Kentsuji x Conscious Wave - Vinyl Mix & Interview


Happy New Year everyone!

Thank you for sticking with us through an extremely quiet 2022. Such a quiet year has certainly made it feel like an eternity since our last deep dive into a Conscious Wave feature. For this one we had the pleasure of sitting down with the Montréal-based vinyl DJ Kentsuji, aka Amine and spoke about his journey with music, growing up in the scene, collecting records and getting into mixing. A heads up that this mix is straight vibes and comes through with some proper vinyl bass education. 

We decided to make this one another Q&A style feature since the last few went so well. If you like this style be sure to check out two previous Q&A gems with Sof Silva and Fanza.

Finally, don't forget that you can download our Deep Tempo Podcast supported 2022 New Year Compilation [A/V] for free here. You can also catch us every four weeks live on Sub FM radio (Thursdays from 7-9PM ET), as well as listen to ALL of our archives here.

Be sure to support us by liking, sharing and subscribing to all of our socials so you don't miss out on all of our updates and future projects in 2023! <3


With that out of the way let's get into our FIRST mix feature and full interview of 2023 !!




Hey Amine, thanks for doing this again with us! For our followers who may not know you, I wanted to hear a bit about your background as well as where your DJ name comes from to start. Were you born and raised in Montréal?

I was born and raised in Algeria. I arrived in Montreal at the age of 10 and have never moved since! My parents are Berber (an ethnic group indigenous to North Africa), therefore aside from French & English I can understand a bit of that language, as well as some Algerian Arabic. As for my DJ name, it is inspired by Kinsugi (“a traditional Japanese pottery repair technique in which lacquer mixed with precious metals is used to fill cracks and replace missing pieces”) and is a little spin on the spelling. I feel like a parallel could be made with humans and music to a certain extent… like our life experiences that break us are what make us unique. Certain songs remind me of that. It’s a little deep but when I discovered it I was looking for DJ name so it was like the stars were aligning!


Very cool on the DJ name! I also had no idea you were born outside of Canada. I seem to be learning that about a lot of people that we sit down with! Tell me a bit about your roots and how you got into dubstep.

I discovered dubstep around 2010 and I was mind blown! I had a high school friend who had good quality headphones and we used to get super stoned and listen to songs while passing them back & forth. We were already listening to old Tempa, DMZ, Deep Medi and such on YouTube back in those days. I was only 16 then... time flies.


That is quite a long time to be into the genre, certainly longer than myself! It's no secret that Montréal is a hotspot for events. Tell us a bit about the first events you discovered growing up there.

Seriously, Montréal has such a unique vibe. I started going out and looking for events in the underground music scene when I was about 19 years old. Back then it was the time to experiment so I went to all kinds of parties. I experienced everything from psytrance parties to heavy dubstep events at Le Belmont, featuring artists like Excision and SkisM. Even though I went to all kinds of underground events I always had a particular interest and special feeling when I heard the deep wubs.




I think a lot of us who got into dubstep thru the underground share a similar experience (especially in Montréal)! How did you get into collecting records and why?

Ironically, in the beginning collecting records for me was a way to limit my spending. I told myself that I would be better off supporting artists and owning music than drinking overpriced liquor at the club. It also stopped me from overspending on digital music. When you have to spend over $20 per record, your money can go fast. You have to discipline yourself and be more selective. Also with so many DJs out there I wanted to do something a little less common in our scene.


Interesting, that is not what I expected! How did you make that transition from collecting records into DJ'ing? Did you start getting into the underground EDM scene in Montréal before you started mixing?

Yes, I was part of the crowd for about 6 years before giving it a try. I bought two turntables to start learning how to scratch. After owning the gear it was a natural transition to start being interested in mixing. I started out messing with jazz hop, instrumental stuff and hip hop. Scratching also ended up being a gateway to playing out.


I certainly agree it's less common in our scene though I always love seeing those skills on display! Do you remember your first gig?

