DJ
Jason Pelletier (Ottawa)
(www.stratagem-musik.com / www.dowhatchagotta.com)
Bio
With over 11 years of DJ experience, Jason Pelletier has established
himself as a House music expert and an important presence on a number
of local music scenes.
Jason began spinning on the East Coast, playing at early
ground-breaking raves and dance music events in Halifax and New
Brunswick. In 1994, Jason moved to Montreal to begin studies in
political science at Concordia University, while also expanding his
passion for DJing and House music. Being inspired by Montreal's club
scene, particularly by legendary clubs such as Royal, Playground and
Sona and the styles of Christian Pronovost, Mark Anthony and others,
Jason began playing and organizing small club events of his own and
holding weekly residencies at Montreal mainstays Blue Dog and Luba
Lounge.
After completing a Master's degree at Concordia, Jason moved to Ottawa
in 2001 where he quickly became active in the House scene, spinning at
several of the city's top clubs - including Mercury Lounge, Bar 56,
Helsinki, Space, etc - alongside many of Ottawa's veteran house DJs,
and also holding residencies in the Byward Market at MTL & Co. and
Paris Lounge. An example of Jason's unique style of funky house can
be found at www.stratagem-musik.com. A new mix is also in the works.
Recently, Jason has decided to revisit where it all started more than
a decade ago on the East Coast. He has been invited to spin at
premier clubs such as Velvet Olive, Reflections and Club Red in
Halifax, and the Liquid Ice in St. John's, NFLD. He will be returning
to Halifax again soon in November to spin at its newest afterhours
club, the Sub Rosa (www.subrosainfo.com). For more information or
booking, please contact jskilz@gmail.com
affiliations
Shamus Coghlan
Gemini Tranciever mix right click and save
Straight Up
Shamus has roots set in hip hop, cutting scratching, piecing together beats set him up for his unique and "straight up" techno style. Shamus not only has a degree in hip hop but also has credits in formal music training, studying guitar at an early age then studying Percussion at Lakehead university. Shamus is of Ukrainian/ Irish background early on he also took up traditional Ukrainian dancing, which later easily transferred into Break Dancing skills.
Shamus has one of the most eclectic musical pallets I have ever seen in anyone to justify this need shamus says; "I think art is a direct reflection of the individual and encompasses their experiences, to make a better artist you have to get closer to who you truly are". Shamus' eclectic tastes go much further than just the regular likes or dislikes of music, he has a love for the actual design of sound, sometimes respecting the artists skills but not actually liking the artists music. In fact music production is so crucial to Shamus he even put a successful DJ career on hold to study it.
Shamus' music production definitely reflects his fine ear for sound quality with delicate layers of sounds, customized sounds and shake yo ass rhythms. To hear Shamus spin is a real treat considering he is world class talent, and easily beats many of the headlining acts you hear at bigger events.
Raul Vargas (morse
code)
Change on 3 mix (right click and save)
For over eight years now Raul Vargas has been making ears smile with his tight mixing skills, an eye for crowd control and kick ass track selections. Raul on DJ'ing: "It's all about making them have a good time, let loose, live a little, forget their worries, even if only for a few hours ". To do this the Raul way, a mixture of Deep soulful house, bang'n house, tech house, acid house, techno and a dash of progressive is needed to produce the "perfect recipe". That recipe has landed him alongside "heavy hitters" in the industry such as Boo Williams, Deep Dish, John Acquaviva, Paul Edge, David Hollands and Q bert to name a few.
Raul has had experience working with commercial and community radio and is now lending a hand to the DV8network, an online radio station dedicated to grass roots and diversity.. Raul keeps busy, that's for sure, as he also works for one of the industry's best record labels, Ultrasound Recordings. As well, he is currently in negotiations to work with another label, Play Records. Raul is also in the midst of launching a clothing label called Do Whatcha Gotta (DWG for short) which is going to focus on making and selling clothes, as well as promoting lesser know artists from across Canada " I just got sick of going to all these big events and having the headlining DJ's suck ass". Now Raul is out to show people that there's a lot of damn good talent that you don't get to hear in the big clubs and events. Some of the talent working with DWG include Soundsyster, Douglas, Shamus, Gizmo, Eric Downer, Redxdown the Dukes and many more.
