Browsing “The Bassment Series”

The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is.  If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

On Saturday July 2nd was the 10 year anniversary of the Vancouver breakdance crew Filthee Feet. To celebrate the event Famous Circle, a breakdance event promotion company, decided to host a 4 versus 4 battle at The Russian Hall in Strathcona. As well as the 4 on 4 battle there was a 1 versus 1 IBE qualifier. The IBE qualifier was to see who will go on to be a spectator at the international event in Holland. Canada does not yet have a team that represents them in the IBE competition, hosted every year in Rotterdam, but the attendance of Canadians at this years event will hopefully motivate the hosts to invite a team for future events.

Photos: Joel Levy

The event on Saturday had a preliminary round which decided the final eight teams. By the time the  spectators had arrived the final eight had been chosen and 4 battles of 4v4 could commence. Crews from across the city and as far as the Yukon and Montréal were in attendance. Vancouver notables were members of Now or Never crew, O Mighty and of course Filthee Feet. After 4 battles consisting of 5 rounds each the winners, O’ Mighty, came out on top over co-finalists Dance Moves. O’Mighty’s Reflex also took home the IBE qualifier.

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The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is. If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

Monday nights are usually a time when our weekend is over, we are back at work and the only event on the horizon is now days away. Thanks to east van residents Paul Gibson-Tigh and Chad Iverson one monday a month has become one of the best hip hop nights in Vancouver. The night isn’t like most club events because on this night you provide the entertainment. The event of course, hosted by Fortune Soundclub, is Hip Hop Karaoke Vancouver. Started in December of 2010, following in the footsteps of the Toronto and New York equivalents, Paul and Chad hooked up with the Fortune owners, DJ Seko from The Freshest Crew and DJ Flipout to create a night that has hip hop fans of all types paying homage to their favourite artists and songs. I met up with Paul and Chad to discuss their success.

Photo: Joel Levy

Why has hip hop karaoke become such a huge success?

I feel like regular karaoke is always so cheesy and kind of a joke. Something you do for a laugh with friends. Hip hop karaoke is different. People get up and they rep hard. They rep for the artists they love and grew up with.

Jumping into the hip hop scene must have been daunting. What kind of things have happened that have made your entrance feel accepted by the community?

We have had a lot of people roll through from the hip hop scene whether it be artists or DJs. 9th Wonder did a show as part of HHK once. He was bored in Van and was asking on twitter if anything was going on and some random sent him to us. He asked us if he could spin at HHK and we were like “WHAT?!” So he did a free set which was really amazing. DJ Cash Money came out, Matt Brevner, SonReal, Red1, Snak The Ripper and Kyprios have all come out to be a part of the night. The regulars seem to take the show though. The one you don’t expect to kill it who ends up making jaw drops. It is expected from the professionals but when a regular fan does it it is something else. They get followers even who get to know them and expect them to rock the show.

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The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is.  If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

I first met with Krusha at the A-trak show and we started talking about electronic music in Vancouver and the world trends that seem to be happening in the music. Krusha has been involved in the Vancouver electronic music scene for a decade and as soon as we started chatting I knew I needed to talk to him more about the topic. Starting out as a drummer and then moving to Jungle Krusha has surrounded himself with beats which he refers to as his medicine. Something he can’t go without and will always need to use. I met up with him after his set at the new W2 space in downtown Vancouver to get his feelings on the music he lives.

Photo: Courtesy of Artist

So let us know a bit about your music?

Like a lot of people music for me is a way to release demons. Thats what it is, its medicine, if you do it properly. If you don’t do it properly it’s more like poison. That is another comparison to medicine. If you take too much or you take the wrong kind it’s going to f*** you up. That’s my relationship to music since I was a little kid. I was probably raised on a lot of good music which helped me cultivate the right persona to be a person who writes and DJs. I was pretty much a Junglist for awhile, a long time. Thats how I identified my musical experience. Someone who was a drummer for metal and hardcore bands it was attractive. I like challenging myself with beats that are not the standard typical beats. Like any genre that has its rise and falls it fell into a formula.