Yes, it was actually 6 years and 1 day ago! Jules (Kobil) was leaving for a month to go to New Zealand and Melek (who used to work behind the bar at Backstage) threw a party for the occasion. She invited me to come play some tunes. 


How did that gig go and how did you feel about your first set?

I will always remember being told that it was both a solid, yet eclectic set. I laughed because I certainly didn't think it was great. I thought it was too diverse with no substance if that makes sense but others certainly didn't think so. I was obviously a bit more self-conscious and less satisfied with my creative work back then.




I understand that feeling. It's tough to know sometimes if a diverse collection of sounds will fit the vibe or not. I also may have guessed that you were a bit of a perfectionist since you sent us a few different files for this mix! We are here for it.

This thought actually leads me to wanting to talk about your mix for Conscious Wave... I'm not going to hold back when I say that we absolutely loved it and think that it's top shelf and what our listeners tend to enjoy!

Honestly, I smiled a few times while listening to it like I was surprising myself. It's one of the first times I can say I am very proud of a mix!


Amazing to hear! Was there a certain vibe you were going for with this one? I can certainly hear some of your roots thru the jazzy and instrumental bits.

Yes, I wanted to take listeners on a little auditive journey into my mind & world. The reggae sounding bits I start with were kind of my entrance into dubstep and my first "coup de coeur". I remember listening to Numa Crew back in the days and I loved the clash of soulful lyrics and deep wobbles. The overall selection is a mix of popular songs with some very limited, vinyl-only releases thrown in. I felt like it turned out to be a good representation of my personality and tastes. There are some trappy bits in there as well.


When you sit down to record a mix how do you tend to prepare it?

When preparing a mix like this one I try to go for a ride, not just a good selection. The selection has to be good but I also want the tunes to tell their story together. What I love about DJ'ing is how you can use different tracks and different moments to convey emotions. For me it's not just about having good musical taste. I feel it's important to play the tunes at the right moments to deliver their full potential.


I appreciate you elaborating on that! I know this a tough one to summarize sometimes but are there any artists that you're looking up to these days that inspire you?

The local homies seriously. What I mean by that is that simply my friends are often my biggest inspiration. I used to play different genres before seeing my friends from MusikMeLuv play at Outlook 2019. This blew my mind and inspired me to play dubstep. On a similar note seeing guys like SBK. release his first physical release on an international label and then sitting at the top of the charts next to legends was surreal to me. Wraz & Substance taking over the US slowly and seeing Meddem [CWCOMP002] exchange dubplates with artists that I've been listening to for 5+ years also makes me feel the same way.




It is insane how our dubstep community in Québec has blown up over the last ten years. Since we're based in Montréal / Ottawa this has obviously been a huge driving factor in choosing the artists we've featured and the shows we've thrown. Are there any international artists that you have on repeat?

If talk about international all-time favs, Coki has a unique signature sound that I absolutely adore. Coki & Commodo definitely have a special place in my heart and I often play out tunes from them.


Are there any gigs that have stood out to you since you started playing out?

I LOVE playing on a good soundsystem. I had the pleasure of playing on Bassix a few times. For gigs that stood out I would have to say #1 was playing on the 40hz Soundsystem at Valhalla Sound Circus and #2 was playing on HiFive Soundsystem at La Traverse. The crowd at La Traverse made me feel like a headliner.


Are there any thoughts about mixing on vinyl or advice you would give to the heads out there that might be thinking about getting into spinning records as well?

That's a tough one. The learning curve is longer to climb and it took me quite some time to be able to properly use the pitch fader and simply mix with my ears. It can get expensive but it has been worth the feeling of being able to manipulate the sound and have that hands-on contact with the music. This is why I am fascinated with scratching. I kind of wanted to rap when I was younger but writing is not my force. To me scratching is a way of expressing myself on top of a beat. I started scratching before mixing (so about 7 years ago) but I abandoned it for about 4 years. This is why I am back at it. There are so many different techniques and variations. It's like a vocabulary of hand movements and then you can create your own combos with it. You also have your choice of samples to scratch and the velocity of your movement that will change the pitch. Having a scratch hour has helped me commit to sharpening those skills.




