Toronto born and raised with Estonian roots that run deep. Experimental multi genre producer, turntablist, vocalist, and instrumentalist.
Erik Laar is making his return to the stage under his own name with a brand new deeply personal project inspired by the rediscovery of his cultural roots. Digging through the stacks of dusty wax in the Estonian Canadian Museum (VEMU) archives, an encounter with fragments of the past sparked a connection for Laar. He began experimenting with new ways of interpreting the Estonian Regilaul tradition. Laar’s original pieces are built around the many hopes and deepest pains of his country's trying past. What began as a one-off live-stream performance gave way to a festival appearance and is now the foundation of his forthcoming EP (spring 2023).
Using his mesmerizing DJ/turntablist scratching/mixing techniques as a catalyst for his musical expression sets apart Laar's studio production and live shows. Drum machines, turntables, vinyl, keyboards, laptops, glockenspiel and live vocals are the components of any given creation. The continuous goal: to create a symbiotic balance between electronic and acoustic, digital and natural. Big, bad beats with a soft side.
Laar is no stranger to the stage and the studio. In the past he has released music under several monikers including Circles & Squares (2013), has released 2 studio albums Fragmental (2006) and Scatterpopia (2008) as one half of widely acclaimed turntable band iNSiDEaMiND and has performed countless events and clubs as DJ Steptone.
Laar’s storied performance past includes live film scores for TIFF Lightbox, touring as part of Evergreen Gamelan Orchestra in Canada, performing at renowned LA beat weekly Low End Theory, opening or collaborating with Kid Koala, Daedalus, RJD2, Shan Vincent De Paul, Milk & Bone, and playing at various concert halls and museums around Canada & the US. Laar is passing on his passion to the next generation as owner, director, and instructor at Off Centre DJ School in Toronto.
Erik Laar is making his return to the stage under his own name with a brand new deeply personal project inspired by the rediscovery of his cultural roots. Digging through the stacks of dusty wax in the Estonian Canadian Museum (VEMU) archives, an encounter with fragments of the past sparked a connection for Laar. He began experimenting with new ways of interpreting the Estonian Regilaul tradition. Laar’s original pieces are built around the many hopes and deepest pains of his country's trying past. What began as a one-off live-stream performance gave way to a festival appearance and is now the foundation of his forthcoming EP (spring 2023).
Using his mesmerizing DJ/turntablist scratching/mixing techniques as a catalyst for his musical expression sets apart Laar's studio production and live shows. Drum machines, turntables, vinyl, keyboards, laptops, glockenspiel and live vocals are the components of any given creation. The continuous goal: to create a symbiotic balance between electronic and acoustic, digital and natural. Big, bad beats with a soft side.
Laar is no stranger to the stage and the studio. In the past he has released music under several monikers including Circles & Squares (2013), has released 2 studio albums Fragmental (2006) and Scatterpopia (2008) as one half of widely acclaimed turntable band iNSiDEaMiND and has performed countless events and clubs as DJ Steptone.
Laar’s storied performance past includes live film scores for TIFF Lightbox, touring as part of Evergreen Gamelan Orchestra in Canada, performing at renowned LA beat weekly Low End Theory, opening or collaborating with Kid Koala, Daedalus, RJD2, Shan Vincent De Paul, Milk & Bone, and playing at various concert halls and museums around Canada & the US. Laar is passing on his passion to the next generation as owner, director, and instructor at Off Centre DJ School in Toronto.
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BLOK-DOWN Online Concert/Interview Series
LIVE VIDEO MONTAGE [MUSIC FROM FORTHCOMING 2023 EP]
LIVE FROM VEMU ARCHIVES
SOME PAST SHOW HIGHLIGHTS
Fundraiser Concert for Ukraine @ El Mocambo // Toronto, CA w/ Balaklava Blues, Daria Kolomiec, Eugene Paul
Fundraiser Concert for Ukraine @ Lighthouse Immersive // Toronto, CA w/ Balaklava Blues, DJ Buncha
EMW Festival @ El Mocambo // Toronto, CA
"Turntable Workshop & Performance" @ Array Music // Toronto, CA
"Ambient Ping" @ The Handlebar // Toronto, CA
Youtube Music Showcase (DJ Set) @ Rebel Nightclub // Toronto, CA
Google Play Junos Music Party - w/ Milk & Bone, Kardinall Offishall, Matthew Good, Young Empires // Calgary, CA
Chamberfest - with the Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan // Ottawa, CA
TIFF Bell Light Box - Live score for classic Buster Keaton film Sherlock Jr. // Toronto, CA
Metro Toronto Convention Centre - Fan Expo // Toronto, CA
