ACE of all trades

DJ, organizer, zine founder, and game designer ACE sits down to talk all things "Toronto Rave."

Grade nine is no joke. It’s a pivotal stage of our adolescent lives, where we’re both the creator and the avatar in a choose-your-own-adventure game. Like the beginning of a video game, we customize our character. We flick through outfit options and choose the one that resonates most with our personal style. Our hair can be as funky and experimental as we want. We can even choose our own name. 

Sure-footed, a 14-year-old boy walks straight to the whiteboard board of his grade nine classroom here in Toronto, the city in which he grew up. Without hesitation, he picks up one of the markers and writes ‘ACE’ in bold letters. The once blank slate of white has been graffitied into his own creation. “No one’s ever gonna call you that,” muttered a kid next to him. 

Aaron Plummer, well-known by the alias ACE, is a 26-year-old creative who does it all—from DJing to event organizing to designing zines. His newest undertaking has been creating a video game, Toronto Rave Game, inspired by the past and present of Toronto’s rave scene. Players complete rave-related missions while exploring the rich history of Toronto. 

EDM (Electronic dance music) has played a significant role in ACE’s life. He gained much of his love for music from his father. With his dad playing bass, ACE picked up guitar and piano at a young age and began mixing sound on platforms such as FL Studios at 12.  “My dad listened to Jazz, but he doesn’t like EDM. He doesn’t believe it’s music at all,” says ACE with a giggle. 

ACE’s passion for music drove him to explore various aspects of the industry. Two endeavors particularly close to his heart are his collectives, Toronto DNB (Drum and Bass) and Toronto Hardcore, which host rave events all throughout the city. Three years ago, ACE ventured into publishing, creating corresponding Toronto DNB and Hardcore zines inspired by and featuring the artists with whom he shares the stage. As a driven entrepreneur, ACE has developed several successful, multi-disciplinary enterprises at a young age. Although closely related, Toronto DNB and Toronto Hardcore serve different purposes.

“If you're looking to listen to music intellectually and enjoy it on a different level, I would suggest Toronto DNB. If you’re looking to rage, lose your mind, and have fun, I would suggest Toronto Hardcore,” he says. 

While music serves as ACE’s primary source of creativity, it's not the sole element of his father's influence that has trickled into his work. Upon his father’s move from Jamaica to Canada, he started his own business, United Computers; ACE was surrounded by computers his whole life. At a young age, he was constantly observing his father as he ran his business. His interest in computers led him to pick up gaming. From games like Habbo Hotel, RuneScape, and The Sims, he grew to appreciate games with buildable worlds and hero-led missions, causing him to become “ultimately chronically online.” 

Around three years ago, from the comfort of his own bedroom, ACE sat down at his computer with a specific mission, “ It’s funny because when I say I’m going to do something, a lot of the time my friends laugh and say it’s not possible. But they also know that when I set my mind to something, I’m going to do it. At some point or another, I just wake up one day and it’s done. Usually, in the end my friends laugh with an ‘I don’t know why I doubted you’ sort of  feeling.”

Creating a game isn’t easy. ACE started learning to use applications like Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Unreal Engine and taught himself how to code. None of the work is tedious for someone like ACE. He finds joy in creating the characters, missions, and recreating iconic Toronto landmarks that make up the visuals of the game. 

Playing the game from the perspective of a raver, it has an open-world layout similar to games like GTA (Grand Theft Auto) and The Sims. You can customize your character and explore the city of Toronto while completing quests. In the next beta version, you also have a rhythmic gameplay mode. Similar to games like Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution, it will feature music and legends from the Toronto rave scene that aid you in participating in mini-games.

The decision to keep it so unapologetically Toronto was easy; nowhere else has the same lore as Toronto’s rave scene. “The city itself inspired the game,” says ACE as he tosses his hands up to indicate this was the most obvious answer. 

