Diversity Festival 2018

The Beach Stage: Electronic Music

FORT KNOX FIVE

Some seriously funky groups come in Five’s ­ The Jackson 5, The MC 5, Jurassic 5... and of course Fort Knox Five. Fort Knox Five is known for bending genres and using a broad range of musical elements in their creation of highly original music.This approach ultimately pioneered a funky scene where FK5 continues to top charts today.While Fort Knox Five compose music like a band in the studio with live instrumentation blended into electronic music, they arerenowned for their exciting and eclectic DJ performances. Founding members Steve Raskin and Jon Horvath established a unique live DJ set using mashed­up acapellas and effects woven into original tracks, exclusive mixes and dance floor destroyers. These sets have proven to be irresistible to club goers worldwide, rocking parties with infectious grooves that effortlessly move from funk, reggae & glitch­hop to prime time 4/4 beats & breaks.

www.fortknoxfive.com

Fort Knox Five
Von D

VON D , is renowned for his ability to fill dance floors, fuse genres and hold his own in collaborations with some of the biggest names in underground music. With three albums and multiple Eps under his belt, Von D is also recognized for featuring exclusive and unreleased dub or dubstep tunes, alongside his own music. With regular shows in Europe, Asia, New Zealand, Australia and six tours in the USA, his world fan base is testament to his skill. Von D is on an increasingly prolific trajectory since last year. Recent 12's on Dub Stuy, Zamzam, Amar, Lion Charge, Moonshine and his brand new imprint 'Dubs Galore'  have signaled his renewed focus on dubwise productions.
The french producer is going back to his musical roots. he continues to evolve his style and sound, touring around and setting clubs on fire night after night.

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SLEEPER

Since cultivating his lifelong passion for music into a robust and fruitful career within the underground electronic music circuit, Sleeper has metamorphosed into a pivotal player in the history, growth and progression of dubstep’s ever-evolving sound. After taking up DJing at the age of fourteen and garnering heavy influences from the techno and jungle spheres, Sleeper followed the natural progression into hip-hop and drum and bass production at around age eighteen. It wasn’t until the pacemaking producer was introduced to the early days of dubstep by way of exposure to scene innovators such as Digital Mystikz, Skream and Kode 9 that Sleeper shifted his creative focus to the alluring and dark personality of the powerful underground sound.

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Sleeper

Mat the Alien

MAT THE ALIEN

Mat travels the globe,mixing & skratching many genres ,tempos and even Videos together !!. Cutting Dubstep into Drum & Bass and other bass heavy music. For dancefloor fans Mat will be no dissapointment leaving people shouting Really Good!!

www.matthealien.com

THE LIBRARIAN

Andrea Graham, aka The Librarian, lives in the Pacific Northwest and has been producing music and performing for over a decade. Her sets move through grime, footwork, jungle, dancehall and halftime drum and bass, tying everything together with low end frequencies. She is the co-founder and chief music curator of Bass Coast Music Festival, a member of esteemed West Coast bass music crew Lighta! Sound, and the co-host of a bi-monthly radio show with Mat the Alien on Sub.fm. Andrea tours the international & festival circuit extensively. She currently has releases out on East Van Digital and King Deluxe.

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The Librarian
Sabota

SABOTA is a collaboration between Vancouver house and techno staple Max Ulis, and singer songwriter Robbie Slade. Sabota is probably the most left field thing in Robbie's catalogue of music, while it's certainly the most pop-sensible thing Max has been a part of. As the project has progressed, each has started exploring the other's role, that is, Max has been contributing to writing lyrics and song arrangement, while Robbie has been taking on more of a role in producing. This get/give flow of energy and non verbal communication is at the very heart of Sabota. With plays from Solomun, &ME, Tim Green, Rampa, Skream, Shadow Child and B. Traits, Sabota is fast becoming a fave of DJ's around the world.

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NOAH PRED

Coaxing nuanced expression from analog machines and digital possibilities alike, Noah Pred has been envisioning the future through electronic music for over twenty years – yet the story of this accomplished producer and DJ continues to unfold. Reinterpreting his signature production style anew, 2018 sees the release of two full-lengths that chart the territories between deep space experimentalism, intricate polyrhythms, delicate soundscapes, evocative acid, and hypnotic dub elements.

www.noahpred.com

Noah Pred
Neighbour

NEIGHBOUR - owner of Homebreakin Records, and one of Western Canada’s underground heroes, combines influences from electronic, afro, latin, funk, disco, and house music with razor-sharp futuristic production. In addition to playing primarily original productions, remixes, and edits, Neighbour has been known to play live synthesizer and electric guitar alongside his legendary DJ sets, which range from no-nonsense underground house, to classic techno, disco, and futuristic dance music. Ever evolving and deeply committed to the science of good sound, Neighbour's approach to dance music has universal appeal.

