A cloud of smoke engulfs DJ Gary Franks as he stands on an elevated platform, bathed in red light. He spins records and twists knobs on his expansive set as laser lights dance off his face and black tank top.
He raises his hand, headphones hanging off one side of his head, grinning from ear to ear. And just like that, the bass drops, people scream, and it’s clear that Ceremony is in full swing.
The dance party happens on the last Saturday of each month and has been hosted at various locations across the city. Feb. 22 marked the official two-year anniversary of the event, back for the night at its inaugural location—Mugshots, the jail hostel bar.
“We didn’t want this to be just another monthly event at a known club that everyone goes to, we wanted to find a different space and do it a little differently,” Franks said. “Being able to play the music that we play, at the volume we play it at all through the night, it’s special.”
He started the event with friend and bandmate, Lidija Rozitis, who has since left Ceremony for other ventures. Adam Saikaley and Eric Roberts met Franks through other musical ventures in the city and joined the night to help host and perform.
They all said they grew up being the odd kids out—listening to electronic artists such as Daft Punk in high school, while everyone else was into punk rock.
Drawing from their musical roots, Franks said the Ceremony DJs have “cycled through a lot of different music” over the past two years.
“We’ve done everything from juke up to proper disco and a lot of minimal techno. It’s sort of evolved with us since we’re all music nuts,” he said.
The music is meant to be “hypnotic,” Franks said.
While there are some moments when the beat drops and it might sound like a typical dance club, it never feels like it. Instead, the music is supposed to hypnotize dancers into forgetting about time while they slip into a trance for the night.
Franks and the other two DJs cart their own sound system to the jail hostel, setting up a smoke machine, laser lights, and, especially for the two-year anniversary edition, a projection of non-stop soft core porn on the walls.
While Mugshots, with its dingy but cozy bar and large brick walled courtyard, is one of the favourite locations for the DJs, they have moved Ceremony around from venue to venue.
Past shows include spinning at Fall Down Gallery and Barrymore’s, but Franks said one of the best shows was at St. Brigid’s church in Lowertown. The Roman Catholic church was converted into a concert space when it changed hands in 2007.
But coming back to Ceremony’s humble beginnings is nostalgic, and he said while Mugshots is a little cramped in the winter, it’s still some of the most fun in the city.
The two-year anniversary drew a modest crowd of 100 or so people, but fellow DJ Saikaley said it was his favourite Ceremony yet.
“Tonight was honestly a blessing,” he said. “It’s amazing that the crowd keeps coming out to feel the intensity of the music. It’s humbling.”
