5 Questions with Rags #16 - Jon H. of Fort Knox Five

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Near the end of one of the nights at my first Shambhala I was standing around idly in Fractal Forest while my friends made a plan. (I had no knowledge of electronic music of any kind and was relying on them to take me to the right spots.) I was nodding my head, seemingly more engaged than my friends, and I asked Hingle McCringleberry, my Guide to the Cosmos, who was on stage. “I think it’s Fort Knox Five,” he replied. “They’re pretty good.” I don’t know why that name stuck in my head, but it did and they were among the first acts I started to explore when I got back to homebase. A couple years in and they remain one of my go-tos when I need something to bob my head or shake my rump to. They’re a wholly accessible entry-point for those that find the electronicness of EDM a bit overwhelming at first. I mean, they’re into it, it’s there, but those hip-hop and funk bases are always there and remain the anchor at all times, which is right where I like it to be. Their ongoing Funk the World series is an endless stream of world-beat gems set to groovy hip-hop beats and isn’t to be missed. Now I present this weeks 5 Questions with the good homey Jon Horvath of the mighty FORT KNOX FIVE.

Keep up with all the funky goings-on on the FKF souncloud page.

1. If the world was ending and you got to save one piece of culture, to preserve for future peoples, what would you take?

Honestly, the most important things in life are love, humanity and, to musicians, probably music. It’s going to have be something music-related. It could be a drum, maybe. Bypassing those first two things, music is definitely the most important thing in my life.

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5 Questions with Rags #15 - HighKicks

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Anyone who knows me knows I’m not a big fan of Calgary. The couple times I’ve been there haven’t been stellar. I never feel like I fit in, but apparently I’ve been going to the wrong places there because this is the city that helped breed HighKicks, stonerfuzzrock extraordinaires. (Also, Calgary is home to Sled Island, a thing I should probably be going to sometime soon.) These guys kick way more ass than any two people have the right to be kicking with their catchy, brash Keys-esque rock ‘n’ roll. I didn’t know who they were until a few weeks ago but I’m super glad to know them and their music now and hope that you have just as much fun getting to know them as I have been.

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1. Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money?

Danny: This is totally dating myself but the first album I bought with my own money was back in the days of Columbia House. Among others on that list was License to Ill by Beastie Boys and, I’m not even ashamed to say it, but Bobby Brown’s album from that time, whatever the title was.

Whatever, man. Bobby Brown had some great stuff. “Humpin’ Around” still kicks ass.

D: I know, right? It’s great. I wanted some parachute pants right then.

Did you ever manage to fulfill that dream?

D: <laughs> Yes I did, actually. There was this bullshit in our local mall called Stitches where you could get all the black and white rayon shirts the kids were wearing and girls could get $5 pleated skirts. And I nailed down some rayon/silk parachute pants when I was in junior high. Everyone gives Hammer credit but I think it was Bobby Brown who kicked it off.

Matt: Mine was Appetite for Destruction by Guns ‘n’ Roses on CD. I still listen to it. I’m happy with my first choice. To this day it still sounds pretty kickass.

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5 Questions with Rags #14 - Chali 2na

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Chali 2na is a hip-hop renaissance man. His artistic output is constant and while it varies many platforms, the quality never does. When you see the 2na name attached to something you know it’s going to be honest, vital and full of passion…which is pretty much all you need from good art. With so many years in the game, the Verbal Herman Munster is a pillar of Hip-Hop culture. He has murals displayed all over the world, is a founding member of both Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli, and continues to release top-shelf hip-hop under his own moniker. Always a pleasure to talk to, full of laughs and insight, Chali was one of the reasons I started to truly love hip-hop nearly two-decades ago and I couldn’t be more stoked or feel more privileged to get some more time with the man. Enjoy our latest, and possibly greatest, chat. Props to the Verbal Dinosaur, Hip-Hop royalty, Chali 2na.

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1. Do you remember the first album you bought with you own money?

Yep. It wasn’t an album, it was a single. It was called “Hey You” by the Rocksteady Crew. I bought it not because I liked the song, Crazy Legs and them might hate me right now, but I didn’t really like the song, but I’m a graffiti artist at heart and the cover of the album was drawn by one of the Rocksteady Crew members named Doze. Doze is helluva graffiti writer and he did characters of each member on the cover. I was in love with and I was like, “Damn, I wanna learn to draw things like that!” So I bought the album and that was the first purchase I made. I had to save up to get it. Then next one I got was “Renegades of Funk.” Once again I saw the cover before I heard the song and thought, “Oooh! This is amazing, I want this!” When I heard the song I was like, “Oh yeah, I’m really getting this on. This is crazy.”

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5 Questions with Rags #13 - DJ Nu-Mark

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It’s kind of amazing how much DJ Nu-Mark has permeated the world inside my ears throughout the majority of my life. Jurassic 5 was one of my big four of hip-hop that made me truly love the genre. “I Know, Didn’t I” from his amazing album with Pharcyde’s Slimkid3 last year, immediately found a special place in my heart, finding me at a particular time in my life. Most importantly, last year at Shambhala he gave my brother and I our “bonding set.” That one special set that both of us were looking forward to more than anything else. Holy shit, it was amazing. The guy put on a damned class in the History of Groove. While the set was criminally under-attended, my brother and I danced our faces off in front of those speakers, loving every single choice the good Uncle Nu made. I was lucky enough to get to talk to him before that set for the Martlet and even luckier to get some of his time here for y’all. Big props to one of the greats in the world of DJs and just an all-around cool cat, DJ Nu-Mark.

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1. Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money? What medium was it? Do you still have it? Does it still hold up for you?

Yeah, the first album I bought was U.T.F.O.'s first self titled LP.  I still have it although it's pretty beaten up from multiple 80's house parties.  Can't really play it out now but it is for sure a Hip Hop classic.  Roxanne Roxanne was the big hit.

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5 Questions with Rags #12 - The Gaff

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For some while now, the Gaff has been one of Western Canada’s foremost purveyors of funky goodness, rocking dancefloors all around our great land. He’s also a really cool, interesting cat. (Peep the profile I wrote about him earlier this year for the Martlet.) I’m still fairly new to the DJ world and sometimes I feel like I’m some kind of infiltrator (Though I’m really just a student) but not talking to the Gaff. Maybe it’s because so much of his roots are here at home base in Victoria and we move at a similar speed, but really who knows. As the Rock would say, “It doesn’t matter!”

The Gaff’s soundcloud is an endless smorgasbord of tasty delights that can get you through any day, good or bad, with an extra bounce in your step. You should listen to it.

You should also check out his other soundcloud, for his label Do It With Soul, because it’s his label and shares his groovy, groovy aesthetic.

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1. Do you remember the first album you purchased with your own money?

The first one that ever purchased…It was N.W.A. Straight Outta Compton. It got  stuck in my parent’s cassette deck in the car and I got in trouble from my parents.

 2. If you had to choose between keeping your sight and your hearing, which one would you go with?

 I’ve thought about that many, many times. I would have to say my sight. If you turn music up loud enough you can feel it anyways. You don’t necessarily feel melody as much but you do feel rhythm, especially if you get a good sound system with lots of bass. I would choose my sight because to function in this world would be so hard and there are so many beautiful things to see. I’d go for sight.

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