We Woke Up at the Crack of Dawn to do Rave Yoga With HRMXNY

Once a month, at the crack of dawn, everything you know and love about Toronto's mainstay nightclub, The Hoxton, changes. Hipster bar-stars bare their feet, not their midriffs; one-ounce glasses contain wheatgrass, not vodka; and, perhaps the most alarming, Hunter Siegel is nowhere to be found.

Yet, at the third edition of BreakfastClub, The Hoxton's monthly morning yoga-dance party workout, one thing stayed the same—Chris De Minico, the resident DJ at the always-wild Toronto dance hub, was present.

"It's weird walking in here," shares the future house producer, better known as HRMXNY. "It's totally another vibe. There's no bass pounding or people lined up. There are no crazy drunk people—they've only had coffee."

This 20-year-old from Scarborough does not wear Lululemon. In black oversized sweats and a skate shop-branded baseball cap, De Minico does not resemble the fluorescent-coloured yogis that surround him. Feeling venturesome and feisty at the humdrum hour of six o'clock in the morning, he bravely agreed to accompany me to the morning energizer. With sets from local DJs Miz Megs and Comfort Zone regular Ticky Ty, he could explore his home turf from the spectator's perspective while simultaneously dappling with yoga for the first time.

"How would you DJ at like, six in the morning?" he says prior to the class. "I'd be half asleep trying to do stuff. I would want to play trap, but I can't here."

De Minico can't seem to get enough of The Hoxton. In the past year, he believes to have stepped foot in the 69 Bathurst building close to 30 times, opening for performers he idolizes, including Cashmere Cat, SBTRKT, and RL Grime. While the 21-year-old is normally situated front and centre, today he is pretty much unseen.

"Usually when I'm here I have to play in front of a lot of people," he tells. "Here there's no anxiety of having so many people around you, wanting you to perform at such a high level."

A tightly packed room of drunken 20-somethings is not the only reason De Minico might be feeling anxious these days. This week marks not one, but two milestones in his career: the release of his new EP Strange as It Seems and a supporting performance at Mad Decent Block Party in Toronto.

"It's kind of like a make it or break it moment. So yeah, it's pretty stressful," he says.

Well, HRMXNY, you have come to the right place.

"When you leave [BreakfastClub], you're so full of energy, you've got a smile on your face," explains Rob Ferris, co-founder of the event. "A lot of it is mental. Dancing releases all these things in your body that a lot of people take for granted because most of the time, when we're out dancing, we're drunk or inebriated in some way. It takes away from what dance and all exercise really does to you. It has a huge impact on your brain and on your psyche."

When I first asked De Minico if he thought he could convert to the world of savasana, herb-infused water, and all things spandex, he politely responded, "If it's at six in the morning, probably not."

Only a few warrior poses later, this SadBoiPapi was a changed man. As he gawkily maneuvered his body, I noticed genuine smiles sparkling betweens his "oh fuck" and "holy shit" grunts. Even more obvious was his realization that they're not so different, the yogis and him.

"I'm happy I'm not the only one wearing a hat," he says.

And then suddenly, the 6 AM call time wasn't so bad.

"I'm pretty calm now. The tiredness isn't really a thing anymore," he reflects post-downward dog. "I feel like if I did this before I made music… it would take out the anxiety."

De Minico also envisioned what a performance from HRMXNY might sound like at a future BreakfastClub event.

"I'd probably play SBTRKT," he concludes.

With his abs strengthened and his lunges deep, The Hoxton poster boy successfully transformed his office into a sanctuary.

"It's not just a club, it's a yoga studio," he says. "I'm gonna come here on Saturday and be like 'yo, I did yoga here.'"

Lucky for him, he will have another opportunity to "Wake Up and Dance!" when BreakfastClub returns to The Hoxton for its fourth installment on September 23rd.

HRMXNY is on Facebook // Twitter // SoundCloud
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