10 songs that capture the spirit of The Village

All this month, we're making playlists about the spirit of select Toronto neighbourhoods. Our second playlist strolls through The Church Wellesley Village.

The Church Wellesley Village is the spiritual home of Toronto's LGBTQ community. The history of The Village contains more than its share of discrimination and struggle, but each set-back and tragedy has been met with defiant shows of unity, strength and pride. The vibe of The Village is fun and exuberant, balanced with a sense of social and political awareness.

These were the considerations when selecting my soundtrack to The Village: dance floor jams from Austra, Light Fires and Diamond Rings to capture the nightlife; scrappy, unique singles from Peaches and Gentleman Reg; pop cuts from The Clicks and Molly Thomason to represent mainstream acceptance, and classic cuts from Rough Trade and The Parachute Club.

Which 10 tracks would you use to celebrate The Village? Make your own Spotify playlist and tweet us the link, or leave it in the comments below.

Image by Aldrin Taroy

by PO Karim via blogTO