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What is JSTDRMN? (pronounced: Just Dreamin' | dʒʌst ˈdɹiːmɪn)

☁️ Our Mission: Foster Toronto Talent from Local Spaces to Global Stages

How? We help aspiring artists & creatives...

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Connect with Like-Minded Creatives

Through our SyncedIns and Dreamer Community

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Improve Artist Skills & Knowledge

Through our Bootcamps and SyncedIn Speakers

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Attract & Grow a Local Fan Base

Through our Showcases, Open Decks, and JSTDRMN Sessions

Our Story

😷 Pandemic Days (2020-2022): JSTDRMN formed in 2020 (during the COVID-19 Pandemic Lockdowns) as a group chat of DJs experimenting with live streaming. We hosted multiple streams and collected $2800+ for various social causes, including Stella's Place for improving Toronto youth mental health. In 2022, pandemic lockdowns were lifted, setting the stage for our inaugural in-person event in October (Masquerave) which sold out to 177 attendees. 

👶 Early Growth (2023): Performance opportunities for aspiring artists in Toronto were limited, and we believe that anyone with a dream can and should be enabled to pursue them. We hosted 7 live shows, featuring 30 local artists on our lineups. We realized that there were many structural issues to starting an artist career, and launched SyncedIn and Open Decks to provide a safe space for Dreamers to meet like-minded artists, learn, and experiment. We also started uploading these sets to our YouTube under the series JSTDRMN Sessions. Our artists started gaining industry-wide exposure, and received paid opening opportunities for major international acts - you can check out some of their releases on our shared Spotify playlist! 

🚀 JSTDRMN Platform (2024): Imagine a rocket launch - our Dreamers are the rockets, and JSTDRMN is the platform to support their launch. Out of the 40 artists that we supported in 2024, 58% of them debuted on a stage for the first time! We engaged in multiple local business partnerships in Toronto to further enhance our artist journeys - collaborating with Chatime, Waterfront Night Market, Sleepless Studios, Forbidden City, and fundraising for the Barbra Schlifer Memorial Clinic with our International Women's Day Event, Empowoment. We debuted our Lunar New Year showcase, featuring two stages, 22 performances, lion dancers, and a variety of cultural activities, ultimately gathering 790 attendees. Recognizing that WhatsApp was insufficient for community growth, we undertook a massive migration to Discord to better service our Dreamers. To help aspiring artists get started even easier, we created our first DJ Bootcamp and debuted 4 students at our Halloween show - The Reckoning.

➡️ Our Plans for 2025: Monthly SyncedIns, Quarterly Bootcamps and Showcases, Open Decks to fill in the gaps in performance.  If you're interested in joining a community of 80+ passionate creatives, apply here. If you're interested in collaborating with us, send us an email at hello@jstdrmn.com. See here for open roles. 

Let's redefine Toronto's dance music landscape together! 💪

Our Collaborators

Partnership logos (1)

Team Leads

This is the folks who are on the ground every day, making sure that JSTDRMN runs successfully!

Leo (ZhuKeeper)

Executive Producer

Leo combines 10 years of experience as a violinist with 8 years of DJing to push the boundaries of live performances as ZhuKeeper. He has experience leading product management in various industries, including E-commerce AI, Real Estate, and EdTech, and has spearheaded countless initiatives!

 

Fabio (KUROTEK/SOLIEK)

Managing Producer

Fabio is a Toronto-based DJ and producer recognized for his deep grooves in the techno and house scene. With a passion for music and meticulous attention to detail, he delivers unforgettable audio-visual experiences under his KUROTEK alias. Beyond the studio, he brings his expertise as a tenured finance and compliance professional in the investment industry to his role as the Director Ops at JSTDRMN, where he ensures the seamless delivery of large showcase productions.

 

Heather (HEATER)

Services Lead

Heather is a classically trained musician who started out her music journey over 12 years ago in clarinet and guitar, then found a deep love in electronic music. Her goal is to curate a fun, exciting, and vibrant space for everyone to find a safe haven and home in electronic music. Outside of music, she is a professional in the consulting and technology industry leading implementation of software projects across accounting, consulting and telecommunications.

 

Charles (CIEL)

Marketing Lead

Charles is a Toronto-based bass music producer/DJ. With a passion for high energy music, he aims to help cultivate a vibrant creative scene within his community and to become a household name for Asians in the bass music scene.

 

Ryan (NRP)

Community Lead

Ryan is a DJ/producer who started at a young age of 13. Having a passion for the the house genre whether it’s Tech house or Bass house, he specializes in delivering reimagined house music in a way people will be hype. Outside from the passion he is a UX/UI Designer helping in his role at JSTDRMN as the Director of UX Design, to ensure JSTDRMN is getting the most out of all resources from websites to merch. There are endless ways to design for user experience.

 
 

Eunice (Eunicecycle)

Partnerships Lead

Eunice (also known as eunicecycle) is a Toronto-based content creator, singer, and DJ with a passion for storytelling. She spins an electrifying mix of K-pop, house, and DnB, connecting deeply with her audience through music and content.