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ADHAM SHAIKH

Adham Shaikh is an Emmy and Juno Award-nominated music producer, composer, sound designer, and DJ who brings his uniquely powerful global sounds to the world stage and screen, not to mention many a crowded dance floor.

www.adhamshaikh.com

Adham Shaikh
Goopsteppa

GOOPSTEPPA is the musical project of Alexandre Engel from British Columbia, Canada. Sidestepping the mire of standard 808 music, Goopsteppa navigates his auditory spaceship to universes whose sonic cores resound of of gangsta ambience, with lush, wet atmospheres hanging amidst the dew of low pitched & high vibe vocals.

Recent plays have Goopsteppa traveling across the world to share his sounds, from the mountains of Canada, the jungles of Costa Rica, and the deserts of the United States. You can find him traversing across the space-time continium, creating new galaxies in his wake…

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MAX ULIS

Max is half of Sabota, and a charter member of Lighta! Sound, which has been instrumental in the building of Vancouver’s underground movement for the better part of a decade. He has performed at prestigious festivals such as Decibel, Mutek, and New Forms, is a regular on the west coast festival circuit. His music has been played by notable performers such as Tim Green, Skream, B Traits, Jackmaster, Shadow Child, Grenier, &ME, and Breakage and he’s shared the stage with a who’s who of contemporary dance music.

Max Ulis

Westerley
WESTERLEY

Westerley is a music maker and DJ based on the West Coast of British Columbia. His sound is heavily influenced by the vibe and aesthetic of Classic Dubstep and Roots Dub.
Over the past 18 years he has performed at countless events in Canada, the United States, and abroad.
His music has gained recognition and has been played live and on radio by some of the most respected artists in the dubstep/bass music community.

www.soundcloud.com/westerley

RYAN WELLS

BC kid chasing his wildest dreams, making lifetime friends, all while missing the quartz-encrusted valleys of home. Composes intricate and thumping house grooves and DJs at festivals. Writes memoirs.

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Ryan Wells

Mandai

MANDAI

is proud to represent as one of the artists in Vancouver's infamous Lighta! crew. She is well-known for her legendary mixes and diverse sets showcasing dancehall-inspired bass and experiments with a variety of genres. She regularly performs at Bass Coast, Shambhala and her family-run festival The Field and made ripples at the Oregon Eclipse. She has opened for well-known artists in both the reggae/dancehall and international underground music scenes and can be found behind the decks at underground events and festivals spanning the west coast and several other major musical hubs.

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"Boss Lady" by Vybz Kartel perfectly sums up TANK GYAL ; the multi-talented queen of Vancouver's reggae dancehall scene. Creator and resident of the infamous Thursday Ting: the city's longest-running Jamaican music weekly, she is known across the globe for her impeccable taste and groundbreaking efforts in bussing up-and-coming artists. A veteran of all 10 editions of Bass Coast, several Shambhalas and Damian Marley's Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, Tank Gyal has shelled down crowds from Jamaica to Switzerland to Mexico to Las Vegas, opening up for an impressive list of toppa top artists from Beenie Man to Mavado to Chronixx to Toots & The Maytals. A real ninja behind the decks, Tank Gyal's rapid-fire mixing ensures you'll get a proper and airhorn-filled crash course in Jamaican music from the past, present and future.

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Tank gyal

Shiny Things

SHINY THINGS

SHINY THINGS come from dirty places: rolling in rave dust since childhood, the colorful vibes awoken during prepubescent trips in the desert have transmuted into some of the future sounds of today. From the interior groves of the west coast, this one’s a contributor; when not on stage you’ll find him on the floor, with glistening wits and moves for days. Selections all with good taste, these hyphy but paced, futuristic but deeply rooted psychedelic sounds are delightfully hype at any hour.

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FRASE

is a soul slanging singer, multi instrumentalist & beat maker from Montreal that currently lives just outside of Nelson, BC. Armed with a big bag of original tunes, mashups, and remixes, he pulls from the retro and pushes into the future. Blending sounds of golden era Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul, Dub Reggae and Blues with modern dance floor flavours of House and Bass music.

