Album Review: ‘Diaspora’ by Dom Dias

Toronto DJ Dom Dias had a big, productive 2025. He released three whole albums, the most recent being DIASPORA. Dias has been kicking around the Toronto music scene for a while now, first releasing music in 2015. With a decade in the industry and this recent run of albums, he’s proven to be a consistent creative who knows the value of making a good enough product. And in a timely fashion too. 

This new album asks an amusing question: What if it was still 2017? What if we were all in the beautiful, snowy city of Toronto, in a club, together? DIASPORA is an homage to Toronto’s night life and history of pop, dance, hip-hop, and R&B music greatness. This album is reminiscent of Views, More Life, and Starboy, not only in its music, but in its feeling. That being, nostalgia for a time in pop music when the spotlight was on Toronto and its biggest stars. On the flip side, if you don’t like house music and you don’t want to feel like you’re stuck in 2017, this album may be a bore. 

Dias’s use of multi-lingual vocal samples is my favorite aspect of the album. My favorite tracks that tap into this are “FAVELA25” and “HIGHEST.” “FAVELA25” samples a gruff, male voice and the vocal processing and production is very engaging. “HIGHEST” goes in the opposite direction, sampling a high-pitched, manic shriek of a vocal. It sounds like a little man yelling in your face, which is great. These two tracks are quite thrilling because of the uniqueness of the vocal samples they are based on, and the beats and production compliments them. 

The second half of the album moves to a more mellow space. For example “WILL I EVER SEE YOU AGAIN?” has a smooth, beat-driven melancholy. A phone rings faintly in the background of the song. Unfortunately, like much of the album, the phone call does not demand the listener’s attention, it simply floats by. The longest track “HELIOS” taps into a similar, distantly sad sound. 

Dias is clearly a talented producer, balancing artistry and economy. He’s able to produce dance music, hip hop, and so on. The whole operation is slick and does the job, but it’s the pure utility of the music that leaves me unsatisfied. The smoothness and same sounds lead me to believe that the album is destined for a much less glamorous place than a Toronto club dancefloor. 

Because this album suffers from a lack of adventurousness, it doesn’t produce any truly transcendent dance songs. It feels like going through the motions. For example, on the first track “UR LOVE,” the perfectly manicured and processed singer sings of heartbreak, but not with heartbreak. The next track “MY MIND” does a similar thing. 

I would recommend this album to lovers of music from the beautiful, vibrant city of Toronto. This is for anybody who loves dance and house music and wants to get into more Canadian artists. I’d also recommend Dias’ wider work as producer to Canadian hip hop fans. I hope he keeps up his productive streak in 2026.