Author: R. Ashley Balchin

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Better Days Parties We Are Family

We Are Family 2024 @ The Wiggle Room – The Review

The 2nd annual We Are Family presented by the legendary Better Days Productions happened on Saturday 28th September, 2024 at the Wiggle Room and the event delivered everything that it promised.

Mark Luvdup the star of Liberation, one of our monster jams at the Guvernment/Warehouse complex back in 1995, flew into Toronto to deliver a stunning set of banging progressive house anthems and pumping tunes. The Better Days massive all 280+ of them in attendance revelled in the music with smiles on every face. Mark famously went off at Get Down our New Year’s Eve Party in 1997 but it was over 27 years since he had played in Toronto. Click to hear The Club Classics Fantazia mix by Luvdup which established Luvdup in the Premier League of DJ’s in the UK rave scene in the magical 1990’s.

Watch a clip from the party as Mark moves the crowd playing the classic tune Mombassa’s Cry Freedom – a Better Days anthem if there ever was one.

johnE had laid the foundations to a brilliant night of music, playing the ultimate opening set, building the vibe and getting the dancefloor busy from the time the doors opened. He created an atmosphere reserved for only Better Days parties. It was reminiscent of johnE’s legendary Paradise set. Check out a classic mix from We Are Family 2024 as johnE took a the crowd on sweet, sweet ride during his set in the clip below.

Coming on at 2.30am Ashley took to the decks knowing there was only one track to set the tone for what was to come as he laid down the classic Better Days tune Quivver – Twist and Shout which set the crowd on their way to continuing an evening of complete dance music Better Days are known for:


The vibe continued until 5;30am with many of the Better Days Family showing they can still shake it until the early hours. Check out another banger from Ashley’s set as the crowd groove out to Freemasons – Rain down love.

To see what people thought of We Are Family 2024 read below:Also see various photos from the night including when the Wiggle Room sauna became too much for Ashley forcing him to take off his shirt for respite from the heat, revealing just how pale it is possible to be as a sun-dodger, as well as classic shot of Lisa and the girls all loved up plus the Irish Mafia representing:

We would like thank our hosts Jay, Mark, Lisa, Jocelyn, Greg, Mary, Sara and Chris plus Huw the legend responsible for the inspired Better Days artwork and promo materials. We must also thank Takin and the staff from the Wiggle Room who helped create the unbelievable atmosphere and uniquely family feel to the night. Naturally a massive thank you to Lisa, johnE, Erica, Ian, Niall, Justin and Pieter who helped and or supported us in putting this jam together which we can’t wait to do again in 2025 perhaps in Europe and Canada.

Much love Better Days xoxox

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Better Days DJ's Better Days Parties

Mark Luvdup Plays Cry Freedom by Mombassa at We Are Family 2024

Mark Luvdup blows the crowd away with the all-time classic Mombassa – Cry Freedom as nostaglia took over and people started losing it.

Mark DJed on the Friday night in London before jumping on the 9:30am flight to Toronto, had a nap for a few hours and then turned up at the Wiggle Room to deliver a stunning 1990’s inspired set of dance music.

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Better Days DJ's Better Days Parties Classic Photos From Back In The Day

The Land of Milk and Honey

No doubt this party The Land of Milk and Honey is the favourite party of a lot of our punters and who can argue with their choice given the DJ line-up and the way the party went off.

Who played the party?

Well the stars of the show were definitely Laurent Garnier and Sasha and John Digweed. Laurent played the Guvernment on 3 turntables and seriously ripped it up blowing the crowd away with an experience like no other heard before it in Toronto at that time and the Better Days crowd went off.  Other guest DJ’s Jimmy Van M and Dave Cannalte from Orlando completed the out of town DJ’s.

Laurent Garnier at The Land of Milk and Honey

In the warehouse, Sasha and John Digweed were set up high in a DJ Booth playing to the biggest crowd we had ever had in one room at a Better Days party with upwards of 3,000 being in the warehouse complex side of the venue packing the space from wall to wall with partygoers.

Sasha at The Land of Milk and Honey

The Land of Milk and Honey was the biggest party we put on to that point and arguably the biggest and best of the lot. Despite the warehouse/Guvernment complex being jammed with more people than should have been in there due to the lax security provided on the night.

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Better Days DJ's Better Days Parties Classic Photos From Back In The Day

Americana – Toronto Island Airport

Americana was a concept party featuring a stunning an all-American DJ line-up as the party name suggests. Our American friends did not disappoint us either.