/frase.w.music/

Frase
Beatfarmer

BEATFARMER (Adam Wood), lives in the woods on a raw, west coast island where his homesteading lifestyle keeps him connected with the earth. This connection shows through his music, which incorporates ethnic and tribal sounds with modern electronic beats capturing the energy and beauty of the world he loves. His original productions are filled with natural sounds, chanting and organic percussion, connecting the listener with the traditions of the past - through the sounds of the future! In the past four years, beatfarmer has produced music from his solar powered home studio and released music on Ovnimoon Records, Street Ritual, black swan, Maia Brasil as well as numerous other labels. Beatfarmer has developed a passion for mixing organic world music with electronic beats and takes great care in crafting his sets for individual shows, bringing mind, spirit and body together. Combining energy, healing, beauty, balance, organic sounds and ancient incantations, beatfarmer will move your body to dance and your spirit to soar! peace, love , unity, respect

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FIREWOOD POETRY

Firewood Poetry is a blend of Electronica and the open sea. It is the combination of a lonely day and the warmth of a fire. It is soft, and sharp. It will cut your scares and make them deeper, but kiss you tenderly as you bleed.

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Firewood Poetry

Handsome tiger

HANDSOME TIGER

is the recently adopted moniker for Vancouver Producer/DJ Hussein Elnamer. It also happens to be the Arabic translation of his name, which only seems fitting since Elnamer has recently pounced into a new musical territory, switching up genres and leaving his indie rock past behind for electronic bass music. No stranger to the Vancouver music community, Handsome Tiger has supported and played countless shows over the last 2 years along with dropping over 10 releases. He has supported local and internationally known artists such as Ekali, Compa, Lady Chann, Greazus, Max Ulis, & Michael Red.

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(soon)

is a duo consisting of Josh Frazer aka iNTRiKeT and Jacob Morrison. The two started producing under this alias just over a year ago and already have an impressive collection of beats waiting to be unleashed upon unsuspecting dance floors. They released their debut EP on Smokey Crow Records in early 2018 and have music forthcoming on Anna Morgan/Bell Curve's Worst Behavior Records and more yet to be announced. In (soon)'s short existence the duo have already gained support from the likes of Congi, Subtle Mind, Dalek One, Anna Morgan, and more.

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(SOON)

Leland river

LELAND RIVER

is a Vancouver based ‘full spectrum' deep bass music Producer/DJ who has been billed alongside the likes of Ivy Lab, Addison Groove, Scratcha DVA, Congi, Fixate, Sorrow, Ishan Sound and Biome.

www.soundcloud.com/riiivr

J.F.KILLAH

With a love for the underground and an affinity for deep, dark, grimy basslines, J.F.Killah is on a mission to spread her sounds worldwide. On the decks since 2005, she has acquired an arsenal of beats and is armed to destroy any dance floor. Be it sundown or sun-up, festival or club, she will hold you emotionally encapsulated with sounds that resonate within your soul. With classical training on the keys and in music theory, she is able to utilize her understanding of key, emotion, and the power of sound to deliver musically dynamic and powerful performances. A member of SHAHdjs and Dnb Girls, her junglist roots play a key role in her sets but she plays a variety of genres depending on the time and place. Get ready for murdah because the Killah slays it every time!

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J F Killah

Rowan

ROWAN

has been DJing and promoting events in BC for over a decade sharing the stage with mainstay festival acts like Adham Shaikh, Gaudi, Liquid Stranger, Ganga Giri, Delhi 2 Dublin, Bluetech, Saqi, Desert Dwellers, David Starfire, Drumspyder, Random Rab and more. He has performed at events and festivals all over the pacific northwest, including Oregon Eclipse, Diversity, Fairies & Fools, Atmosphere, Entheos and toured across North America with his wife Alice, djing live sets offering transformative Bellyfit® workshops. Rowan’s creates sonic journeys layered with exotic textures, hypnotic rhythms and soaring, soulful melodies. ​This is what he is lovingly pulled toward, again and again.

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MA AM

Uniquely combining different styles and tempos of house, disco and techno, Vancouver's MA/AM crafts dreamy melodies and warm basslines with smooth, melancholy vocals. Comprised of long time Vancouver DJ/Producer Matthew Notting and Producer/Vocalist Adam Biggs, MA/AM reproduces their music live with a limited selection of synths and drum machines which allows the listener to hear an alternative version of music they've made in the studio.

http://wearemaam.com

Ma am

Footprints

FOOTPRINTS

has been a staple of the vibrant West Kootenay electronic music culture for as long as it has been around. His most noteworthy accomplishments are the creation and management of Shambhala’s Grove stage, Kamp Festival, Shapes, and AreaOne Events, all four blossoming into incomparable world-class entities. Throughout the years Footprints has maintained a flourishing music career of his own. Though many pseudonyms have come and gone his ability to read a room and weave music together remain constant. Audiences are taken on a tasteful, deep, and bass-driven journey into the realms of dub and hiphop. Though things do get therapeutically heavy, melody is never compromised. The end product being a perfect union between darkness and beauty.