Associations:
Mike Steele
Mike spent the early years of his life growing up on the island of St.
Thomas listening to the Caribbean grooves of Calypso and Reggae. Without
the knowledge and availability of mixing equipment, Mike used a prehistoric
dual tape machine to edit the music and create a sound he enjoyed and
called his own. Jump forward 15 years and Mike is doing the same thing
today. Only now, he is living in Chicago and using a mixer, turntables
and records.
Mike moved to Chicago in the summer of 1994 and was immediately drawn to the thriving House music scene. Working at the legendary Gramaphone Records music shop for over three years, Mike received an invaluable education on the past, present and potential future sound of House music. It also provided the opportunity to experiment and fine tune his craft of mixing and EQing, as well as learn some of the skills from the worlds most talented DJ's and producers. This education has since made it possible for him to personally contribute to the ever-growing global House movement.
He has played at all the premier clubs in Chicago: Shelter, Crobar, Metro/Smart Bar, and Red Dog. He currently holds a weekly residency @ Domaine in Chicago, as well as monthly residencies at several other Chicago nightclubs. When not playing these venues, his high demand keeps him busy traveling throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. Past achievements also include regular guest appearances on Chicago radio 92.7 FM to help promote the underground House movement through the late night airwaves. Currently, Mike is one of a very select few to enjoy a residency on the XM Satellite Radio station "The Move" (ch. 80). XM is the nations first 24 hour commercial free digital satellite radio service broadcast from coast to coast! Mike can also be heard in the Chicago-land area on Q101FM's electronic show "Sonic Boom" every Saturday night.
When not traveling, mixing at a club or radio broadcast, or promoting his upcoming events, Mike finds himself hard at work in the studio creating his own beats and melodies taken from a vast library of sounds. The future looks very promising as Mike begins to release his own material this spring on his newly developed Lacquer Crackers record label. Lacquer Crackers will primarily focus on sounds ranging from Funk, Jazz and Disco to tribal rhythms and drums as well as tools and beats for DJ's and producers.
Relentless percussion, deep-energetic Chicago flavored House, and dubby-funky
House with a "freaky-funky-twist of Disco" are just a few ways
to describe Mike's unique sound. His sound constantly evolves making each
of his sets special. His seamless mixing style motivates a room to a point
where you think you've had enough, but then all of a sudden… there's
more! His music is a relentless Energizer; it keeps going & going
& going!
affiliations
VERGEL EVANS
In 1994 with a Juno106 and alot of free time, Vergel spent his nights
jamming with CDs of any music he could get his hands on. Initially as
a way to unwind from his day job, it was a pleasure to noodle with the
LFO and filters. Spending weekends in raves, clubs, and after hours of
the era, it took listening to bands like Nine Inch Nails, Stereolab, Thrill
Kill Kult, and KMFDM to finally inspire him to produce his own music.
Witha 486 running Cakewalk, and a couple of drum machines to his bedroom studio, his focus moved from following a track to creating his own. But unstructured, his material sounded more like chaotic drones with spastic drums behind them.
More recently it's taken over 3 years for him to finally come out of
hibernation. After producing a couple of underground gems with fellow
label mate Shamus Coghlan on the Humanjava label. Looking for a format
to share his new music Vergel sought out other artists with material to
share, the result is his latest project THEME:416.
THEME:416 is a 17 track mixed DJ set of un-signed Toronto artists. The mix, available for free or downloaded off the Internet, and is a techno set inspired by the energy that is Toronto. THEME:416 is a glimpse at some of the music produced by like-minded Toronto artists.
The level of production on each track is an astounding. And although Toronto has never been considered a Techno Mecca, this and other products like it raise the opinion of what Toronto has to offer. This selection of tracks and the artists who created them are an example of true techno fans that lurk just off the radar.
