It’s hard to get a themed event absolutely right. However, the third edition of the Ink Entertainment event series BAMBU was an absolute smash success for everyone who attended, transporting Toybox clubgoers to “Another Planet” accompanied by headliner Bruno Furlan.
Legions of “space monkeys,” as the BAMBU organizers call their beloved fans and patrons, braved cold temperatures in line to get inside Toybox and get lost in the “space jungle.” Thanks to my friends at Sub Label, Toronto’s favourite Electronic Dance Music clothing brand, I skipped the line and gained some valuable insight into how Bambu came to be.
Ink Entertainment wanted to create a brand new, Toybox-exclusive event that would cater to the ever-growing pool of Tech House fans within Toronto, and thus Bambu was born. Kevin Faria, the Marketing Coordinator at Ink Entertainment and a fantastic DJ within his own right, helped conceptualize the idea of Bambu, a transformative club event that would turn a club into a space jungle that Tech House lovers could get lost in. And I truly felt transported as I walked into Toybox, surrounded by lush green foliage, flashing lights, and a crowd dancing along to Kevin Faria taking his turn at the decks.
It was Kevin who would reach out to Sub Label and Daniel Spatafora to collaborate for the event. “It was really an honour that he reached out to me for that because Ink Entertainment is such a staple and are so deeply rooted in Toronto dance music culture,” Daniel tells me at the Sub Label table. He did merchandise for the first edition, and for the third edition, Spata worked with BAMBU to create a limited edition BAMBU t-shirt. Handing me one, I can see it rocks the same incredible quality of all other Sub Label shirts, with a neon-pink BAMBU symbol emblazoned across the front and the Bambu name all across the back. “Everything is handprinted and finished by myself. It’s so worth it.”
Reaching the dance floor, I can see one of the highlights of the Bambu event. They’ve moved the DJ booth directly into the middle of the dance floor, a la Boiler Room, bringing everyone so much closer to the action. Dancers clad in animal masks weave throughout the crowd, brushing up against the ferns and lit up with LED lights. The crowd feels like it’s rolling in waves, bouncing as headliner Bruno Furlan spins an absolutely nasty set. I think, for the briefest moment, that I see deadmau5 behind the booth (it turns out I was right). It’s fantastically overwhelming and I feel myself being pulled deeper and deeper into the space jungle fantasy. And as Bruno Furlan’s song so aptly put it, I can’t help but think, “Where is my brain? I can’t explain! I must be lost in another planet!”
*Featured Image Via Toybox*
