10 songs that capture the spirit of Kensington Market

Chic storefronts, designer boutiques and trendy bars are the telltale signs of gentrification, but Kensington doesn't care. The Market is where culture comes to be recycled, reimagined and repurposed - the abandoned car-turned-flower-garden that used to sit on Augusta, the lawnmower-robot-insects outside the house on Wales Ave, the endless 'sketch-comedy-and-tragedy' of Bellevue Square. Kensington is in a constant fluid state between trash and treasure; Toronto's cultural basin where the city's artistic run-off settles, stews and brews something anew.

My Kensington playlist consists of artists who frankly don't give a f*ck. They're loud, abrasive, and messy - Dilly Dally, Brutal Knights, Cellphone, S.H.I.T.; and they're relentless and eccentric - Zoo Owl, Yamantaka//Sonic Titan, Human Performance Lab. The title track for this mix could be Maylee Todd's "Successive Mutations" - the odd one out with its harps, and vibes and jazzy feels. But that's Kensington, where the odd one out feels at home.

Which 10 tracks would you use to celebrate Kensington Market? 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