SOUND
SYSTER
From Fredericton, New Brunswick this Gal can really throw down, her style leans toward the techy and proggy but yet still remain within very funky sounds of house. Always a crowd pleaser wherever she is plays, she has played at all the major clubs across Atlantic Canada and is now ready for exploitation across the rest of Canada. Sound Syster knows what she is doing, having skills which have brought her opportunities to play alongside some of the most influencial movers and shakers in our scene including Collette, Paranoid Jack, Steve Smooth and Paul Edge to name a few. If being a shit hot DJ is not enough Sound Syster also runs one of the most solid nights in the east coast, Ultrasonic Saturdays, which take place at the chestnut club in Fredericton. Make sure and Check out her "show me your funky" mix CD and a yet to be named new mix which is set for release this summer
.
Isis Graham
HOUSE MUSIC ALL NIGHT LONG!!
One of Calgary's best kept secrets, Isis Graham, is a House DJ with a mission. Ever since that first gig back in early 2000 at the then popular after-hours club Soul Tattoo. Since then, she has played numerous club nights and parties all over the city, and has even had the opportunity to show Calgary what House music is all about. Known for her quality House music and her ability to evoke an array of emotions within her sets, keeping the dancefloor enticed with her sweet sounds. Isis is set to become one of Calgary's most in-demand DJ's.
From deep and jazzy to funky and groovy house to rhythmic tribal house, this is one DJ that has her record bag packed and ready to rock any dance floor no matter where the venue. Inspired while dancing to countless sets by local hero's Jon Delerious, Anwar, and Mel Reyes, as well as outside big name acts like Derrick Carter, Miss Honey Dijon, and DJ Sneak, Isis has been influenced and educated by the best of them.
From the tender age of 4 while making her own brand of mix tapes complete with the vocalization of popular nursery rhymes, Isis Graham has known that performing and music was her true calling.
DJ LOKE, aka
Roberto Laso, has been playing since 1995, honing his skills from playing
parties and weeklies all over Ontario.. He has played gigs at most of
the main locations in the city of Toronto. Loke's musical library contains
every type of music as early as the 40s but it is late 60s funsoul and
late 80s/early 90s HipHop that he spins most. “I love beats, and
lyrics and the music from back then has been sampled into the music of
the golden era of Rap which is the dopest"Lately Loke has focused
his energy into being a better scratcher and has landed gigs with bands
and on his own, showcasing the premier mixing artform, turntablism. In
his own words he lists his influences,
“I guess it was the deejays on the radio, CHRY, CKLN that influenced me the most, DaddyRock, Mastermind, X, and seeing Serious, Morgan and Son of S.O.U.L. playing live at Lola’s was another. I started purchasing vinyl around that time and my first gig was my radio show on Radio Glendon at YORK’s Finch campus. Then my older brother took me to a rave and I got an appreciation for blending and setting up sets. International superstar DJ’s as well as Mark Oliver Sunday Nights at PowerBar when he was REAL Dope. I got into turntablism since they had the Metro MixOffs at Driftwood right in JaneFinch! Then I saw Roc Raida live and I knew I had to practice to get to the level where I am now… but I ain’t done yet.”
The next step for LOKE is production, he finally has gotten some gear to make his own distinct sounds. You can rest assured his newest mixes will reflect his knack for dropping tight, party-rocking sets with a little flare or fade-out thrown in for good measure. A real treat to see live, LOKE, is ready to rock the house.
"A DJ
can communicate with you through his music and take you into another world.
You feel the base pumping through your body and it takes you into a "swirl".
The DJ is all around you and at that moment you know that he's saying
"You Belong to Me . . ."
Morgan Starr
If you don't believe in magic it's because you've never witnessed DJ Morgan Starr perform his. He creates a powerful elixir of funky and deep house blended with a dose of classic 80's house remixes, driving beats and a touch of breaks leaving all those within earshot powerless against the urge to move.