I’m sure a lot of us appreciate those thoughts! In any case I feel like we've touched on a lot so I wanted to get into some final thoughts. Since this music has been apart of you for so long and since you've surely seen it grow and change over the years, how do you feel about the future of dubstep in Montreal?

I am very optimistic for the scene because there are always new faces coming out to events or at least now curious about it. Seeing Melek booked 3 years in a row at Igloofest and Piknic Electronik is an example of how there is room and interest for this type of music from big organizations. I touched on this earlier but I feel like artists like Wraz, Substance, SBK. & Shigero are putting Montreal on the map in terms of dubstep.


I couldn't agree more. At CW we have always remained optimistic and grateful for any growth the community or genre experiences! Are there any final shout outs you'd like to give before we end this one?

Shout out MusikMeLuv, Conscious Wave and MTL's Bassix Production. When you all hosted Compa in MTL at that warehouse that was the first time I saw a dubstep DJ spin vinyl. I was off to the side and remained close by watching him select records (maybe too close!).


Take a breath / puff everyone, this concludes our first feature of the year. As our cherished platform reaches almost ten years old we ask only that you continue to enjoy this one and share it with your mates, it means the world to us! Keep an eye on our socials as we are looking to get back into events this year. As always, let's sign off with our feelings on this mix.

Kentsuji's mix for Conscious Wave is a thoughtful, meditative yet gradual one. This particular collection of records takes us on a journey from the roots of the genre, passing by borderline-club bangers and heavy soundsystem head-nodders. The tracklist consists mostly of familiar faces with (of course) a white label or two thrown in there. 


- Conscious Wave




tracklist

Unknown Artist - Herbstrong
Author - Jah Live
VIVEK - One Heart
Teffa - Dancehall Rock
Breakfake - No Crime
TMSV - Funeral Bill
Crix Saiz - Warriah
Chief Kaya - Dubplate
Chad Dubz - Regrets (Argo Remix)
DJ Yung Vamp - I Never Scared
Ago - I.Got.
Bukez Finezt - Benz
Glume & Phossa - Superfly (Argo Remix)
EVA808 - Prrr
Bukez Finezt - Jupiter
Zygos - Svensk Riddim
Nizth - Stutter
Oxossi - Frantic
Traces - Adapt
Unknown Outlaw - Blue Lights
Commodo, Gantz & Kahn - Unmistakeable


KENTSUJI LINKS (click, follow, like)

Fanza x Conscious Wave - Mix & Interview


Happy April & Happy Spring everyone !!


Before we get started on this interview we wanted to remind everyone that we released our THIRD annual audio / visual compilation for FREE this past Valentine's Day. We built up lots of anticipation for this release as usual but we were even more excited this year to get the nod and feature from the well-known Deep Tempo Podcast from the UK. For this year's instalment we went all out with a longer-than-usual 6 track release, featuring ALL 140bpm / dubstep tracks from both up and coming & established artists alike. As always, you can download this release, as well as purchase our new merch from our Bandcamp -> HERE. Just don't forget to check out the live visuals for each track on our YouTube channel by CW member Etienne Montenegro -> HERE.

Be sure to support us by liking, sharing and subscribing to all of our socials so you don't miss out on all of our updates and future projects! <3


With all of that out of the way let's get into our FIRST mix feature and full interview of 2022 !!



Our first mixtape of 2022 comes from the Québec-based DJ & performing artist Fanza. A relatively new-comer to the scene, Fanza had the experience of getting into dj'ing right when the pandemic started. Although this made getting her name out a bit of a unique challenge, she was an early adopter of live streaming. This helped get her mixes into circulation, live stream bookings, blog features and onto radio shows. She quickly became known for not only mixing multiple genres of bass music, but for also combining her love of performance art & dance into her sets all under the Fanza name.

For this feature we were excited to sit down and have casual but longer Q&A style conversation (since we don't do them as often). We covered a lot so be sure to grab a nice cup of tea and enjoy!!



