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Music

NORTHMIX: The Junkies

The Toronto duo are celebrating their upcoming residency at CODA with this latest mix.

Vince and Val, known to Toronto's techno lovers as The Junkies, have been an integral part of the city's nightlife for the past decade. Not only have they been around since the golden days of the beloved after hours, Footwork, they were also the ones who helped it get there. They provided its regulars with a home-like feel for years, and now, with the evolution of the Footwork family into CODA, they are back with their own residency to fulfil a dream and show us what the Toronto underground is still about.

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THUMP: With your residency at CODA only days away, what was the story behind your introduction to the Footwork family?
The Junkies: We really have our friend Addy to thank for the intro. Back in 2005 he was starting a new Friday night party called "Domestic" and invited us to take part as rotating residents. It was really our first taste of a proper weekly event in Toronto. Along with local heavyweights Manzone & Strong and Dekoze, the night also hosted some other guys named Carlo Lio and Nathan Barato. From the start, the venue owners Joel and Steph welcomed us with open arms and allowed us to really grow as DJs and artists. The club quickly became our second home and unlike most other club owners; they actually listened to what we had to say and always kept us in the loop with their ideas and wanted our input. Fast forward nine years and we were the main residents at Footwork playing bi-weekly and hosting our own parties and playing alongside some the world's top artists. Joel and Steph also gave us the opportunity to do our first UNION party back in 2011. Without the Footwork family it's safe to say that The Junkies as well as many other artists would not be where they are today.

How do you think the strong local scene in Toronto helped you progress as artists?
It really gave us a place to learn and grow on a world-class stage. We've had the opportunity to play everywhere from tiny little basements all the way to massive venues like The Guvernment and Kool Haus. It also taught us how to open up a room properly to the difference between playing a headlining slot and setting up the room for an international guest. People in Toronto know their music. You can't fool them so if you're not ready for prime time they'll let you know.

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Is there any night in particular, either at CODA or Footwork, which holds a special memory for you guys?
Of course the UNION nights are a big one for us. From the first one at Footwork to this most recent one on NYE at CODA. They've all been absolutely amazing and it keeps getting better. There is really no better feeling than doing what we love and having all our friends with us. Some other nights that really standout for us: Victor Calderone at Footwork, a party that we threw alongside Carlo Lio and Dubfire at Footwork, and who could forget the weekly Domestic parties and LuvthisCity Friday nights.

How excited are you for the residency launch? What can we expect that night?
It's really hard to put into words what we are feeling. It's been a long time for us working away at this. It's something we both love so much. Being able to host our residency in our home city at the best underground venue is all pretty surreal. We've been talking and planning with Joel and Steph about this night before CODA even opened its doors, it's amazing to see it finally come to fruition! Hope to see you out Toronto!

The Junkies is on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter

You can follow Geoff on Twitter @gpharricks