5 Questions with Rags #20 - DJ Murge

July 13, 2015 by Blake Morneau in 5 Questions With Rags

If you've spent any time hitting shows around my hometown of Victoria, you've probably experienced the party-rocking power of the good homey, DJ Murge. One of the founding members of local legends the Stir-Fry Collective (RIP) and a Red Bull 3style Battle Champion, Murge has established chops as one of the best selectors and mixers around. I was supposed to hook up with him for a little Q&A a few weeks ago at the Tall Tree Music Festival, where he kicked ass (He even played Prince’s “Kiss.” Any DJ who gives me a chance to dance to Prince is a winner in my book.). But it was a festival and as is my usual outcome at such events, I missed him. But we live in the same city and he’s a rad dude, totally cool with my blowing it! I’m pumped we managed to do this, even late, because he’s a huge music-nerd, to the heart, just like me. UNITE!

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

This is awesome. I was with my dad when I bought it and I was pretty young, it was Michael Jackson Thriller on vinyl. I remember I played it and played it and played it. Well, actually my dad played it because he wouldn’t let me touch his stereo. <laughs>

I suppose it’s kind of redundant to ask if you still listen to it. I mean, it’s Thriller.

I still have it and still listen to it. I don’t know if I still have that original copy but I have a few copies kicking around the studio for sure. Lately my favourite track has been “Human Nature.” For some reason in the past few years that song has really rung true. I’ve had the opportunity to play it a few different chill sets and it’s working. Mos Def was at Montreaux Jazz Festival or something and he did a live version with his band that was super cool too. The other jams are still the jams – “Pretty Young Thing,” “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “Thriller” – but “Human Nature” as of late.

5 Questions with Rags #19 - Beat Fatigue

July 08, 2015 by Blake Morneau in 5 Questions With Rags

There are few things I love more these days than really funky electronic music anchored by a live instrument and few guys are doing it as well as Beat Fatigue. Coming from that bastion of freedom, Amsterdam, Beat Fatigue's guitar licks might just be funkier than his basslines - but they might not be. I'm torn on this one. Even though his name was on the headliner list for Shambhala, released some time ago, it was only in the last few weeks that I saw his name on there (Because I'm bad at reading things, apparently) and I've been pumped ever since. Lucky for me the good homey was down to get on the march to Shambhala with me and answer my ridiculous questions for all of your reading pleasure.

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1. Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money? Do you still listen to it? What format? Favourite track?

Haha, I have to dig very deep now…I think the first album I actually bought with my own money was Stevie Ray Vaughan’s ‘The Sky Is Crying’. I was obsessed with his version of "Little Wing" for quite a while, still am, actually. That dude played the blues like no other! I still listen to a lot of blues, it’s a language that really speaks to me.

5 Questions with Rags #18 - DJ Wood (Wood 'n' Soo)

July 06, 2015 by Blake Morneau in 5 Questions With Rags

Wood ‘n’ Soo are kind of a west coast institution. The duo has been dropping that good funky shit, with their 4 turntable attack, for years in and around the Vancouver area and beyond. If you need a consistently reliable funk-delivery system, Wood ‘n Soo are the guys you turn to in these parts. This was going to be a doubler with both homeys, but Soo has disappeared from my scope! I really hope he’s okay because I’m pumped to see them in just a few short weeks. (Gates open 29 days from the day of this posting!) So today, we’re going to bring a shorter but no less sweet entry of the 5 Questions with the other half of the duo, DJ Wood, who’s real name is Sherwood, which is unassailably badass.

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Since it’s time to be getting ready for Shambhala…Do you have a favourite Shambhala memory?

DJ Wood: 2005 I remember there was a flash rainstorm on Friday afternoon, just after we got there. It poured rain for like a half hour. It left so much water in the field that we saw people skimboarding in the grass on the field. There’s a lot of memories outside of just general merriment and good music. That’s the one that sticks out.

If you’re around the Farm make sure to catch the funky duo opening Fractal Forest at 4pm on Saturday (Before SCRATCH NIGHT!).

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

Wood: Probably would have been Run DMC Raising Hell. I’d probably have to say “Peter Piper” is my favourite track on there. It’s probably everybody’s favourite on there. Classic tune.

5 Questions with Rags #17 - SkiiTour

May 27, 2015 by Blake Morneau in 5 Questions With Rags

I didn’t know until late Thursday night of Shambhala 2014 that I enjoyed any form of house music. Unknowingly I enjoyed the fuck out of a house set earlier in the day and when I said later in the night to my DJ pal “This sounds like that SkiiTour I was telling you about from earlier.” “Oh, that’s house music.” And with that, because of the SkiiTour (Known in real life as Tim Livingstone and Dave Rollie), I discovered I like funky house music. And let me say, as of this writing, I don’t think I’ve found house DJs I enjoy more. As they dropped the most surprisingly wicked set I saw last year I’m stoked they into taking some time from creating more funky goodness in the ol’ studio to talk some shit about movies and kidnapping Graham Hancock to preserve the knowledge of humankind. They’ll be back on Shambhala this year (Back at the AMPhitheatre) and I’m pumped for them starting my road this year with the first of what’s hopefully a string of Shambs-related 5 Questions!

Fun fact: I accosted Dave Rollie at Shambhala after yelling simply “SkiiTour” and gave him a hug, then ran off into the night. I may have been influenced by intoxicants of some kind.

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

Rollie: My first record was Naughty By Nature (1991). My mom had to come by it for me. Record stores pushing Black music onto young white kids. I play music from it still quite a lot.

Tim: I can’t remember what mine was.

What was the last great album you bought then?

Rollie: Bought?!

All of us: <We were laughing!>

Okay, the last great album you got ahold of?

Tim: What was the last album I listened to cover to cover…Man, it’s so hard these days. Who has the attention span for a whole album? That’s a good question, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. We can come back to that. <We never did.>

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

March 27, 2015 by Blake Morneau in 5 Questions With Rags

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.