Ceremony, Ottawa’s newest dance party, puts a whole new spin to ‘Jail House Rock’

On Saturday February 25th Ceremony, dubbed by organizers as a “brand-new-spanking dance party,” is starting in Ottawa. And this party promises to be off the hooks.

Heard of Timekode? Chances are that, even if you haven’t graced it with your presence, you’ve heard all about the shenanigans that occur at this Ottawa institution. Ceremony promises to be just as raging a dance party, but with a different twist. At Timekode, you get a rad mix of soul, funk and electro, but at Ceremony you’ll get more electronic, techno and bass jam.

The details? Ceremony happens once a month, features three of Ottawa’s brightest beat-makers, and is held in one of Ottawa’s most unexpected yet perfectly-fitting spaces. What’s not to love?

Ceremony will be a permanent and truly local fixture of Ottawa’s dance night scene. By that I mean that the DJs are all based in town and have already made a name for themselves in Ottawa’s music community. The permanent DJs include Adam Saikaley, Gary Franks, and Eric Roberts.

“All of these dudes are extensively involved in the Ottawa music circuit, and so it will be interesting having them playing tunes that are contextually different from what audiences are used to seeing them do,” explains Lidija Marie Rozitiz, one of the organizers (and regular Apartment613 contributor).

Saikaley is a producer at CBC, a member of the band Silkken Laumann, and has toured internationally for his solo electronic performances. Franks is in the local noise rock band Roberta Bondar and used to run electro radio program on CHUO called The Pop and Lock. Finally, Roberts regularly DJs at Timekode.

The space might actually be the most exciting aspect. It’s at the haunted jail hostel! For those of us who have wanted that space to be used for something worthy of its uniqueness, this is beyond exciting. If you have never had to search for a thrifty sleepover in the city, it’s located at 75 Nicholas Street next to Arts Court underneath McKenzie King Bridge. The party is taking place in the newly-reconstructed hostel bar, the aptly-named Mugshots.

According to Rozitiz, Ceremony will be very community based and will feature music styles that are not really played anywhere else in the city. With the exciting line-up of DJs that are widely involved in Ottawa, this is bound to draw a pretty eclectic and fun crowd of party-goers too.

The best way to get a preview is to actually get a preview. Check out Ceremony’s Soundcloud page for an awesome mix of the DJs’ tunes.

Cover is $5 and the action gets going at 10pm. Find out more on their Facebook page or check out their Tumblr.