Where was the party held?

Held at Toronto Island Airport, we had the use of the main hangar and an additional smaller hangar – an unbelievable venue for a 3500+ party where all the guests had to take a ferry over from the mainland.

It was a pretty stunning venue for a party to say the very least in a venue that had never been used and was rarely used again unsurprisingly.

Who played at Americana?

We had a killer DJ line-up with New York’s DJ Keoki, Boston’s MGEE and 333, Detroit’s Buzz Goree, Jimmy Van M from Orlando, Osheen from Rhode Island plus Christopher Lawrence and DJ Lee from Los Angeles along with a full complement of Toronto DJ’s.

Superstar DJ Keoki @ Americana

Who else appeared at Americana?

As usual, the unbelievable Ninette supplied percussion on the bongos adding additional atmosphere to what was an amazing party in the venue of a lifetime which needed a massive amount of work to get over the line.

Ninette on the bongos @ Americana

The light show and soundsystem were top notch and was so banging that we had numerous noise complaints from people living in condos on the mainland but the party went off regardless.

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Better Days DJ's Better Days Parties Classic Photos From Back In The Day

ONE – The ultimate DJ lineup

Our collaboration with Gatecrasher from the UK along with doing a simulcast with Energy 108 we put together a stunning star-studded DJ Line-Up. You could really argue it was overkill but it was a line-up of the highest quality.

Mike E-Bloc Live at ONE – Ridiculous Set

Mike E-Bloc was one of the favourite DJ’s Better Days ever brought to our parties and on this occasion without his long-time partner Danny Hybrid still delivered a mind-blowing set – listen below…

We really were spoilt for choice at ONE with a star-studded line up of DJ’s featuring the likes of Jeremy Healy, Todd Terry, the Lisa Marie Experience, Scott Bond, Luc Raymond plus a full compliment of 10 Toronto DJ’s along with MC Dr No and Ninette on percussion.

Jeremy Healy – the lost recording but what a set

Unfortunately we lost the recording of  Jeremy’s killer set or it was never made but either way it remains one of the many sets that was lost on the chaotic night of ONE. His set was killer as Jeremy is a serious pro (you don’t get voted the number 1 DJ by Mixmag without being a serious operator) and he did not let the insane heat in the warehouse get to him as his set was a blinder.

Crowd shot at ONE

Hanging out with him was a blast and we had a brilliant time as he is true gentleman and a hilarious raconteur. He hung out in Toronto with us for a few days and he was just a blast up for anything. A proper athlete and he looked after himself.

Did we record any other sets?

We only managed to get a one additional recording, but it was that of Todd Terry. Unfortunately as we had so many logistical problems on the night with different things and versions supposed to be recorded and we had a crazy night hence not everything was taped as planned. But you can listen to Todd’s set here:

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Better Days DJ's Better Days Parties Classic Photos From Back In The Day

ONE – Featuring House Legend DJ Todd Terry

It was a major coup to have secured Todd Terry to play at ONE and he did not disappoint. The Chicago Housing authority showed his class and blew the crowd away with his sublime house cuts.

Todd Terry almost missed the gig due to a work permit cock-up

Fortunately, at the 11th hour on the Friday at 4:30pm – way too close to comfort – we managed to talk Canadian immigration out of turning Todd away and allowing him to enter and perform at ONE – definitely drama we did not need but it worked out.

House Legend Graces Better Days Decks

We have had many top DJ’s play for Better Days making their Toronto debuts like Laurent Garnier, Deep Dish, Sasha, Derrick Carter, Farley and Heller etc to name a few but it was a real honour to have such house royalty play for us and Todd delivered the goods and then some.

Listen to his set here:

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Better Days DJ's Dance music classics We Are Family

Clips Of We Are Family 2023 at Rogue

Considering how disorganised we were on the night – like we had never done a gig before – and since we had a no show with the camera man we are very lucky we have any video footage of the We Are Family 2023 reunion.

We have Laura T to thank for the clips below which she captured at around 5am when Ashley was laying down all the classic anthems to the assembled party goers.

Video clips from the night

Check out the highlights of Ashley’s set by clicking the play button on the 4 clips below.

