In this episode I have my good friend Ryan Razza Harris interview me to provide a little background into my history with music and why I want to produce this podcast. My goal is to interview electronic music producers to give the listener an inside scoop on the music making process while sharing stories from dj culture in Canada and across the globe.

In this episode I speak with Benjamin Howells one of the main organizers of Pachena Bay music festival and Cumberland Wild Festival, both held on Vancouver Island on the West "west" coast of British Columbia Canada. We chat about the festival being an organism and strategies to keeping it healthy. As a DJ and event organizer he shares his unique perspective on the west coast scene and the art of music and communication.

Links:

https://cumberlandwild.com/ August 19th and 20th 2023

https://www.pachenabaymusicfestival.com/ (also has sign up for text list)

https://www.instagram.com/mteliahofficial/

https://www.instagram.com/pachenabaymusicfest

https://www.instagram.com/cumberlandwild/

Your Host:

Laughlin Meagher

Boomtown - The DJ/Bass driven project of Laughlin Meagher, a dynamic performer with 30 years on stage & 17 years behind the decks. He's a dj::musician::producer::engineer from Salt Spring Island, BC, Canada, bringing his unique flavors of Bass, Beats & Boom! Known for his harmonica solos, melodica skills, vocals, and guitar. He toured North America with Kytami in 2013/14 where he performed at 14 major festivals, 7 US States, 5 Provinces, and numerous clubs. Laughlin shares the stage with international acts like Adham Shaikh, Kaminanada, David Starfire, and toured during the summer with Ganga Giri as a multi-instrumentalist from 2014 to 2019.

https://www.instagram.com/boomtownsound/

https://www.boomtownsound.com/beats-and-beyond.html

Rennie Foster has been a well respected figure in the Canadian music and art community since he was just a teenager. He influenced many as an early pioneer of the Hip-Hop / B-Boy movement and later the House Music and Techno / Rave scene. His musical career began as a member of "Sound Advice", one of the first Hip Hop groups to emerge in the late 80's from Western Canada. Members of this group went on to form the Juno Award winning act "Swollen Members", and Rennie went on to create a prolific solo career focused on underground dance music. Rennie relocated to Tokyo Japan in 2004 and became an important part of the Japanese club scene, playing all over Japan in venues like Womb, ageHa, Yellow, Unit, Metro (Kyoto), Triangle (Osaka), Be Green (Okinawa), Nagisa Festival etc., until relocating back to Canada in 2011. Rennie was consistently ranked in the top 50 DJs in Japan by LOUD Magazine, alongside artists like Towa Tei, Ken Ishi and Kentaro, a very rare honour for a foreigner in Japan. He has played venues all over Japan, Europe and N.America in cities such as New York, Paris etc. and continues to tour his unique style of hi-tech soul, fusing many aspects and eras of techno and house music culture with powerful, technical mixing skills. A true "DJ's DJ" who doesn't follow the usual rulebook.

In this episode we discuss his production process, his time in Japan, vinyl releases his label and upcoming shows. He is a mainstay in the Vancouver scene.

Check out his music below:

https://renniefoster.bandcamp.com/
https://www.beatport.com/artist/rennie-foster/3571
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0WCunVNMnHjcHJQ26gtAmt