Step into any night club, or rave, in Penticton, Kelowna, Kamloops, Nelson, or Vernon, and likely there is a guy, or girl, standing behind a huge deck of turnatables, knobs and whistles making a huge sound.
It’s a familiar sight that’s getting notice beyond these borders as area electronic music producers become known for their distinctive sounds.
Three of the B.C. Interior’s hottest DJs, Kona, Arise and Mishadow, will tear up the dance floor with all sorts of dancy hard-hitting tunes for Free Bass, Saturday at Vernon’s 2929 Nite Club.
The show is a customer appreciation party held by Vernon’s 13th Floor Entertainment, who have been bringing a wide swath of the area’s top electronic and hip hop musicians to town for the past year.
“We realize that most people don’t have a whole lot of extra money in January but people still want to come out and dance, so thanks to our sponsors, Bean to Cup and Dunas, we are able to make this show happen without having to charge anyone,” said 13th Floor’s Josh Brazier. “The show is open to anyone (19 and over), but we really hope to see a lot of familiar faces.”
With a background in speed garage and electro, and everything else with bass, Kamloops’ DJ Kona has been rocking shows for 12 years now and has more recently turned to producing.
He is now one half of Iheart recordings, a label known for offering up nothing but the very best that electronic music has to offer.
Kona has rocked recent shows alongside local heroes such as Jeff York, Wrecklace, Mayo, Basslinger, and the whole IHeart Recordings lineup.
With 14 years behind the Technic 1200s, and a familiar face in clubs around B.C., Penticton’s Arise has his roots grounded in rock, punk, hip hop, house, electro, booty breaks, bassline and drum and bass.
He has played shows in Mexico, Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and has recently found his own fresh style and is always digging for unheard drum ‘n bass and wobble sounds to give people an unforgettable experience.
Heralding from the depths of the Kootenays, Mishadow is known for his blend of funky, bubbling basslines that dip in and out of the downright filthy, driven by a coherent tech-house backbone that gets the crowd moving.
Now a fixture and respected DJ in the Kelowna electronic scene, Mishadow is resident DJ for the Okanagan’s production crew Footwerk, and has opened for or headlined with Nom De Strip, Malente, and Sticky Budz.
He also co-hosts an online radio station and regularly headlines underground raves throughout the Okanagan.
Free tickets for Saturday’s Free Bass party at 2929 are available at the Downtown Internet Lounge, located on 30th Avenue next to the Vernon Towne Theatre.
