CanCon
[Audio Stream] Always Never – where now (EP)
New EP release by Toronto’s Always Never. Very ‘Toronto Sound‘-ish. Does that sound still have the currency it had a year or two ago? Bonus track, “This and You” released a couple months ago but not on the EP after the jump.
[DK15 Interview + MP3] Jeremy Glenn – Able To Fall
JEREMY GLENN is a Toronto-based DJ, producer, songwriter, singer and most importantly, a friend. I’ve known him since I worked at Embrace and he was managed by Embrace’s sister artist management agency, 2+2 Management. Both of us have since moved on from those situations but we remained friends so much so that, not only did Jeremy contribute the beautiful, amazing track, “Able to Fall” to the Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish album, but he also DJ’d the raucous release party for the album (which also doubled as a birthday celebration for moi) back in September alongside DJ MelBoogie, DJ Famous Lee and DJ Seven 30.
Both of us have been mad busy of late but we managed to trade some questions & answers via email a little while back and what follows is the end result.
DK: You’ve been in the music game for a while. Can you talk a little bit about your come-up?
JG: I’ve always been a musical kid. Music’s been my passion and solace forever but I’d never contemplated making it a career decision before discovering DJing and production. I started DJing hip-hop in high-school because I couldn’t get the “underground” tracks I’d hear on college radio shows like CKLN’s PowerMove show or WBLK out of Buffalo. As a kid in the suburbs, this kept me connected to a culture that I felt very separate from.
I got more into club culture and DJing as I went through University, playing and learning from mentors
like DJ AndyCapp. Learning about production was a natural progression. After you DJ for a while, you become interested in the how and want to put your own stamp on things. So I went through an engineering and production course of The Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology, where I subsequently taught for a few years after graduating.
During that time I began to hone my production, arrangement and songwriting skills. Singing on my tracks was something I had to get used to. I felt I had decent ability and had sung forever but I think lots of artists are overly critical about putting themselves out there so it wasn’t until moving back to Toronto in 2009-10 that I moved into performance and releasing tracks officially… and was able to get my first official release on Future Classic.
Not everyone can juggle all these different disciplines, DJing, producing, songwriting and singing, and do them all at an equally high level but somehow you manage it. How?
I really think it’s that Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hours concept at play. I’d been singing since I was young, was always dedicating time to making mix-tapes from [MuchMusic] Rap City videos and analyzing samples and production even before I knew what the technical terms were. I started DJing in high school and would practice whenever possible. So even before I was playing proper gigs, I’d already been putting the time in. I think that’s key for anybody.
You’ve actually taken a bit of step back from music in the last couple years though. What was the reason for that?
There are a few factors at play but basically I was trying to determine my place in music if that makes any sense. Couple that with having a son, which has been amazing, but takes a lot of time and energy and forces you to look at what’s necessary, even if unpleasant. Those factors put a lot of doubt into whether I wanted to continue making music. As evidenced by “Able to Fall,” I’ve still been working in the background, but much of that time has been spent considering the next direction in music.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of our interview with Jeremy Glenn on the DIFFERENT KITCHEN Facebook page.
Follow Jeremy Glenn online – Instagram // Facebook // Twitter // Web // Soundcloud
LISTEN to the Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish album featuring Jeremy Glenn’s “Able to Fall” HERE. Learn more about Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish HERE.
Other DK15 interviews:
– OSIYM
– Yellow Shoots
– Jordan Kahn
[MP3] Tanika Charles – Love Overdue
Latest single from Toronto retro soul singer, Tanika Charles‘ forthcoming new album, The Gumption.
Previously on the Kitchen:
– Tanika Charles – Cadillac Moon [MP3]
[DK15 Interview + MP3] Jordan Kahn – Feng Shui / Voices in my Head
Local Toronto, up-and-coming rapper, JORDAN KAHN is one of a handful of new, young artists whose music has caught our ear at the Kitchen in recent times that was invited to be a part of the DK15, QUINCEAÑERA: MARVELOUS ISH anniversary compilation album project. He was gracious enough to say yes and share the track “Feng Shui” for the album.
That has by no means been the end of his grind though. He’s been on a tear releasing several singles and a full length album, titled Instructions since Quinceañera dropped in September and apparently has no plans to stop any time soon although we did manage to get him to slow down long enough to answer a few of our questions. Read on to learn a little background and history behind this new, young spitta out The 6ix and what he has planned next!
DK: You were born and raised in Scarborough, right?
JK: Ya, growing up in Scarborough influenced my music a lot. It’s a place where there are so many different types of people and cultures. I’d have friends that listened to rap, rock, drum and bass, all types of music so I was exposed to a little bit of everything and I think that shows in my music.
How’d you end up making hip-hop music?
My uncles are musicians (singers, guitar players) and were definitely a big influence early on. I started playing guitar and recording music as a teenager after one of my uncles gave me and my brother an old four track recorder. I started writing raps and freestyling with friends around the same time. My older brother Justin was getting into electronic and hip-hop music production, and I’d rap and sing on a lot of the stuff he’d make.
Your brother, Justin is your main creative partner collaborator. What’s that like working with someone so closely related to you?
The entire new album was produced and recorded with Justin and I haven’t worked with other producers on the hip-hop project. Even though this is my solo project, behind the scenes the sound is really a collaboration with Justin and he makes most of the music. Sometimes I’ll start writing to a beat or piece of music he has made, sometimes I’ll write to something I play and send to him as a demo and we build it from there.
Can you tell him frankly if you’re not feeling a beat he’s doing or can he tell you if he thinks your rhymes are trash?
We can definitely tell each other when we don’t like something. There aren’t usually too many fights.
Does he work with other artists? Do you work with other producers? What’s the difference for the both of you when you do?
I think if I were to work with another producer, it would probably make sense for me and Justin to work with that other producer together since he is a big part of the sound and process.
So how long exactly have is you been working on music now?
The solo hip-hop project is something we started only about a year or two ago officially, but before that me and my brother were collaborating on a few music projects with many of the songs including me rapping and singing. We experimented with a lot of different sounds over the last 4 years and played some shows in Toronto for the electronic/rap projects. Those projects lead us to the sound we have on this new project. But it’s the first time I’ve decided to do a solo hip-hop project as Jordan Kahn.
CLICK HERE to read the rest of our conversation with Jordan on the Kitchen Facebook page.
Follow Jordan Kahn on social media – Website // Instagram // YouTube // Apple Music/Spotify
LISTEN to the Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish album featuring Jordan Kahn’s “Feng Shui” HERE. Learn more about Quinceañera: Marvelous Ish HERE.
Other DK15 interviews:
– OSIYM
– Yellow Shoots
– Jeremy Glenn
[MP3 + Music Video] Nipsey Hussle – Double Up Feat. Belly & Dom Kennedy
Track and video by the late, great Nipsey Hussle from his last acclaimed album, Victory Lap featuring Canada’s own Belly.
Related reading:
– Nipsey Hussle’s dreams were bigger than hip-hop [LA Times]
– Jay-Z’s Tidal Added All Of Nipsey Hussle’s Albums To Its New Albums Page [Uproxx]
– Suspect Arrested in Nipsey Hussle Shooting Death [NY Times]