Hello again and thank you for taking the time to do this with us! Thankfully I know a bit about your journey already but for those who don't know you, could you tell us a bit about yourself and where you're from?

Sure, I didn't expect to be talking about where I am from so soon but I guess the time has come! Right now I live about an hour away from Montréal. I definitely consider myself a Montréal-based DJ since that's where I got into it and where I mostly play. I grew up in Sherbrooke, Québec but I was actually born in France. I was lucky enough to spend the first few years of my life on a 'no man's land' island in Thailand until my parents decided to move to Québec in the early 2000s.


Oh wow, that's so interesting! I had absolutely no idea that you were born outside of Canada and that you had lived in multiple countries! I was always intrigued and wondering as well, where did your artist name 'Fanza' come from?

I was constantly sending ideas to my friends and family and asking for feedback. At a certain point my best friend suggested 'Danza', which felt inspiring but it wasn't the one. I wanted to make it more personal. At a certain point I came back to it but added the word Fan to make it 'Fandanza' (because of my love for fan veils and flow dancing). At that point it was my favourite so far but I found three syllables to be too long (since I was looking for two). One night when I was in bed still thinking about it I heard a little voice in my head say 'Fanza' and I was like "Oh shit... that's the one!!"

I had nothing to write it down with (since I was going to sleep) so I told myself that if I remembered it in the morning that I would stick with that one. Obviously I remembered it. Everyone that I told it to loved it so FINALLY after months of searching I had found a name.


Wow, that's such an interesting story about your artist name! I would have never of guessed. In terms of dj'ing, when did you finally start up behind the decks?

I actually started practicing during the Christmas season right before the pandemic.


That doesn't sound like the most convenient timing. I know it sounds cliché but even though you started during the pandemic, I still feel like you managed to get your name out there and go from 0-100 pretty quickly. What do you think got you going and pursuing this path in such a short amount of time?

I actually started on a used XDJ. A DJ friend had suggested this model to me. I was so intimidated at first.... I had not even thought about learning with YouTube or livestreams yet so I literally just let it sit on my deck for months until I met my DJ friend Dabman. As soon as he noticed the controller just collecting dust he helped me learn the basics and taught me everything he knew about dj'ing. This was definitely the spark and motivation that I needed. I probably would have just given up after a few weeks without his encouragement. At this point I really just needed more practice so I used the holiday season to get used to rekordbox and beatmatching. 



That's really awesome that you had a friend like that in the beginning. I know it can be hard sometimes to get over those initial road blocks.

Yeah, I think he really pushed me to realize this dream that was sleeping inside me. He knew that it's what I wanted even though I hadn't realized that it could become true. To be honest, as a woman, I never thought that this was something I could pursue at first. I was under the impression that there was no space for women in this industry.


Well I'm glad you continued and persevered but that does hurt to hear... Sadly this is not the first time I have heard this come up in interviews. I hope this reality is changing and that underrepresented groups are represented more on lineups. Hopefully this in turn will foster a more inclusive environment and will inspire others to also pursue their dreams... I believe one of the many places this starts is with the promoters. It is definitely something that I take seriously.

Yeah... Also, thank you all so much too. I can't deny the support that you and some other friends have given to me. That support definitely gave me more confidence in my mixes. It's easy to be hard on ourselves... Without that support it would have been easy to get lost in my own perfectionism and being my own worst critic.


Thank you for the support as well! I actually remember when I first noticed your music. It should be no surprise that the first time I saw you was in a video clip of a recent live stream that you had done. I personally think a lot of people that started dj'ing during the pandemic really had to embrace the reality around streaming. In any case, I wanted to ask you what was your first live gig when things started opening back up?

My first live gig was actually at Le Belmont on September 30th 2020. It was quite literally the LAST night before the autumn lockdown. I felt so lucky to FINALLY get to play out in front of people before we ended up in quarantine again for months.




That's awesome that all of that work during the pandemic paid off but that timing right before lockdown again still sucks! It sounds like a running theme. Regardless, how did that gig go?

