Article by Adam Harding

Lawnya Vawnya is a local music festival that you may or may not be acquainted with since they launched in 2010.

If you live in the St. John’s area, and you enjoy being exposed to new, upcoming, and relevant music, this festival should definitely be of interest to you. You can blame them for bringing some of the most intriguing and off-beat artists to perform in our province over the last few years; Deltron 3030 member Kid Koala, Canadian hardcore heroes- F*cked Up, and the avant-garde emcee Cadence Weapon, to name a few.

The festival also uses unconventional spaces to host local favourites. A sold out bluegrass brunch at Mallard Cottage last holiday season, and acoustic performances at the obscure “Inne of Olde” in Quidi Vidi are honourable mentions.

This year the artistic directors have decided to delve into a realm they haven’t quite explored yet. Given the forward-thinking nature of the festival, and the obvious desire for party patrons to dance and be merry, Lawnya Vawnya is collaborating with party promoters Yung Dumb to curate “Lawnya Vawnya Electronica” on April 24th at Velvet Club & Lounge.

This will be an effort to stray away from your standard club night. Yung Dumb is a brand that has been cited for introducing a more welcoming vibe to your average St. John’s dance floor, focusing more on underground beats, and dismissing the top 40s radio sound that you hear in most George Street dance clubs. And people who are familiar with Lawnya Vawnya definitely trust them to introduce quality artists to the music heads in our city, on a local and international scale. Bringing something a little different to the table is the motive with these two teams, and with that in mind, this collaboration should definitely do just that.

The confirmed headliner is techno producer Gingy, a staple in Toronto’s cosmopolitan grooving pot. From regularly releasing sinister techno bangers on Tiga’s legendary Montreal imprint Turbo Recordings, being featured on Toronto’s first Boiler Room episode, an infamous web series, to sharing a stage with the likes of Four Tet, Jamie xx, MSTRKRFT, Deadmau5, and Juan Atkins (the godfather of Detroit techno) to name a few, you can expect fluctuating tempos, throbbing rhythms, and most of all, an interesting set of songs that will surely push the boundaries of what you’d expect from a DJ. His last EP RAPT was released on Amsterdam label Clone Royal Oak, and hit the shelves in record stores from London to Berlin late last year.

Potemtole (Adam Martin of Hear/Say), Slim Macho, Bangtek, and Denver Drake are some of the local tastemakers that will be warming the night up. Oh yeah, and they’ll be giving out popsicles to help cool you down a little.