COMMODDITY

Specializing in deep end electronic music, Commoddity has been refining a particular aesthetic of bass music at events across BC for nearly a decade. His musical template spans roots dubstep, autonomic d&b, dubwise bass, sunrise downtempo and many spaces in between. Whatever the genre, his selections are united by a discerning ear and a true love of the music. Constantly scouring record shops and the internet for new records and digital dubs, Commoddity works hard at keeping his collection fresh and current while still being rooted in the history and roots of the sounds he loves.

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Commoddity

Ocea Sasa

OCEA SASA

Hailing from the pristine beaches and forests of the Sunshine Coast near Vancouver, Ocea was raised at music festivals all over coastal BC. Gaining momentum at the age of 19, she began honing her taste in sound and culture in Nelson BC, nestled away in the Kootenay Mountains. Her love for the culture of music and art has taken her into events coordination with the Field Gathering and other parties. Ocea’s style ranges far. With an eclectic background of sound, you could hear her playing almost any genre from gypsy, to ambient, to deep bass, to G house, to everything remixed. Ocea stands up for individuality and authenticity on all fronts and lets those factors shine through her sound. A true up-and-comer to the BC Bass Music movement.

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LADY K

is a unique DJ, producer and pole athlete based on Vancouver Island. She consistently delights crowds with her internationally-flavoured, syncopation-forward tribal house. LadyK occasionally adds sensual athleticism to her shows by pole dancing during her DJ sets, laying her claim to the title of “The World's First Pole Dancing DJ.” LadyK's musical background includes completing a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Education at University of Toronto. There she was exposed to a myriad of genres of world music and discovered a passion for West African dance. LadyK also lived in Trinidad and Tobago for several months in 2011, which contributed to her love of soca music, steel pan drumming and syncopated rhythms.

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Lady k

N-Joy

N-JOY
feat. Alex Joy and Solomon Potashnick
Billions of years ago, star dust floating between the Milky Way and Andromeda Galaxies accumulated onto what resembled a massive record spinning around an axis at warp speed. This anomaly created the test pressing of what is now popularly referred to as Earth. In this age our planet was not only just flat, but shaped like a vinyl record, etched with the grooves of a time yet to be lived, where all the music of the future was written, waiting to be experienced. It was here a bond stronger than any other was formed between the DNA that is now the walking, talking, meat draped diamond shiners now known personally as Natty (Potashnick) and Alex Joy.. Together, and by association with you, on this night , and this dance floor, we are all more powerful than ever, and eternally shall be dubbed. N-JOY!

SKYELIGHT

Hailing from the forest north of Powell River on BC's Sunshine Coast, Skyelight paints the dancefloor with soulful, playful, and eclectic selections.

www.autumnskyeart.com

Skyelight

Agent Hooper

AGENT HOOPER

Over the years Agent Hooper as moved threw a few different genres of music before settling in to his own style of minimal tech house that he likes to call TechYes. Agent Hooper has found his way to the Comox Valley and has been a part for the Mushroom Manor collective for the past ten years. During this time in the Valley he has been a big part of the coastal underground scene, Having played the past few Diversity festivals and countless other smaller festivals and club events, Agent Hooper has become a staple of this tight knit coastal community. His biggest desire when Agent Hooper is at an event is that everyone is moving with a big smiles on their faces.

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JASON WHYTE

Jason got his start DJing and VJing in 1995 in Vancouver BC. Having grown up in the 80’s his tastes then were geared toward the mid 80’s synthy pop vibes of the early electro movement. Once the 90’s broke out with House music there was no looking back and this has been his genre of choice ever since.

www.soundcloud.com/deejayhoneybee

Jason White

Trevor Refix

TREVOR REFIX

Trevor is better known these days as the creative force behind the live electronic act Texture & Light, but before developing a synthesizer and drum machine fetish, Trevor was cutting his electronic teeth as a DJ. Trevor has been djing his unique brand of deep funky tech and acid house for over 15 years, performing everywhere from Shambhala's Fractal Forest, Diversity Festival, and the infamous Haunted Ball parties. He was an integral part of the early 00's Kelowna scene, one that gave rise to Stickybuds, JPOD, and Joseph Martin among others.

