5 Questions with Rags #59 - Jennay Badger

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Earlier this year a friend sent me a message that said “Check out this new, dope Neon Steve mix.” I put it on and it was decidedly awesome. But something didn't sound right. Turns out the fantastical futurefunkydisco mix was the work of one Jennay Badger, the release of her set from the first instalment of the quarterly party “Neon Steve & Friends.” A glaring example of my surprising musical ignorance, I've come to find out that Badger is a fixture in the Vancouver Island bass scene. Her masterful Djing skills have kept her appearing all over the place to deliver her tasty, funky delights and her even more masterful (?) dancing abilities led her to founding INFLUX Dance Troupe, the finest of dance troupes I've come across. “I created Influx after I had tried out for a couple of different dance troupes. I was, reading in between the lines, being called overweight. That really hurt me, really hit home. I decided that that wasn't going to stop me,” says Badger of the formation of my favourite dance crew. “I don't believe that a person's weight really identifies how strong of a dancer they are. I didn't want to sit there and do nothing about it. Jamie Gib and I got to talking, he's also on the bigger spectrum himself and tried dancing with a bunch of different groups himself. I've also noticed that almost no groups at all have taken on any men full time. We got to talking and while Influx started as my vision, Jamie helped me bring it to life.” Influx is the next step in the natural evolution of Badger's ever-growing prominence in the West Coast bass community. With that in mind I decided to eschew our traditional opening question and to just jump right into the heavy stuff.

1. If you could only choose Djing or dancing for the rest of your life, which would you hang onto?

Fuck you. <laughs> Some people might say, “First and foremost, you're a DJ,” but that's just because they don't know my dancing background. I've been dancing ever since I was a child. My mom used to take me to music festivals when I was literally 2 years old. She used to drive me all across Canada in a school bus that she made into a kitchen. So, it was a kitchen, my bedroom and my home, all in one. We did that until I was about 6. I'd go missing and I'd sneak up onto the stage and she'd turn around and I'd be up there. I remember one time I was about 6, I was up there with some big black Louisiana woman and her band. They were holding me in their arms while they were performing. So, I've always been into dancing. I couldn't afford to do dance class, but there was dance teacher in Campbell River who saw that I was really good at dancing, so she offered to have me come to the studio and do hip-hop classes every Sunday for free, which was fucking amazing. I'm super grateful for that.

Around 2007, my mom actually took me to my first rave, in Cowichan. My mom and my uncle lived on this property in Cowichan Bay. It was near a place called The Barn, it was really well-known in the scene here. That's where I started going when I was 11. My mom would keep an eye on me. I had to be home and in bed by 10, but my mom brought me because I loved dancing so much. I was just going for the dancing and eventually, when I was around 14 or 15, I started Djing. I was just around it all the time. I love Djing so much, but I love dancing so much. Through Djing, I get to express my more masculine side. I feel like I'm The Man up there. Dancing brings out a little more femininity in me. I don't love either Djing or dancing more than the other, they're both one for me.

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5 Questions with Rags #36 - Michael Goldwasser, aka GOLDSWAGGER

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If you’ve been keeping up with reggae in the last decade, you’ve probably come across the name Michael Goldwasser. One of the founders of Easy Star Records and architects all of those wonderful Easy Star All Stars records everyone loves so much (Radiodread, Dub Side of the Moon, Thrillah, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band), Goldwasser is one of the most knowledgable and passionate musicians I’ve come across in my years of writing and learning about music. He taught me about reggae is, within itself, a Jewish music. But it’s not just reggae music the dude knows. He knows his funk, his groove. That love of deep groove has birthed his latest creation, GOLDSWAGGER. This stuff is straight harddiscofunk fire, slathered in wet, sticky soul. Recorded properly, with live instruments and real musicians.

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

I can’t say it was 100% my own money, but it was the first album I ever chose to buy…I’ve never done this before or since, but I ordered this album from a television ad. It was called Living In These Star Warz. It was music inspired by Star Wars. In my imagination as a little kid, I somehow thought it was going to be STAR WARS. But really, what it turned out to be – man, I wish I could find this album. Maybe it’s at my parents’ house, but it’s not in my record collection – but it turned out to be songs inspired by Star Wars. There was a song called “A Respirator for Darth Vader.” It was kind of “Another One Bites the Dust” vibe, but with a lot of heavy breathing. There was a song called “Chewie the Rookie Wookie,” that I still remember. And the theme song, the title track, “Living in These Star Warz.” I thought it was so cool – music that I love and Star Wars.

The first single I bought was “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” by Billy Joel which is kind of hilarious because I don’t really listen to rock ‘n’ roll or care about it as a genre. I knew that song because my sister liked Billy Joel and she had all the albums so I would hear it in the house. But I also had a counselor at my day camp who loved that song and used to make all the campers in my group sing it all the time. That’s the power of music. They say if you can get someone to hear a song 10 times they’ll think that they like it, whether they do or not. That’s why you have recording companies paying to have songs on the radio. I don’t know why but I remember thinking that I had to buy the record and I bought the ’45 single of “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me.”

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5 Questions with Rags #31 - DJ Roast Beatz

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Ghetto Funk was my way into the vast world of electronic music. A few years in and I’m still sold on the easy grooving sounds that the label/genre has spawned. You can imagine my giddiness when the Ghetto Funk Podcast started showing up on their soundcloud page early last year. In this case, a podcast worked like it was supposed to and I sought out the maker of the ‘cast. Well, the man behind that wonderful funky document is DJ Roast Beatz and man, this guy knows what’s up. Steeped in hip-hop goodness, Roast Beatz’ mixes and tracks reside in that lovely middle-ground that all party-goers can agree on. It’s taken nearly a year for this little chat to see the light of day, but now, I present to you dear friends, DJ ROAST BEATZ.

“The only thing I’d say about any music is just keep it funky, with meaning. That’s what makes us dance, nod our heads, learn things about life, come to terms with things and sing the tune the next day. Whether your using a drum kit or a drum machine, synth or trumpet, if it’s funky people will get down to it.”

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Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money? Fav track? Does it still hold up?

With my own money? Either a Jacko album or 3 Feet High and Rising. They were both on tape. My first vinyl was Fugees’ The Score. Favourite track is a tough one. I haven’t bumped much Jacko lately, would either be “Smooth Criminal” or “Bille Jean.” These days I’m more of a Jackson 5 kind of guy! 3 Feet High and Rising, is too hard to pick. De La had a massive impact on my life, especially De La Soul is Dead. That album got me through some really hard times as a kid. I’ve only just started to grasp the albums importance in my life as I’ve got older and faced a lot of shit from the past. 

Favourite from 3 Feet though? Either “Buddy,” “Change in Speak,” “Eye know” or “Say No Go.” “Buddy” is more for the remix, “Change in Speak” for the Cymande sample. “Eye Know” always reminds me of Daewon songs skate section in World Industries New World order. And “Say No Go” is just an absolute banger! I still play all the De La songs regularly in my sets.

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