You can get a taste of the Morgan flavour at Room471 where he's been showcasing his savoury sounds from 10:30-4:30am every Saturday night. He's also been spicing things up across Toronto: making monthly cameo appearances at System Soundbar and playing special events at select venues like Roxy Blu, NASA, and Butt'r.
Morgan first unleashed his talents as a musical seducer over the frequencies of CFBU Radio as a regular guest on the Trancidental Force. Before lending his talents to the ears of Toronto, Morgan spent two years spinning at Vinyl and Vivid in St. Catherine's.
Since his Toronto debut at the Inside Lounge VIP room (2002), Morgan has been moving the masses as the resident DJ at Apothecary, Sugar's Saturday night resident "special guest", Saturday night resident in the side-room of the infamous System Sound Bar (2003) as well as making regular appearances at Element bar and Red Square. 2003 also saw Morgan's international debut at Opium in Buffalo.
This young DJ's talent is hard to miss: he's already had the chance to share venues with the likes of DJ's Mark Farina, Miss Honey Dijon, and Mike Conradi. Morgan's energy is evident in his tireless dedication his chosen métier. Besides club and radio appearances, he also plans, promotes and plays his own events opening for greats like DJ De-koze.
The summer of 2004 saw the official release of Morgan Starr's fourth CD "Lemon Silhouettes." Showcasing his versatility with the flavourful sounds of French house, electro and harder high-energy house. Lemon Silhouettes is available in select venues in Toronto.
For booking information or to obtain a copy of Lemon Silhouettes please
contact : morganstarr@eqqu.com
DJ JAMIE KIDD
After spending much of his youth sneaking into bars to perform in various
rock projects, Jamie Kidd's musical passion led him to begin studying
Jazz Bass Performance and Composition at Humber College in 1997. Inspired
by the works of Frank Zappa, Parliament, and Miles Davis, there he would
compose and arrange for 15 piece ensembles as well as perform on the electric
and upright bass under the guidance of several outstanding professionals.During
his last year at college, Kidd performed regularly with a jazz quartet
but began falling into a real obsession with electronic music, mainly
techno- Aphex Twin, Amon Tobin, Monolake and Matthew Herbert.
After graduating with honors in 2000, Kidd began experimenting with synthesizers and sequencers and eventually invested in a small computer based studio with which he then began creating his own brand of ambient techno comprised of mainly drum machines, FM synthesizers and live bass lines. After composing soundtracks for student films, Kidd was contacted by Kevin Sutton who asked him to compose music for his spoken word poetry. Together they collaborated on a project called 'oceansphinx' for which Kidd performed several electronic live P.A.s, culminating with a release of an E.P. and a performance at Om Festival 2002.During this time Kidd began feeding his new addiction and started amassing a record collection, allowing him to improvise with the turntables, effects and a laptop. Kidd believes that his love for jazz led him to techno, as both are guideline and formula-less, “allowing for the continual evolution of a central theme through improvisation.” “The only constant,” he believes, “is the need for rhythm to fuel the interaction.”
In September 2002, Jamie joined The Chameleon Project, a live drum and bass/dub/funk quartet combining jazz harmonies with the propulsive rhythms of electronic music. This was the creative outlet Kidd needed at the time, allowing him to groove freely, using his knowlege of jazz principles and electronic music to form the backbone of the band's multi-textured sound. The group performed frequently at nightclubs and jazz festivals, often for 3 hours a show. A human metronome on stage, Kidd lead the band with his mean bass lines while dropping various samples from a laptop or atmospheric elements from a synth. In November 2003, The group went on to release their first album, 'stereoscopic', a collection of 5 no-overdub studio tracks, 3 live recordings and a breaks remix done by Kidd himself.Still challenging todays obsession with over-genrefication, Kidd is curently working on new material to be released in 2005 while still DJing at techno, breaks and electro parties- sharing his love of music with open ears, while spreading it to curious ones.
affiliations