It was unforgettable! At first I was extremely stressed due to a few technical issues. I felt that I was so focused on them that it didn't go as smoothly as I wanted it to. Having said that, when I finished and got off stage I only heard great comments about how much people enjoyed it. It was in this moment that I realized that I belong to the decks and that I could do it! It was a small gig but I made lots of new friends that night.


That's so awesome to hear! I think I know the answer to the next question but what was your first festival gig?

It was the first edition of Origins Festival. I was booked for a Friday afternoon set on the second stage but I actually ended up getting to do an unplanned B2B (with 5 other DJ's) on the main stage that night. The most unforgettable part was Saturday night when I got to close the main stage with some of my favourite dnb tracks.


That sounds like an epic time! I was actually there and I had a blast. I wanted to move on to some other stuff though. Earlier in our chat you lightly alluded to your love for dance and I am surely not the only one to notice your name on a lineup as both a DJ and a performing artist. It certainly seems like dancing is an important part of Fanza too. Could you tell our followers a bit about that journey as well? Is it something you were doing before dj'ing?

Yes, I have always been into dancing and just letting myself move to the music! I've been as much of a melomaniac as a dance lover for as long as I can remember. I did study music when I was younger but since I mainly wanted to dance I took every extracurricular opportunity I could when I was in school (from workshops to doing choreography with friends). When I was 18 I discovered burlesque. A couple years later I discovered go-go dancers at my first festival Bass Coast. I started dreaming of being able to dance on stage at events and started trying to figure out how I could pursue that. When I was starting to get into dj'ing I saw a friend of mine performing with her fan veils. I found them to be so mesmerizing and so pretty. That moment was a revelation for me and within the next week I was taking my first fan veil lessons. It happened all so quick. A few months later I was performing dance at a festival and a few months after that I was dj'ing. I'll stop there but I could certainly talk about dancing for hours... I probably started dancing when I learned to walk!




It's all good! Like I was saying it seems like such a big part of who you are so I appreciate you elaborating on that. It's awesome that Fanza is a multi-disciplinary journey for you!

Yes, it couldn't just be about music for me. I cannot separate the two!


If we could go back to music for a minute, I know I mentioned in the intro that you have made a name for yourself by playing a diverse mix of bass music / edm but I think it's also no secret that you are a self-proclaimed drum & bass lover! Could you tell our audience a bit more about when you discovered dnb and how you found such a love for this genre?

So I actually discovered dnb at the same time as I discovered edm and rave culture. This all happened back in 2015 when I went to my first festivals Bass Coast and Motion Notion out west. More specifically at Motion Notion, my friend took me to the Cabana Stage. I would definitely refer to this moment as my 'dnb birth'. I have never danced like I did at that stage. I hadn't learned much about the genre until a year later when I was heading to a Bassix event with my festival friends. I asked them what the type of music was that I was into... they answered right away "oh, so you're into drum & bass!!"


That all sounds like quite the love affair.. I like it! A lot of my first experiences were also at festivals on the west coast so I can definitely empathize. Are there any events that have stuck out to you over the years?

Most of the events I love have some sort of west coast influence. I really value harm reduction & environmental education. It's something that I would always like to see more of in our scene. No matter how insane the lineup is, at the end of the day how people treat themselves, as well as how they treat others and the environment really influences my perception of an event. I have grown to value and dream of a culture of respect, based on a shared love for music. I'd really love sobriety to be more normalized and for there to be more non-alcoholic options at parties. I opted for sobriety a few years ago and I'm glad to see a lot of my friends getting sober lately. It's nice to be able to get up the next day and feel good. I think it's important to feel like events are more than just a reason to get fucked up. Moderation is cool! I know that doesn't directly answer your question but at the end of the day any event or festival that promotes these values stick out to me. My thoughts on this are too large for a short answer and I could definitely do a whole interview about it. Also, we need more dnb in general! 



It's all good, I still appreciate you elaborating. I will certainly be taking notes for the events that we support and host in the future! On a lighter note are there any artists, producers or DJs that you are playing a lot lately or that you look up to these days?