How Long have you been drumming?

Since I was a little kid. I have one(a drum) wherever I go. Its in the trunk of my car right now. Someone who has that thing that they need like medicine you can’t take it away from them. I wake up and I need to drum. It has been about 10 years for the whole DJ thing.

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The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is.  If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

Born in Iran in 1981 Ali Dahesh has traveled most of his life after his family took him out of his war torn country during the the revolution when the republic took over. Like many families fleeing war in their countries Ali’s parents were looking for a better life for their family. Moving to Canada when he was about 10 years old Ali has lived in many Canadian cities after finally making his home here in Vancouver. His album released in 2009 is called “Stereo Typical World – A War Story” and is a story of his experiences and thoughts about his life. His next album coming out soon is called “Collaborations Path’ named to express his multiple collaborations with artists and producers from around the world.

Photo: Joel Levy

Where did music start for you?

When I fist came to Canada I started taking guitar lessons but never really stuck with it. I started producing beats and getting into hip hop and that is when it really started for me. Listening to artists like 2Pac really drove me into that genre.

What kinds of things does Hip Hop music afford you to do?

For me it has always been about expression. Being a kid that came from a country that was a war all the time it gave me an outlet to express my experiences and tell people about them and how they effect me. How we made it here. What it took for our family to arrive where we are now. It wasn’t just a simple journey. We had to go through a lot of rough terrain. People like 2Pac talked about their oppression and I feel that it is important to talk about your experiences.

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The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is. If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

Clothing style and companies have always been a huge part of the hip hop scene. It is a distinguishing factor in what people listen to and how they live their lives. Vancouver is no different. Clothing store Sharks and Hammers has become a major contributor to the hip hop scene here and has brought out people’s pride in their city. Whether you are from the west or the east this store will make you proud to be from Vancouver. Their original clothing companies, sleek store design and carefully selected brands make cookie cutter stores look like amateurs. I met with the owners at the store in Gastown to discuss their history and plans for the future.

Photo: Courtesy of Store

Where did you guys get the idea or theme for this store?

We really wanted something that was more indicative of the history of the neighbourhood. The other spaces we have worked on have been heritage spaces and this one is too. It is an old railroad hotel and when the railroad got shut down it got converted. The lady who worked here bought the building she used to be the dry cleaning and laundry services person and she still owns it. We wanted to show the space and make the lady proud of it. We brought back the brick and wood. Everything all original. A space that would really showcase our clothing and our style.

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The Bassment is a weekly article bringing you coverage of the best in Hip Hop and Electronic music from around Vancouver. Weekly interviews, event coverage, album and concert reviews that show how awesome our city’s electronic and hip hop scene really is. If you think there is someone or something that needs coverage in this city in regards to the Hip Hop / Electronic community then get in touch with us.

With a recent deal in place via 604 records, an opening performance for Black Sheep at Fortune and recordings and videos in the bank it is easy to say that Vancouver’s Anami Vice is going where he wants to be. Coming from a background where arts and education were always important Anami manages to take both feats on by pursuing his music career while keeping his eye on his other options. Anami is unique in the way that he, until now, has produced all his own tracks as well as emceed on them. This allows full creative control of his productions which is obvious in the connection between his rhythm and rhyme. With several EPs released in the past Anami is expected to release a full length album within the next year.

Photo: Joel Levy

How would you describe your music to others?

I’m definitely trying to make feel good Hip Hop. Sing along choruses and hopefully with a bit of substance when you get to the versus. But you don’t have to listen to the versus you can just sing along with the choruses.

Write what you would want to perform over and over. What song do you like to perform the most?

There’s a song I have called “Take Your Shirt Off” that gets a great response from the crowd. It’s a lot of fun to do for that reason alone. The band has a lot of fun with that one too.

Who makes the music?

I have made everything myself so far. I’m not going to be doing that anymore. We will talk about that later. When I am on stage I have a bass player and a drummer. What we have been doing lately is using the melody that I make from the beats and drop the bass and the drum tracks out of those and they fill in those parts. It gives a lot of energy to the stage show.

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