Runs Friday, June 26 at Central Stage  

Canada¹s most innovative and exciting DJs hit Central Stage and provide sweet beats to get crowds up on their feet and feeling the music. Starting off the night is the purrr-fect DJ Cat. An 8-year residency at Hamilton¹s Embassy Club shows DJ Dare-N knows what will make Pride audiences go wild.  With successes from his unnofficial remixes of Destiny¹s Child and Missy Elliott, Xenon's dj expertise will entrance the crowd. Voted "Best Foreign Female DJ" by the Taipei Times, Alicia Hush will bring her insatiable energy to the stage. Flowing through soul, funk, electro and techno, Baby Joel has everything the party needs. With seven songs that have climbed the Billboard's Hot Club Play charts (with two at #1), dance diva Vernessa Mitchell brings her uplifting house to Central Stage. With his own Billboard hits too, popular New York City DJ Jonathan Peters closes out this wild night. Hosted by Jennstar.

SCHEDULE:
7:00 pm DJ Cat
7:45 pm Dare-N
8:30 pm Xenon
9:15 pm Alicia Hush
10:00 pm Baby Joel
10:45 pm Vernessa Mitchell
11:15 pm Jonathan Peters

DJ Cat
DJ Cat has been djing in and out of the village for the last 10 years, starting at Pope Joan (as a resident and on the dyke march floats for Pope Joan), working her way up to a resident at Vice and then a residency at Crews/Tango. She has also appeared at events at York University, Fly Night Club and Voglie.

She is considered a crowd pleaser with her mash up styles - she can spin anything from R&B to Top 40 to House/Dance--she loves to make the crowd happy and loves to spin.

Dare-N
Since moving to Toronto 6 years ago DJ Dare-N has been working slowly at his craft and at getting his name known within Toronto's gay community. First starting out at Papi's Lounge and George's Play, then moving onto such places as Steamworks, Lub, and Slacks. In 2008 things really starting getting good with a number of gigs at Fly Nightclub, as well as becoming one of AX's deejays and most exciting of all the Polar Ice Central Stage for Pride Weekend 2008. Following that Fuzion, a weekly night at Soma Lounge and his weekly night Happy Taps at Alibi with Miss Gay Toronto Devine Darlin. 2008 also marked production work with local drag queens Honey Brown, Donnarama and Sofonda Cox.

Xenon
With 15 years experience in the world of music, this Toronto-based dj and producer has gained much publicity from his many numerous productions (on such labels as SoundGroove Records, Harlequin Records and HMSCmusic) and has built a name in the gay club scene at such venues as The Barn, Vice, 5ive, Zipperz and Crews/Tango. His musical stylings range from the hottest hits of todays top 40 charts to the darkest tribal tracks of the after hours scene to the classic beats and pieces of yesterday.

Alicia Hush
Alicia Hush has been seemingly quick to arrive on the Toronto electronic music scene and in truth, is quick to arrive having just moved to TO under a year ago to focus on her Music + DJing. What many do not know, is that while Alicia Hush is very much a new kid on the block, she is anything but a new kid to the decks.

Along with establishing two weekly residencies, with partner Sarah Lamb (HushLamb Productions), Alicia Hush is doing her part to contribute to the music and city she loves. With plans of production on the horizon and insatiable energy for playing music, this girl is definitely one to watch evolve.

Baby Joel Smye
Toronto's own "Baby" Joel Smye returns to the Pride Toronto stage again in 2009. After a short break from the DJ world to open a little spot called Footwork, Joel is back and ready to snap yer stilleto's. From bumpin', deep house to tech-house with a side of electro--Joel is serving it fresh!

Vernessa Mitchell
Dance music diva, Vernessa Mitchell has brought you many massive uplifting house tracks like 'Reap (What You Sow)', 'This Joy,' and 'Took My Life'; forever embedded in dance music collections everywhere.  She has charted seven times on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play with dance songs "Reap (What You Sow)" (#19/1996), "This Joy" (#5/1998), "Issues" (#12/2000), "Serious" (#37/2003), "Took My Life" (#2/2004; #1 Club Play track in 2004 year-end chart) and "Accept Me"(#1/2005). Mitchell's 2006 single, "Love Will Find A Way" peaked at #5 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. She has been remixed by many of the best: Razor 'n Guido, Chad Jack, Richie Santana, Steve 'Silk' Hurley, and, of course, Junior Vasquez.

Jonathan Peters
Voted the #1 DJ in America 2006 by DJ Times, Jonathan Peters has produced several number one Billboard hits such as Sylver's "All This time", the triple platinum remix of Whitney Houston's "My Love is Your Love" and Christina Aguilera's "Hurt". He has also remixed Janet Jackson, Mary J Blige, Ricky martin, Deborah Cox, Brian McKnight, Paula Cole and others. A staple in the NYC club scene (a resident at Pascha NYC). his appearance at Pride Toronto 2009 marks Jonathan Peters' first show in Canada. Jonathan Peters is constantly creating new sounds, new lyrics, new beats and most of
all: new ways of telling stories and moving people through music.