Mart Avi, One Hundred Moons • Estonian Music Week 2025
Presented in partnership with Wavelength.
Mart Avi is the twilight samurai of alternative pop, known for making spiky and mysterious music for the feet and heart, for living and loving. He grew up in a pint-sized Estonian village named Vara ("Treasure" in English), toying around with rusty remnants from its industrious past that informed his aesthetics in creating another space, using topographies close at hand. Mapping uncharted territories between modern pop and timeless grandeur, Avi, as a sound master and singer-songwriter, is simultaneously suave and slippery. His shimmering melodies, crackling rhythms and off-kilter mindgames tend to seduce the unawares.
A consummate performer, he presents a fascinating paradox of soulful tenderness pulsing beneath commanding arm thrusts and menacing high kicks. Avi's solo records have consistently topped annual critics' polls in his homeland and garnered rave reviews worldwide, from MOJO to The Quietus and Electronic Sound. Late 2024 saw the release of Death of Music, a joint double LP in collaboration with Ajukaja, the reverend of Estonia's adventurous underground.
"Unlike with a lot of conceptronica, Mart Avi’s thoughtful thoughts don’t get in the way of the seduction effect." - Simon Reynolds
"He’d make an excellent pop star..."- MOJO
Imagine if My Bloody Valentine and Portishead had a dream-pop love child, raised on the streets of Toronto. The result might sound like One Hundred Moons, a quartet that blends ethereal shoegaze with the gritty edge of ’90s alt-rock, crafting soundscapes that are both nostalgic and refreshingly innovative.
ONE HUNDRED MOONS is a Toronto-based psychedelic band that has emerged in the Canadian music scene. Comprising of four members – Collin Young, Jen Vella, Justin Hunt, and NJ Borreta – this quartet crafts ethereal compositions that take listeners on a mesmerizing sonic journey. Their music is characterized by cascading walls of reverb drenched guitars, enchanting vocals, and hypnotic rhythms. Drawing inspiration from both the shoegaze luminaries of the past and the electronic experimentation of the future, ONE HUNDRED MOONS paints a vast textured soundscape.
Formed in the heart of Toronto’s eclectic music community, 2021 saw them unleash their immersive live experience. In the world of post-rock, they stand out from the crowd immediately, pushing the boundaries of what the genre can achieve.
ONE HUNDRED MOONS invites you to join them on a cosmic journey through their otherworldly melodies and introspective lyrics. Prepare to be spellbound by the atmospheric compositions that linger in your mind long after the last note fades.
Estonian Music Week 2025 festival
This concert is part of the Estonian Music Week (EMW) festival programme running May 22-25. Experience it all with a Festival Pass - 8 concerts from incredible Estonian and Canadians artists. Learn more about festival passes. With performances from folktronica to contemporary classical music, EMW is sure to become your new favourite early-summer music festival. Explore the line-up here.
EMW is made possible by:
Project:
Estonian Museum Canada / VEMU, Tartu College
Major funder:
Estonian Foundation of Canada
Funders:
Toronto Arts Council, Estonian Embassy in Ottawa, Cultural Endowment of Estonia
Sponsors:
Northern Birch Credit Union
Presenting Partners:
SING! The Toronto International Vocal Arts Festival, Wavelength, Humber Polytechnic's Centre for Creative Business Innovation, The Cotton Factory
Media Partners:
Eesti Elu, Exclaim!, WholeNote
Ticketing Partner:
Sviby
Ürituse ajakava/line-up
Show starts 11 PM.