ACE recalls a Toronto Hardcore event. The music was loud, and the mosh pits were growing by the minute. Looking down at the crowd as they slammed their bodies into one another, ACE couldn’t help but laugh a little as the scene reminded him of when he used to play Super Smash Bros. Staring a little longer at the bodies being tossed around, he felt as if he was immersed in a game itself and he was the game master, “I remember just staring at the people dancing and thinking ‘Yo, are we just playing a fucking rave game right now?’”

This series of events led to ACE’s initial interest in creating the Toronto Rave Game. For ACE, raves are a form of rebellion and creativity. Creating this game is his own contribution to keeping that culture alive, “Although this city [Toronto] prides itself in having a large creative arts and culture repertoire, they do nothing to support it. The arts and culture in this city are, in a way, dying.” 

Ace is taking matters into his own hands. With the creation of Toronto Rave Game, he provides a whole new look into the city of Toronto, specifically the Toronto rave community. 

Basing many of the missions on his own experiences in the Toronto rave community, inspiration struck from simple tasks like loading equipment into his car from one venue to the next—to memorable ones such as figuring out which equipment he and his friends would grab if the cops who had been circling them like vultures decided to shut down their rave at Christie Pitts Park. 

ACE wanted to keep a retro feel to the game's animation to counteract the familiar feeling in the digital age of life moving too fast. “I don’t want it to be serious. The game is unserious. If you crash into a building and blood spews out everywhere, that’s not funny, is it? It’s a silly ass game, and I love that about it.”

After releasing the Beta 1.0 version in early January, ACE has found the game gaining traction online and making news headlines. The praise he has received so far for the game has been motivating, but along with praise comes criticism. Much criticism comes from people who have never played the game before. 

A simple Reddit post he made to gain insight into people’s opinions about his new idea led ACE to notice that the game was already gaining traction before its release. Many commenters were angered that ACE, at the ripe age of 26 and as someone who wasn’t old enough to experience the Toronto Hardcore scene during its golden era, was taking it upon himself to represent it in a virtual format. 

“People were leaving comments saying they had already played and that it sucks. This was before the first beta even dropped! How could they have even played the game?” ACE’s eyes widened as a tone of disbelief entered his voice, “If you’re gonna hate on it, that’s fine, but at least wait until it’s come out and you’ve played it,” he let out with a chuckle.

He is currently working on the new Beta 2.0 version, but its release date is still up in the air. Will it be before summer? ACE isn’t sure. He enjoys letting the creation process be free and flexible—strict deadlines aren’t something he sets for himself. Fresh elements have been added and over 100 characters will be unlockable. 

“I’ve been making character versions of all the Toronto Hardcore members,” says ACE. 

ACE has been collecting his own set of characters in real life. His partner in crime in every business endeavor: Tyrique Odie (TyriqueOrDie), alongside Lala GothicFish (Ms. GothicFish), Cleopatra (666pastel), and Angel Nayyar (Angelphroot) have been involved in all things Toronto rave that ACE can say have gone successfully.

“All of them have joined the team and have been the best to work with. We would play a gig together, and I would realize how awesome they were. Eventually, we created this little team together. It’s a group of talented people helping to keep the Toronto rave scene alive.”

Toronto used to be a hub for artists, but now, with the development of a new condo building every week and the cost of living skyrocketing, artists are being pushed out of the city left, right, and center. ACE hopes this game will generate conversation and maybe even grab the attention of Toronto’s Mayor, Olivia Chow. “I hope through this game, our story bleeds into people who [are in] positions of power to say, ‘we need to do something about this,’” he says.

“I hope this game can be a stepping stone to lifting up the collective arts in Toronto,” says ACE. According to ACE, the storyline is a historically accurate account and an optimistic vision for the future, following “the fall and hopeful rise of an artistic and livable city.” He adds, “I just hope young artists will see it and have some sort of hope in a future for themselves.”

Photos: Leo Tssiserev