U R THE BEST THING – D:REAM
CLUB LONELY – SAM ELLIS (LUVDUP MIX)
REAL THING – TONY DI BART
TWIST AND SHOUT – QUIVVER

What Ashley thought of the reunion

After the party Ashley, without even drawing breath as he fell in love with the sound of his own voice yet again not seeming like he was every going to shut the fuck up, went on to say, “that was hands down one of the top 3 crowds I have ever played to. Every person was beaming with positivity and just grooving out. I played the music I love and it went down like a house on fire…what a wicked atmosphere with so much love in the room and a crowd who were a treat to play music for…Gotta do another reunion – wicked vibe with so many lovely people at what turned out to be a cool venue with a killer soundsystem”.

We Are Family 2024 don’t mind if I do says Ashley
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Dance music classics

Twist And Shout – Quivver 12″ Original Mix

This is another tune which has become a Better Days anthem.

At around 3am at We Are Family 2023, JohnE and I decided it was a good call to drop this ridiculously good tune Quivver’s eternal classic “Twist and Shout”. The dance floor literally filled up within 30 seconds as so many people made their way to the dance floor ready to hear “THAT” tune on such a quality system.

How did the iconic tune sound

The Rogue soundsystem did not disappoint as it gave the attendees the best possible way to hear the genius of John Graham aka Quivver. The track has to be in my top 3 and John E and I knew the dancefloor would receive it well and We Are Family f*cking loved it!


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Classic Photos From Back In The Day

Rare Photo’s Of One Of Better Days Biggest Supporters & A Much Loved Toronto Clubland Legend

There are some poeple that you just connect with in life and this gentleman is just one of these people. Along with being the most successful DJ in the Canadian dance music scene and helping the likes of Pleasure Force and then Better Days Productions grow to be Giants in the N. American party promotion scene this man never looked for recognition or compliments.

He just supported Better Days because he believed in us, he did not have to he just did cos we connected on a spiritual, musical, emotional and level of humour.

The man I refer to is of course the one and only DJ Chris Sheppard aka DJ DogWhistle.

Check out the photo’s of him (Shep) back stage at the massive ONE party starring Todd Terry, Jeremy Healy, Mike E-Bloc, Lisa Marie Experience and so many more.

Shep holding court backstage like only he could

Shep always showed up later at Better Days parties after his club gigs and always delivered a set of sheer quality raising his game as he cared so much about delivering for Better Days.

Shep always allowed us to bring our guest DJ’s down to Joker on a Friday night to promo the rave on the Saturday and was always such a pro at leading you into the questions and getting you to promote the party.

Another shot of Shep backstage at One

The Canadian legend telling another hilarious anecdote as only he could backstage at One captivating the assembled audience. We as a collective miss Shep desperately and his inimitable skills of story telling and incredible sense of humour and encyclopaedic intellect and can only hope he is living life just the way he wants to.

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Better Days DJ's

Jeremy Healy- Voted Mixmag’s Number One DJ 1998 & Star of ONE

One was a party which perhaps had too good of a DJ line-up. However, one man who did not disappoint was Gatecrasher, Progress, Cream, Ministry of Sound regular, legendary Paris and Milan Fashion Show DJ – Superstar DJ Jeremy Healy.

What was Jeremy like?

The ultimate crowd DJ – Jeremy blew the crowd away at ONE before Ashley having to drive him back to the hotel at 8am only to leave the hotel at 9am and somehow getting him on his 1st class flight to Bangkok, Thailand where he had a Sunday night gig.

Where was Jeremy in the World of DJ’s?

Jeremy had ascended to playing pretty much any Tier 1 event like Progress, Gatecrasher, Cream and other higher echelon events and festivals all around the world like the previously mentioned fashion shows.

Mixmag readers made sure Mr Healy got the respect he deserved when they voted him British clubland’s Number 1 DJ in 1998 – quite the honour given the other DJ’s like Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Nick Warren etc who were vying for the Number 1 position.

What a gentleman and the consummate professional. Definitely one of the best DJ’s we have ever hung out and partied with – what an absolute legend.

What is Jeremy Healy doing now?

Jeremy remains at the pinnacle of his craft. He is a huge name in the 1990’s daytime parties revival scene. He is delivering killer sets to the mature raver at civilised hours in a scene that is the biggest growing sector in dance music in the UK.

The scene has become massive as it allows the mature 1990’s raver to attend an event from 11am to 8 or 9pm and relive their youth at civilised hours. Some people even attend the daytime parties with their family and get home at a decent time.