The first ones that I can think off the top of my head are Kings of the Rollers, Misanthrop, QZB, Data 3, VCTRE, Cartridge, EAZYBAKED... I will leave you with those because I could continue forever.. though I'm also a huge fan of Kasra. <3


That is an awesome list that I'm sure our listeners would love to explore a bit more! Before we wrap up I wanted to dive into your mix for Conscious Wave. I have listened to it probably 4 times now and it's absolutely dope! I really like the gradual build from 130BPM all the way up to 170BPM in just under 30 minutes. The tracklist is definitely going to hit hard with our audience. I wanted to ask you, what were you going for with this mix and what were you feeling? Did you have any inspiration or did you just jump into it?

Ultimately I just wanted to follow that format with some of my favourite tracks. There's one blend in particular that I made for a B2B right before the most recent lockdown. We were closing that show and I thought this blend hadn't gotten to enough ears. I included tracks that I had been listening to on repeat so I was more than thrilled to get them into the mix. I will say that this mix really was about the selection. I did run into some surprises recording it though... I may have made a mistake that became a trick to switch it up to halftime and then into dnb ;)


I'm sure our readers are excited to hear more about some of the creative process! In any case this has definitely been one of our longer conversations at CW but it's been super fun getting to know each other more! Before we sign off I always love to ask if you had any final thoughts, any shout outs to give? Do you have any upcoming gigs or projects that we should keep an eye out for?

I simply want to thank everyone that took the time to listen to some of my mixes. It means the world to me to know that they are actually getting heard and appreciated. I just ended my monthly radio show on La Face B a week ago so now I really want to focus on music production and my dance projects more than anything. Hopefully you will be able to order your own 'Fanza' fan veils by the end of this year! In the meantime I will be playing at a couple festivals this summer. I can't announce them yet but I will be announcing them on my social media pages as soon as possible. Also, I am open for bookings!




There you have it friends. As always, thank you for making it to the end of this Q&A style post! We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we did! Fanza's mix below for Conscious Wave stays true to our short & sweet formula but it is unique in exploring tempos thru 130-170BPM.  In under 30 minutes this one takes us on a bass-driven, festival inspired journey with a coherent and addictive flow. The tracklist is a diverse one but includes some dubstep & dnb legends, local talent, as well as some hints of grime, hip hop & halftime.


- Conscious Wave




tracklist


Deft, Lewis James- Teleporter
EAZYBAKED - Vessel
JD. Reid - Rōshi ft. D Double E
Murkury - Shadow Self
Felix - Holdup (Bare Bones)
Visages - Dark Guru
Mad Zach, Ian Urbina - Nothing Left
Ourman - Harpy
Surreal & Somah - Gibberish
Hebbe - Hebbe's Sound
Living~Stone - Steady Night
Xotix - Pit
Frenquency - Ruff Dreams
RaptorHandz - Threat Zone
Yahna - Dancin'
Johney - Safira
HNGVR - Boom Ya Man
shwiLLy x vxrt - HOT copy

FANZA LINKS (click, follow, like)

AUTHENTICS 002





AUTHENTICS is an event series established in Montreal, Canada. Its mission is to present artists that are authentic to their art and offer a unifying experience.

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FB EVENT PAGE -> https://fb.me/e/2ZqoNdd8X

2022 New Year Comp. [A/V] (CWCOMP003)

 Conscious Wave 2022 New Year Compilation [CWCOMP003]

2022 New Year Comp.
Conscious Wave
(CWCOMP003)


1. SBK. - Team
2. Parts Project - Nu Distro
3. Thuja - Automatic Havoc
4. Jonah K. - Swords
5. Shigero - Shine Bright
6. Centauri - Wendigo


Release date: 14 feb 2022


Written & Produced by Tom Chamoun, Allan Hanley, Zach Cranney, Jonah Kamphorst, Éric Major, Marcos Quintero

Mastered by SBK.

