X Avant XX Night 2

Night 2 curated by Sanjeet Takhar (MG AD 2020-Present) celebrates passion and energy rooted in unfazed, determined DIY spirit bringing communities together.

This year is special. As we celebrate 50 years of history & 20 years of X Avant, we’ve gathered 5 curators to take over 918 Bathurst to enliven and celebrate 5 eras of precious sound. 

Sanjeet says, “Founded as a club night in Kampala, Uganda, Nyege Nyege began with a mission to create a safe, supportive space where East African DJs, musicians, and artists could take creative risks, share ideas, and build community. This foundation grew into a dynamic cultural platform that includes a festival, a professional recording studio and residency program, and two record labels—Nyege Nyege Tapes and Hakuna Kulala—dedicated to nurturing the underground music scene. With its own booking agency and relentless innovation, Nyege Nyege continues to champion a new generation of boundary-pushing creatives.

Sisso & Maiko’s Singeli—Tanzania’s breakneck dance music that layers frenetic loops with influences from Zanzibar’s taarab to South African afro-house, propelled by razor-sharp MCing that reflects the joys and struggles of urban life in Dar es Salaam. Will have you moving your body and screaming alongside your friends. 

Alongside this, Violence Gratuite will perform selections from her debut album Baleine à Boss, a suite of pulsing techno and fractured trap infused with echoes of French pop. Rooted in imagery from the forests of western Cameroon and shaped by a restless, exploratory spirit.

We are proud to partner with local critical and experimental magazine, The Vermin. The Vermin has curated our opening musical act, Krish, and the writers/artists Jessica Kasiama, Ibrahim Abusitta, and Daniel Maluka. Dedicated to the second section of The Vermin Issue 02: Against Pleasure, these artists will draw us to the sensory diversity of the tongue as a locus of speech and sound. Readers will be performing in the Gallery at 7:20, and Krish will be in the Main Hall at 8:00.

All of this was made possible with the hard work of Western Front, and is a part of a tour built by Debaser (Ottawa), Arts in the Margins (Montréal), and Send + Receive Festival (Winnipeg) and the MG.”

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