Historic Windsor aircraft hangar to host electronic dance music party
An aircraft hangar near Windsor's airport will be filled with pulsing electronic beats and digital light displays this weekend.
But don't call it a rave.
"Sometimes the word 'rave' can have a negative connotation," said Tim Ghertsos of SOTC Productions, one of the organizers.
"It can be a bit of a blocker. Sometimes people who maybe don't really realize what's happening at this type of event, they might just kind of look at the word 'rave' and get the wrong idea."
Ghertsos and fellow organizer Matt Cantagallo of Spacebarn, a promotion company, prefer to call the party an electronic dance music (EDM) festival.
Matt Cantagallo, of Spacebarn promotions, stands inside the hangar of the Canadian Aviation Museum on Airport Road in Windsor. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
"When you hear 'rave,' you think of glow sticks and music in an abandoned building," Cantagallo said. "But we keep it all proper and professional. We bring in the best production… The vibes are immaculate."
This is the second summer that 'The Hangar' will be held inside the Canadian Aviation Museum, on Airport Road. The event is scheduled for Aug. 17.
The building dates back to the early 1940s, when it was used as part of a training school for Second World War pilots. The museum acquired the facility in the 1990s, filling it with historical aircraft parts and exhibits.
Ghertsos and his partners came up with the idea of holding an EDM event in the hangar after learning that a rock band had shot a music video there.
"It's a very cool venue. Having a dance music event among the planes and all that history, we get to showcase one of Windsor's tourist attractions," Ghertsos said.
"We like to do unique locations. Unique venues and spaces."
The hangar, which dates back to the 1940s, was acquired by the museum in the 1990s. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
SOTC Productions are also behind an outdoor EDM event called 'The Pier,' regularly held on an extension of Windsor's riverfront beneath the Ambassador Bridge.
But transforming an aircraft hangar into a club has its own set of challenges. To supply the event's sound, SOTC Productions brings its own system, including an assembly of high-end speakers.
Spacebarn will be setting up LED lights and digital video walls to display some dramatic visuals.
Cantagallo also feels that the upcoming lineup of house music and techno DJs — featuring Los Angeles-based Dillon Nathaniel and Toronto's HNTR — will be crowd-pleasing.
Inside 'The Hangar' EDM event at the Canadian Aviation Museum in August 2023. (Good Times Media)
"Techno is definitely not a fad. It's a driving force. It's easy to listen to, easy to dance to. It's just good music," Cantagallo said.
Local food vendors and locally-produced beer and spirits will keep attendees refreshed.
Last year's event was an unqualified success, with 500 to 600 people attending. Cantagallo said advance ticket sales for this year's event indicate a similar turnout.
According to Windsor EDM enthusiast Daniel Leja, who attended last year's hangar event, the local electronic dance music scene is alive and well.
"There are so many events going on. I'd say probably three or four every month," Leja said. "The people are great. Everyone is so positive. I've never had any negative experiences at these events."
The building's uniqueness is part of the reason why organizers chose it as the event's location. (Dalson Chen/CBC)
Leja, 22, is too young to have experienced Windsor's rave culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, when Windsor's own Richie Hawtin (Plastikman) was making an international name for himself
In August 2001, Hawtin headlined a techno event on Windsor's riverfront called the Life Fest, which drew an estimated 4,000 people.
More than two decades later, Leja said he greatly respects the genre's history — and he's barely aware of negative raver stereotypes such as drug use and sexual misconduct.
"I don't see it in this community. I don't see it at all," he said. "I'm there for the music, and the people around me are just incredible."