Live Visuals by Etienne Montenegro
Compiled by Shigero & Aphotik
Graphics by Aphotik





Rhombi x Conscious Wave - Mix

 

Hello everyone !


It's still November and it's still cold but thankfully we already have another feature to present to you to help warm things up a bit ! This time around we were grateful for the opportunity to have a quick chat with the talented artist Rhombi and host our first mix from them on our platforms.




As a co-founder of the Thunder Bay Bass Collective and a pillar in the scene, Rhombi is certainly an artist that needs no introductions ! In the event that you haven't heard of them, they are a selecta based out of Anemkii-wiikwedong in Northwestern Ontario and are known for serving up a mix of eyes-down dubstep, grime and more. Their work both behind the decks and in the scene have lead them to perform on some of the country's biggest stages at festivals such as Future Forest, Valhalla Sound Circus and Sub Zero Music & Arts Festival to name a few. They have also gotten the nod internationally by doing a lengthy interview with FatKidOnFire, as well as being featured more locally by Sub Chakra, Bass Witch Coven and Dubplate FM.


In their own community the Thunder Bay Bass Collective is a group dedicated to promoting bass music and soundsystem culture in Northern Ontario. They have been consistent at hosting headliners like Metafloor & Distinct Motive as well as tons of other local artists alike. During the pandemic the Thunder Bay Bass Collective has also been consistent at hosting live streams. As a radio host, Rhombi helps run an electronic music show called Audio Vomit on their local campus radio station CILU 102.7FM. The show has featured the likes of Wraz, SBK., Poly-Esther, Outtatime and more.




Without getting into a full interview, we still wanted to sit down and ask Rhombi a few questions to get to know them a little better, share those details with our community, as well as chat about the mix.


When asked about their roots and their first shows, Rhombi told us that they used to be part of a crew that threw underground parties and annual halloween fundraiser raves back in the day. Their first outdoor gig was one of these events that was an hour out of town and a wild bush party. Their first set was an all dnb set ! 


They mentioned that these days they are friends with most of the artists in Thunder Bay and that although the scene is small that it is tight knit. Therefore, they can support each other by promoting each other's shows and play out consistently.



Since promoting diversity in our scene has grown to be an integral part of our projects, we also wanted to get Rhombi's views on the topic within dubstep & soundsystem culture. When asked about their general thoughts, they mentioned that :


- "A lot of times people forget that dubstep is political music, so much of it has political roots and was founded in the identity of the Caribbean & African diaspora" - Rhombi 




Furthermore they mentioned that "identity created or at least informed the music". For a deeper dive on the topic (and to not re-ask the same questions) we advise checking out the full interview they did with FKOF -> HERE. We certainly enjoyed it <3


To close off our short but casual conversation we wanted to ask Rhombi if they had any crews or people they were currently inspired by or look up to. They mentioned that at the moment they are inspired by the work of Drum Beat Entertainment (based out of the Calgary area) who are an indigenous collective and event production crew. They mentioned that the collective "really held it down during quarantine" and did lots of streams that Rhombi participated in. 



As far as Rhombi's mix for Conscious Wave goes, it's a top notch 140 dubstep banger. In just over 30 minutes, this mixtape manages to ease us in slowly with some reggae flavours from the genre's roots but then takes us on a well-thought out, bassy and heavier journey. This mix does not hesitate to touch on some filthier bits from some of the genre's top producers that we all enjoy hearing on a large soundsystem. Rhombi also gives us a taste of some 'girl rap' that they told us you may hear more of from them in the future.


Rhombi told us that this mix consisted of some of their favourite tracks that had a groove but that they also wanted to include a bit of hip hop (since that is also their favourite genre). More specifically they mentioned that including bbymutha was a must since she's their "ride or die" and favourite rapper ! All in all Rhombi told us that this short & sweet mix for Conscious Wave was ultimately a small taste of what they like to play at shows and we couldn't have been more excited to host it and promote it to our followers & readers.