Royal Ontario Museum // Toronto, CA
Nuit Blanche // Toronto, CA
Nuit Blanche North // Huntsville, CA
World Wide Short Film Festival // Toronto, CA
Low End Theory w/ D-Styles, Daddy Kev, Dj Nobody & No Luck Club // Los Angeles, US
Wrongbar - w/ Daedelus, Magnolius // Toronto,CA
Contact FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Beats Breaks and Culture Festival // Toronto, CA
The Ambient Ping // Toronto, CA
San Francisco Asian American Film FESTIVAL w/ No Luck Club // San Francisco, US
The Opera House // Toronto, CA
The Horseshoe Tavern - w/ Rjd2 & Blueprint // Toronto, CA
Casa Del Popolo // Montreal, CA
Toronto Fringe Festival // Toronto, CA
Kung Fu Fridays at the Review Cinema // Toronto, CA
Harbourfront Centre // Toronto, CA
Thieves Boutique, live in store, Toronto, CA
Centre Island - Wake Fest // Toronto, CA
The Trane Studio w/ John Kameel Farah // Toronto, CA
Wavelength Music Series w/ Cadence Weapon, Toronto, CA
Red Mercury Lounge w/ D-Sisive // Ottawa, CA
Le Cagibi // Montreal, CA
Art Gallery of Mississauga // Mississauga, CA
Maxwell's Music House // Waterloo, CA
Lee's Palace - iNSiDEaMiND album release party w/ LAL, Peter Project & Laura Barrett // Toronto, CA
Harvesting the FAM Festival // Windsor, CA
MANIFEST.O Festival // Toronto, CA
Boiler House - w/ Kid Koala // Toronto, CA
VANS WARPED TOUR // Barrie, CA
Pitter Patter Music FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Leftover Daylight // Toronto, CA
Gladstone Hotel / YAMAHA Tenori launch | Toronto, CA
Phog Lounge // Windsor, CA
NXNE MUSIC FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
The Pepper Jack Cafe // Hamilton, CA
Deep Wireless FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Centre St-Ambroise // Montreal, CA
Rose Theatre - Brampton Indie Arts FESTIVAL // Brampton, CA
The Artel // Kingston, CA
Metro Centre | w/ More or Les | Toronto, CA
Tranzac Club // Toronto, CA
Small World FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Smijie's // Kingston, CA
Soukmachines FESTIVAL // Montreal, CA
Dundas Square - Styles in Progress Festival // Toronto, CA
The Scherzo (Closing Night) // Kingston, CA
Fundraiser Concert for Ukraine @ Lighthouse Immersive // Toronto, CA w/ Balaklava Blues, DJ Buncha
EMW Festival @ El Mocambo // Toronto, CA
"Turntable Workshop & Performance" @ Array Music // Toronto, CA
"Ambient Ping" @ The Handlebar // Toronto, CA
Youtube Music Showcase (DJ Set) @ Rebel Nightclub // Toronto, CA
Google Play Junos Music Party - w/ Milk & Bone, Kardinall Offishall, Matthew Good, Young Empires // Calgary, CA
Chamberfest - with the Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan // Ottawa, CA
TIFF Bell Light Box - Live score for classic Buster Keaton film Sherlock Jr. // Toronto, CA
Metro Toronto Convention Centre - Fan Expo // Toronto, CA
Royal Ontario Museum // Toronto, CA
Nuit Blanche // Toronto, CA
Nuit Blanche North // Huntsville, CA
World Wide Short Film Festival // Toronto, CA
Low End Theory w/ D-Styles, Daddy Kev, Dj Nobody & No Luck Club // Los Angeles, US
Wrongbar - w/ Daedelus, Magnolius // Toronto,CA
Contact FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Beats Breaks and Culture Festival // Toronto, CA
The Ambient Ping // Toronto, CA
San Francisco Asian American Film FESTIVAL w/ No Luck Club // San Francisco, US
The Opera House // Toronto, CA
The Horseshoe Tavern - w/ Rjd2 & Blueprint // Toronto, CA
Casa Del Popolo // Montreal, CA
Toronto Fringe Festival // Toronto, CA
Kung Fu Fridays at the Review Cinema // Toronto, CA
Harbourfront Centre // Toronto, CA
Thieves Boutique, live in store, Toronto, CA
Centre Island - Wake Fest // Toronto, CA
The Trane Studio w/ John Kameel Farah // Toronto, CA
Wavelength Music Series w/ Cadence Weapon, Toronto, CA
Red Mercury Lounge w/ D-Sisive // Ottawa, CA
Le Cagibi // Montreal, CA
Art Gallery of Mississauga // Mississauga, CA
Maxwell's Music House // Waterloo, CA
Lee's Palace - iNSiDEaMiND album release party w/ LAL, Peter Project & Laura Barrett // Toronto, CA
Harvesting the FAM Festival // Windsor, CA
MANIFEST.O Festival // Toronto, CA
Boiler House - w/ Kid Koala // Toronto, CA
VANS WARPED TOUR // Barrie, CA
Pitter Patter Music FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Leftover Daylight // Toronto, CA
Gladstone Hotel / YAMAHA Tenori launch | Toronto, CA
Phog Lounge // Windsor, CA
NXNE MUSIC FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
The Pepper Jack Cafe // Hamilton, CA
Deep Wireless FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Centre St-Ambroise // Montreal, CA
Rose Theatre - Brampton Indie Arts FESTIVAL // Brampton, CA
The Artel // Kingston, CA
Metro Centre | w/ More or Les | Toronto, CA
Tranzac Club // Toronto, CA
Small World FESTIVAL // Toronto, CA
Smijie's // Kingston, CA
Soukmachines FESTIVAL // Montreal, CA
Dundas Square - Styles in Progress Festival // Toronto, CA
The Scherzo (Closing Night) // Kingston, CA