Steven, tell Canadians about the scene in Winnipeg,
who are the players? (Venues, promoters, leading
DJs)
DJ’s in this city who are really pushing it for the dance music scene
would be Hollywood Hype, Readymix, Drux and Ric Hard. Promoters
would de?nitely be Sound Republic, Readymix and Bassface
entertainment. Venues ?rst and foremost Exchange Event Centre
for bringing in world-class DJs every month since 2008 (check out
their infamous wall of DJ signatures). Other venues worth noting
are Stereo Nightclub and Opera Ultralounge.
We always like to know about the early years of
artist’s careers, what brought you to where you are
today?
I caught the “dance music virus” when I was about 15 years old. I
found out about underground parties and afterhours through friends
and it was really the only place that I can go out and party at that
time with live EDM DJs since I wasn’t old enough to get into clubs.
My ?rst time at an EDM event (Seductive 2006 feat. Anne Savage),
I instantly fell in love with the scene, the people and especially
the music. After that I wanted to attend as many as possible and
thanks to Soundwave Entertainment (Now called Sound Republic)
and Stephen Hua this city has seen many world-class dance music
acts come in. I soon met who is now one of my closest friends, DJ
Hollywood Hype who was a resident DJ at the afterhours. I had a
knack for ?nding music, especially exclusive bootlegs and edits so
I would always request songs or send him songs I would want to
hear (how ironic now that I DJ and dread requests, haha). Then one
day I had a thought, if I always want to hear these songs and in a
particular order, why shouldn’t I just try to DJ. I used up whatever
money I saved up, bought a pair of used CDJs and a mixer and it was
like I hit an epiphany. This is what I wanted to do for the rest of my
life.
With dance music exploding in popularity and new
aspiring artists arriving on the scene daily, what
advice could you offer young artists still looking to
get their ?rst gig(s)?
Always take your ?rst gig as serious any job interview. No one may
tell you they are looking for a new resident DJ but they’ll notice
when you mess up and when you do an amazing mix. If you can
bring something to the table that’s current with a different twist
and it’s got that wow factor, you’ll keep landing yourself more gigs.
Always follow the herd but observe from the outside.
DJ Mag Canada will be in Winnipeg in December,
what are three MUST EXPEREICNE venues, three MUST
TASTE restaurants and three MUST DO experiences?
Venues: Exchange Event Centre, Stereo Nightclub and
Opera Nightclub
Restaurants: Deer + Almond, Deseo Bistro and Café Dario
Experiences: Ice-skating at the Arctic Glacier Park located in The
Forks, Festival of Trees and Lights in early December and any Sound
Republic event in December (112, DJ Bl3nd, and more)
When you are not working on music, what drives you?
(Hobbies, other interests etc+)
Reading up on music blogs, watching/reading interviews and
especially listening to and watching live sets from DJs just to hear
how they mix and how they program.
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