- Conscious Wave




tracklist


DE-TU - St. Paul’s (City Road Dub)
Hebbe - Up Town Dub (J:Kenzo Remix)
Hypho x Rakjay - Kushty
Arkham Sound - Nothing Left to Lose
Dubzta - At Your Door
Chad Dubz & Inner Echo - Too Bad (Mystic State Remix)
Ninety - Golden Teeth Smile
DE-TU & Congi - Shallow Waters
bbymutha - Ovulate (prod. by Rock Floyd)
B-Say - Bloodshed
Mindset - Fear
Thuja - Shade
Subtle Mind - Str8 Discreet
Ahkur - Warm to Cool
Gutta - Lit
Crowley - Quill
YYZ - Jiga
Killa’s Army & XL Mad - Badman Ting (Argo ‘I Got’ Remix)


RHOMBI LINKS (click, follow, like)

Dick Lee x Conscious Wave - Mix

Happy November everyone !!


Our next feature comes from the Montréal-based dj Dick Lee. Dick Lee, aka Renaud, has been a frequent and powerful force behind the decks for most of the past decade. He's a co-founder of the well-established and widely respected collective MusikMeLuv, who have been MTL's link to Outlook Festival and have organized stages at big music festivals and parties around the province for years.




As a DJ he's known for having an open-minded approach and not clinging too hard to one single genre. He has been known to explore many flavours of drum & bass, jungle, hip-hop, trap, reggae, techno, dubstep and more, while showcasing each of the genre's history, as well as the latest mashups.




At just 27 years of age he has already opened for the likes of Egoless, Kahn, J:Kenzo, Sleeper, DJ Madd & more. Although his biggest stage has been at Outlook Festival in Croatia, he has also been a local favourite at everything from festivals like Future Forest, Île Soniq & Valhalla Sound Circus, as well as local bars like Newspeak & Belmont and even all-night free raves.




His mix for Conscious Wave is a short and sweet dubstep mix that explores some of the reggae flavours and roots of the genre, while still delivering that heavy-hitting sub-bass that our community loves. His selection features some pioneers in the genre, while also taking a nod to some local talent and showcasing some unreleased dubplates. 

- Conscious Wave




tracklist

Epoch - Attraction (VIP)
Om Unit - Testimony
LAS - Uuha
SBK - Big Tree Dub [DUB]
Stalawa & Blessed San - Traitor (Epoch Remix)
Karma - Terrorist
J:Kenzo - Zbantu Shake
Author - Jah Live (Egoless edit)
RSD - Dancehall Rock (Dj Madd edit)
Radikal Guru - Babylon Sky (RSD edit)
Fill Spectre - Africana
Taiko - Jackal
J.Sparrow - Hold and Pull
Egoless - Global
Sir Hiss - Tehran Gunshots

DICK LEE LINKS (click, follow, like)

Nomia - Labyrinth [CW .wav DL]

Happy October & Happy Thanksgiving !

Our latest release & track feature comes from the Brisbane-based producer Nomia. Nomia has performed at festivals in both Canada & Australia and has also headlined his own interstate shows. Although this is our first Conscious Wave feature together, Nomia certainly needs no introductions in Brisbane's thriving bass scene & beyond.

Nomia's music has been played around the world at festivals like Outlook Festival, as well as on radio stations like Rinse FM & Subtle FM, from the likes of Truth, Youngsta, N-Type & more.

Nomia's track for Conscious Wave is one of many from a massive backlog of unreleased music. This original tune is an excellent mix of the chest-thumping frequencies & mystical sounds that he is known for, while also delivering on the deep, 140bpm, soundsystem vibes that our community at CW has grown to love.

Be sure to give this one a listen & a FREE download from our Bandcamp ! Don't forget to rinse it out and add it to your rotation !



















FREE DOWNLOAD -> https://consciouswave.bandcamp.com


Written & Mastered by Aimon Bebendorf

Artwork by Etienne Montenegro & Aphotik


release date : 08 oct 2021

genre : dubstep





NOMIA LINKS


https://thisisnomia.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/nomia
https://linktr.ee/nomia