DJ OF THE WEEK 11.21.11: ART DEPARTMENT

Very few things are born from the work of one sole individual; from the smallest to the greatest creations, the end product is usually born from the collective contributions of various individuals. It’s not that the proverbial mad scientist slaving away in his lab until his fantastical creation comes to life is not possible, it is, our generation has Steve Jobs, but this is a rarity and usually even then not quite the whole story, even Steve Jobs had a team – many of his ideas where the amalgamation of his teams efforts. So why the prolonged discourse? Because this weeks DJ of The Week selection, Art Department is proof of this concept.

Individually, Kenny Glasgow and Jonny White were prolific and relatively successful artists in their own right. Glasgow was a well known Toronto House and Techno DJ and producer with over 20 years in the game. White was living the dream going from promoter to successful DJ to record label owner. The two had been friends for years, but had never worked together until 2009, when Glasgow was working on his album ‘Taste For The Low Life’ to be released on White’s No.19 record label. What began as the two occasionally exchanging ideas led to the two collaborating more and more. It wasn’t until their official collaboration on a remix to Riz MC’s ‘Don’t Sleep’ that they realized just how well they worked together and decided to take it to the next level. Art Department was born.

Their first single ‘Without You’ was named top single of 2010 by Resident Advisor. The track was included in their album ‘The Drawing Board, released just this year, and includes even more noteworthy hits such as ‘Vampire Nightclub’ and ‘Living the Life’. All of a sudden Art Department is the talk of the town. They are currently touring extensively, showcasing their works in elaborate shows and of course, hitting the studio to work on their next album. We don’t know when it will be released or what it will sound like, but if it sounds half as good as the mix embedded below does, coupled with the fact that they’ve already shown how they work together, I think it’s safe to say, we’re in for some remarkable music indeed.