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COLLIER

One of the original masterminds behind such legendary events as Diversity Festival and Secret Beach Party. COLLiER's Dj sets are unearthed from a foundation of fun loving, latin, world bass & heavy dub sounds.. Playing numerous events throughout coastal B.C., COLLiER has intrigued dance floors with ancestral sounds and conscious rhythms

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Collier

Mt. Eliah

Benjamin E. Howells,AKA MT. ELIAH was Born and raised on Cortes Island B.C. he is about as West Coast as they come. Bent on facilitating space for freedom and expression, Creator of Cumberland Wild Music festival he also Co-Produced and created Atmosphere Gathering, Founder of Project Intent, Co-Founder of Little Island Productions and 1/3 of the Infamous NakedDJ's are a few of Ben's achievements. He has played a central role in Music and community action in the land he loves for more then a decade. In that time he's had the pleasure of playing opening DJ sets for artists such as: Beats Antique, Dubfx, Mad Professor, Dj Vadim, Adham shaikh,The Funk Hunters, Love and Light, Nickodemus, and Gaudi as well as playing sets at Festivals throughout B.C. His Multi-tempo, Multi-genre DJ performances fuse much of the world's most passionate, pleasing, cultural music with the best of underground dance beats to create Dance Floor experiences that are always fun and engaging.

https://www.mixcloud.com/Mt_Eliah/

DUBTECHA

has been keeping himself very busy perfecting his live PA, refining his original sound and working on some higher tempos to keep things rolling – though still focusing on bass heavy, layered dynamic sounds that can’t be defined into any one genre. In the years past he has had the chance to play his live set at Basscoast, Atmosphere Gathering and many other secret locations that can not be mentioned, He has kept up his Djing skills taking care of the North Vancouver Island and beyond as a multi genre Dj and as always, keeping things well timed and placed… He is also well known for his shenanigans as part of The Naked Djs which have been rockin’ the north island for many many years.

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DubtechA

S. Holmes

S. HOLMES

is a west coaster, local to Lasqueti Island. His musical tastes ranging through a variety of sounds in Dub, Deep Melodic, and Heavy Weirdness. Usually, but not always around the tempo of 140 bpm. S.Holmes has played both The Grove Stage, and the Cedar Lounge Stage at Shambhala Music Festival. As well as Diversity Music Festival's Beach Stage, always with a large stack of Records, and a love for music and dance.

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EM.ASH

creates a hypnotic and playful mix of deep, groove infused house and low slung techno. A staple in North Island's scene for a decade, EM.ASH is a purveyor of deeper underground house music. He been a part of Atmosphere Gathering, CB, Elevate the Arts, Diversity and many other intimate gatherings across BC. EM.ASH has remixes signed to Haustronaut Recordings, BeatLounge Records and System Recordings.

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Em.Ash

Slater

SLATER

Driven by musical expression and experimentation, Slater has been heavily immersed with music for most of his life. His tastes in sound are broad and span a wide range from jungle to dub, ambient soundscapes, techno and everything in between. His sets and original productions are intoxicatingly deep and moving and will surely resonate on any sound system.

HUWSWHO?

Seventeen years ago HuwsWho?! (aka Huw Saunders) went to his first rave and never looked back. Growing up on Vancouver Island in and around the electronic music scene had a huge impact on his life. Having many close DJ friends and continually collecting music along the way, the idea of DJing was always present but was not until a move to the BC interior that a life behind the decks began to unfold. While having always loved a wide variety of musical styles, his biggest love is house music. Whether it be deep & melodic, groovy & rhythmic or dirty & bassy, Huw finds the right music for any dancefloor. Through music festivals, countless friendships were made and enriching experiences had, with Diversity Festival being no exception! HuwsWho?! is more than excited to return and share another amazing musical journey with all of you!

Huwswho

Beach Stage Schedule


Friday Saturday Sunday
02:00 HuwsWho?! 01:00 Slater 02:00 Frase
03:00 Trevor Refix 02:00 S.Holmes 03:00 Skyelight
04:00 EM.ASH 03:00 Commoddity 04:00 Beatfarmer
05:00 Jason Whyte 04:00 Tank Gyal 05:00 Dubtecha
06:00 Ocea Sasa 05:00 Rowan 06:00 J.F.Killah
07:00 Collier 06:00 MA/AM 07:00 (soon)
08:00 Mandai 07:00 Agent Hooper 08:00 Shiny Things
09:00 Lady K 08:30 N-Joy 09:15 Footprints
10:30 Ryan Wells 10:00 Sabota 10:30 Handsome TIger
12:00 Mat the Alien 11:00 Neighbour 12:00 Adham Shaikh
1:30 The Librarian 12:30 Fort Knox 5 01:30 Noah Pred
03:00 Westerley 02:00 Von D 03:00 Max Ulis
04:30 Leland River 03:30 Sleeper 04:30 Mt Eliah
04:45 Goopsteppa 05:30 Firewood Poetry