In a few short years Jonny White has stepped up to become one of the leading players in Canadian dance music, regarded as one of the country’s most innovative and forward thinking new artists. True he has been a local promoter for over a decade but his move into the world of DJ’ing and his role as both producer and label boss have seen him rapidly rise to the forefront of the international scene. His label, No.19 has seen him releasing music from the likes of DJ Sneak, Stacey Pullen & Jamie Jones alongside his own productions whilst his club nights have brought such luminaries as Carl Craig and Peace Division to his home town of Toronto.
No stranger to music, Jonny was brought up surrounded by and immersed in all genres of music from a very early age. Born into a music family, his father at the time working as division manager for A&M Records exposed Jonny to everything from B.B King to Pink Floyd to Talk Talk in his formative years. This not only contributed to his taste in music but inevitably created his obsession with all types of music, sound and later aspirations to make music into a career.
Starting out as a local promoter in the flourishing Toronto scene during the late 90’s, Jonny was heavily influenced by house music legends like Derrick Carter, Green Velvelt and DJ Sneak, stalwarts at Toronto’s now legendary Industry Nightclub where Jonny first found love for the electronic sound. From his early days putting on local parties he soon became entranced with the idea of being involved in the performance/creative aspect of the business and began shopping for music and playing at small underground parties put on by White and his friends. From there things quickly progressed and it wasn’t long before Jonny landed a residency with Toronto’s Legendary YYZ Entertainment and found himself playing for all the companies much lauded events on several house and techno bills weekly.
Whilst things were developing at a steady rate on the DJ front, White began to take an interest in the recording and production side of things. He joined forces with James Teej who had recently moved across the country to be in Toronto and soon the pair were working full time together in the studio. The first fruit of their labours was the ‘Musique Noire’ single, released along side White’s first original solo production “Full Night” which was rapidly snapped for release on the impressive Connect Four label. The musical partnership between White and Teej was to endure and their names have now become inextricably linked as a mark of quality in underground music with songs like the sublime “Vital Organs” (released in mid 2009 on No.19) and the much anticipated “Narco Balada” to be released on Perspectiv Records in 2010.
Back in the club, things were hotting up. Jonny White was asked to hold a 5am residency at David Morales’ Sonic Nightclub and offers began to flood in for guest slots across Canada and beyond. Spots at international festivals such as Ultra in Miami, DEMF and BPM in Mexico further established White’s position as a force to be reckoned with. Moving residencies from Sonic to the much hailed Peter Gaishen’s Circa Nightclub, Jonny also began playing regularly for Adam Gills’ Embrace Entertainment along side friends MANDY, Tiefschwarz, Audiofly & Damian Lazarus.
The story from here centres round the meteoric rise of No.19, the label and events company that is now the backbone of White’s entertainment business. The brand has become the face of Toronto’s underground music scene, creating some of the most exciting nights the city has ever seen, bringing in heroes of house and techno such as Nick Curly, Guy Gerber and Carl Craig to name just a few. The No.19 label was soon to follow and drew instant international attention with its mix of exciting fresh talent and established hard hitters. White’s vision for No.19 saw Toronto’s finest rubbing shoulders with names such as DJ Sneak, Stacey Pullen, Justin Drake and Osunlade, instantly creating a new found respect for Toronto’s underground, and international praise for White. Add to this the musical talents of Kenny Glasgow, Glimpse, Daso, Adam Marshall and White’s own original productions and you can see why No.19 became an instant must have label for DJs across the globe
Outside of No.19 White has managed to find time to run the up and coming My Favorite Robot label as well as recording music for Ripperton’s superb Perspectiv label and providing remixes the likes of Crosstown Rebels, Thoughtless Music and Akbal Music to name a few.
There can be no doubt that Jonny White is in his ascendancy.
Drawing on his knowledge as promoter, DJ, artist and label boss he is climbing a seemingly effortless path to the summit of the scene and on his journey is providing some of the most exciting music and clubbing experiences out there. As dance music continues on its journey of reinvention it takes individuals like White and his knowledge, passion and talent to keep the fires burning brightly.
For Bookings and other inquiries, please contact jazz@mostwanteddjs.com
