The New Deal
"Capable of thumping out driving rhythms that stop on a dime and turn into something lush and atmospheric, they have a jam-band approach."
-The Durango Herald
"The New Deal transcends house’s repetition compulsion by ingesting the spirit of the utterly unexpected."
-The Village Voice
"With house music's warm thump as their guide, The New Deal conjure the feel of an epic DJ set, without the use of samplers, sequencers or drum machines."
-MTV
Sounds
The New Deal is back. Toronto-based live electronic trio returns with new drummer Davide Di Renzo.
With over 1400 legendary late nights, sold-out clubs and triumphant festivals under their belts, The New Deal returns with a passion in 2019 with ‘TND3’ – the third incarnation of the renowned live electronica trio: Jamie Shields (keyboards), Dan Kurtz (bass), and new drummer Davide Di Renzo.
The band’s evolution through three drummers has now brought The New Deal closer to its original direction.“With Davide, it’s a bit like ‘coming back home’, as he was the drummer that inspired our original direction back in 1998 when the three of us played an impromptu gig together in Guelph, Ontario. Each of the band’s drummers has brought something unique to The New Deal, and with Davide we’re reaching back to move forward with the organic-infused improvisation that has long-inspired a big part of The New Deal sound,” explains keyboardist Jamie Shields.
The New Deal first began in Toronto in 1999, quickly gaining support from Toronto’s underground club scene as pioneers in electronica, recreating the DJ experience with live, improvised music. Soon the band brought their interpretation of Electro House, Trance, Breakbeat and Drum & Bass to the US, where they were embraced by the crowds at NYC’s Wetlands Preserve and cultivated a loyal following in the American jam scene.
After twelve years of touring, The New Deal took a hiatus in 2011; Dan spent much of the next few years touring the world with Electropop band Dragonette. When The New Deal returned to stages in 2014 they brought on board a new drummer in Dragonette’s Joel Stouffer. For three years, Dan, Jamie, and Joel enjoyed another successful round of touring and recording, and in 2017 Joel amicably parted ways to pursue other musical interests.
In 2018, The New Deal welcomed drummer extraordinaire Davide Di Renzo into the fold. After several months of shedding in the studio, the band released the first taste of new music in March 2019 with “Halo Drive”, an epic 16-minute live improvised studio jam – recorded and mixed in the moment without any overdubs. The band plans to release more of these live studio improvisations and will be launching a podcast as 2019 continues – plus a long anticipated return to the touring and festival circuit.
