’s fresh, versatile, and always engaging.
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