I make art & SMOOTHSTRANGER is my late night alias. Tune into Midnight Drive monthly. Follow the signal. No map. Just motion.
The road gets smoother the faster you go. Sascha Yamash*ta is a Japanese-Canadian DJ and visual artist based in Toronto. A fixture behind the decks since 2001, he began his journey under the alias The Sly Virus before emerging as the SMOOTHSTRANGER—a late-night sonic driver known for immersive sets that cruise through electro, indie-dance, synthwave, vaporwave, and house. Whether headlining intima
te after-hours or large-scale festivals like Festivus (4 years), Electric Love, and ValhallaFest, Sascha has built a reputation for delivering nostalgic, forward-looking sounds that feel like headlights cutting through the fog. Before relocating to Toronto, he was deeply embedded in Vancouver’s music and arts scenes. His DJ sets were featured at many of the city’s premier art events—including Takashi Murakami’s birthday bash (with Mix Master Mike), opening for Tokyo’s experimental pop trio Trippple Nippples, the Vancouver Art Gallery’s monthly FUSE nights, Polygon Gallery’s opening gala, and Emily Carr University’s grad celebrations. As a visual artist, Sascha has exhibited widely across BC, with work shown at The Back Gallery Project (now Monica Reyes Gallery), Gallery 1.6, and most recently, Robert Lynds Gallery. Known for confronting themes and bold compositions, his work is both challenging and highly regarded among peers and critics. From 2008–2013, Sascha also ran Gallery Atsui (later renamed Fukai) as owner, director, and curator. Located in East Vancouver, the space hosted over 50 exhibitions and featured the work of more than 250 artists—many of them emerging, unrepresented, or closely tied to the local underground scene. Today, the SMOOTHSTRANGER continues to blur the lines between art, music, and motion. Tune into his monthly podcast, Midnight Drive, released every first Friday at midnight EST—available wherever you stream.
07/24/2025
Hey
Down to the last couple of days to vote for me to get the opportunity to DJ at Torontos legendary Comfort Zone after hours!
Just have a listen to my Mix below!!! If you've got time like and share it - all those actions help my possibilities to play.
One final signal through the static... My mix for August’s CZ DJ Contest — carved in shadows, built for those who ride the night. Let it play. Let it pull you under. Maybe you'll hear what I buried be
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Sascha Yamash*ta attended Emily Carr University of Art & Design (now Emily Carr University), graduating in 2000 with a degree in drawing & printmaking. Post graduation, he continued to work for many commercial art galleries and volunteered at artist-run centres. While in university and after, he maintained a strong showing career partaking in many benchmark exhibitions for the Vancouver arts community.
In 2008, along with friends Alex Grewal and Todd Nickel, started Gallery Atsui, a personally funded, exhibition space catering to unrepresented and under-exposed contemporary artists. Gallery Atsui served the Vancouver arts community for two years, whereupon Sascha Yamash*ta continued the journey alone as the Owner and Director of the aptly renamed Gallery Fukai. After five extremely successful years, Yamash*ta felt he had accomplished every goal he had set out to with the Gallery Astui/Fukai project. The gallery closed its doors in 2013. During the galleries five year run, it hosted over 50 shows, exhibiting the work of over 250 artists.
Sascha Yamash*ta has returned his focus to his art production and DJ’ing careers. He currently lives on Bowen Island, BC and has shown extensively throughout the province and across North America. While his subject matter may be challenging or confrontational to some, he is well-regarded by his peers and critics alike.
Sascha Yamash*ta’s work has previously has been represented at The Back Gallery Project, Gallery 1.6, and most recently Robert Lynds Gallery, all located in Vancouver.
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Often described as clever while behind the decks, The Sly Virus has built a reputation on the west coast with his infectious style best described as ‘deep disco’. Seventeen plus years of performance experience, fuelled by a lifetime’s insatiable appetite for musical stimulation, drives his often extended DJ sets. His selection of dance floor friendly, disco shaded house tracks, blended together with long mixes define his unique style, never failing to deliver.
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Aleksandr Sly focuses his musical choices in deep, melodic and ethereal electronic music to give his audiences a sophisticated and emotional experience on the dance floor.
Drawing inspiration from the undeniable emotional impact of music in film and television, he meticulously curates his DJ sets and through long mixes and impeccable blends he shapes an impactful aural experience that transcends the listener into the beyond.