Her journey began with three loves: music, bubble tea, and social media. From creating buzz around new flavors to launching viral social trends, Eunice has collaborated with renowned international and national brands such as Chatime, Miniso, Temu, Kayak, Tantan, Sensodyne, and Lay’s

Sydney

Events Lead

Sydney is a creative individual passionate about transforming ideas into unforgettable experiences. Her journey into the creative industry began at TMU, where she developed a strong foundation in the business. With a deep-rooted love for music and media production, Sydney brings a unique perspective to content creation and event planning, blending her love for music with her media expertise.

The Dream Team

Shoutout to our community who make our initiatives possible! Camera Shy: Richard, Earvin, HIGHER.VYBE, Tenshi, Sidequest Steve, Theo, NPC Groove, Zang, FIFTHCHILD, Christine, SHEVA, Mancan, GoStop

Omar (Mazzy)

Mazzy, a Toronto-based DJ and producer, seamlessly blends his deep house roots into all his productions. With a passion for electronic music that runs deep, Mazzy has made a name for himself in the underground scene. His tracks have been featured on Boosted Music, showcasing his talent and unique sound to a global audience. Supported by fellow DJs in Toronto, Mazzy continues to captivate listeners with his infectious beats and innovative productions, solidifying his place in the electronic music community.

 

Ali (Ari Grey)

Ari Grey is a rising star in the world of dance music, renowned for his contemporary spin on progressive house music. His tracks are characterized by pulsating beats, uplifting melodies imbued with euphoria, and an alluring blend of hooks that keep listeners hooked. In live shows, Ari Grey is known to electrify the audience with his captivating performance style and natural talent for energizing the crowd.

 

Dennis (KUROTEK/TRVN)

Dennis is a Toronto-based house and trance DJ/Producer. Known for his creative mixing and euphoric melodies, he takes listeners on an emotional journey like no other. Off the decks, he is a pharmacist by day who strives to keep everyone safe on and off the dancefloor. With a strong passion for visual arts, he has taken the role of JSTDRMN’s Director of Design.

 

Maya

flow artist with a love of breakcore, happy hardcore, and UKG.

ShefJeff

With no formal musical education but an ear for music, ShefJeff has entered the world of mixing. Introduced to Skrillex’s “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites” at a young age and Usher’s “Confessions” album, he found his catalogue of genres vast. It wasn’t until university, when he realized there was a way to mix all these genres together through DJing. Like most, he started as a bedroom DJ, drawing more inspiration from ISOKnock, Joe Kay, and the art of “setting the vibe”. Although his catalogue doesn’t contain Usher anymore, his mixes contain a vast variety of genres from Afrohouse to Hard-Techno. So like the name suggests, let him cook.

Advisors

These are the industry masterminds who are helping us redefine Toronto's musical landscape!

Aaron (DJ Malig)

Advisor

Aaron Malig, better known by his stage name DJ Malig, is a Canadian DJ and music producer based in Toronto, Ontario.  He blends infectious beats and pulsating rhythms to create unforgettable experiences on the dance floor. With a unique ability to captivate audiences worldwide, DJ Malig continues to push the boundaries of electronic music.

Jeremy (Jaire)

Advisor

Jeremy has played various instruments in his youth. He dabbled for fun in guitar and singing but he knew music production and DJing was calling. Jeremy’s experience spans over finance, e-commerce, sales, SaaS solutions as well as marketing.

Rafael (LERION)

Advisor

Based in Toronto, Canada, Lerion is a talented dubstep artist hailing from New Zealand and raised in Sydney, Australia. Born Rafael Lerion, he started playing guitar at a young age with the guidance of his musician father. Growing up immersed in metal and rock, Lerion went on to play in various bands before eventually discovering his passion for electronic music production. He began experimenting with Kpop beats before diving into the dubstep scene and finding his unique sound.

 

Tina

Advisor

Digital marketing leader with 10+ years of experience. Enabled high business impact consumer journey orchestration and tool capabilities for platform personalization, experimentation and channel optimization for digital banking and retail industries. Recognized as a creative problem solver, results driven leader and collaborative team mentor leveraging Agile methodologies. Committed to obsessing and delivering exceptional digital experiences by turning gaps into opportunities using data to influence and drive business impact in highly matrixed environments.

Currently, pushing the boundaries of Nike's marketing & data ecosystem to deliver digital experiences that provide real value for consumers with ever-changing needs.

 

Alan (STRANJAH)

Advisor

STRANJAH, a prominent figure in North American drum and bass, has influenced the genre for over two decades with releases on labels like Metalheadz and Hospital Records, and his distinctive sound combines expressive bass, 90s synths, and syncopated drums. He also supports emerging artists through his YouTube channel and label Deviant Audio, fostering innovation in electronic music.

Simon (Garrison Hill)

Advisor

Simon is a diehard electronic music enthusiast with over 10 years of multi-disciplinary professional experience in the music industries working in consulting, record labels, events, audio engineering, music production, A/V tech, and adjudicating for organizations such as the JUNOS, ECMAs, MusicNL, MusicPEI, and FACTOR. While completing his Masters Degree in Popular Music & Culture in 2021, Simon began working at Monstercat and currently holds the title of Digital Rights Manager. In this role Simon works cross-functionally and with external stakeholders to ensure the accurate collection and distribution of royalties, maintenance of release metadata, and publishing administration.

 
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