Tomsaw
"Thoughts"

Deep, dubstep indebted electro-dance music isn’t necessarily what you think of when thinking about music from Newfoundland and Labrador, but Tomsaw wants to change that. Correction: Tomsaw will change that, without a doubt.

In the spirit of his native province, Tomsaw declares that he makes music “because it’s fun” and there’s a boatload of fun to be had with the beat-heavy “Thoughts” blasting through your sound system. It’s the opening song from the soon to drop album of the same name: a super-charged night club anthem full of squelchy synth lines and impossible to deny rhythm.

Regionalism will always be part of the Canadian conversation, whether the topic focuses on the weather, economics, or culture. There are undeniable assumptions about what music from a region like the Maritimes will sound like, just as there are about artists coming from Vancouver or Saskatoon. I’m very interested in artists like Tomsaw lately; musicians who go against the grain of presumptions and follow an individual, distinct path.

We might see a DJ/producer coming out of St. John’s as an anomaly, but perhaps that’s more the norm than we realize. “Thoughts” has got me thinking there’s a conversation about regionalism worth exploring. Not only does Tomsaw have great beats that you can dance to, he’s sparking discourse and discussion, too.