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Ep. #203: Elaquent

Elaquent is a hip-hop artist and producer based in Guelph, Ontario. An underground hero among beatmakers and rabid fans, Elaquent is renowned for his infectious, soulful but off-kilter compositions that recall aspects of Dilla and DJ Premier but are still wholly unique. Endlessly prolific, Elaquent’s brand new album is called Good Karma, it’s out now via Huh, What & Where, and it’s prompted him to play live, including solo and collaborative sets in his hometown at the Hillside Festival between July 24 and 26. Here, Elaquent and I discuss being rusty, making up your skillset on your own, plant pathology, Spanish and French, the Spanish student becomes the computer teacher, Meek Mill and Drake and ghostwriting/producing in hip-hop, Dr. Dre is a heartbreaker, Nicki Minaj and Taylor Swift, Action Bronson and Ghostface Killah, pro wrestling, Good Karma and positive vibes, living in a town like Guelph, playing the Hillside Festival for the first time, jamming with Daniel Lanois, Nels Cline Singers, BADBADNOTGOOD, Lee Reed, and Jason Wilson & Pee Wee Ellis, the song “You’ve Changed,” and that was that.

Related links: elaquent.com hillsidefestival.ca vishkhanna.com

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News Podcast

Ep. #202: Doldrums

Doldrums is the electro-punk moniker of Airick Woodhead who currently lives in Montreal. Woodhead has been making music publicly since he was 13 years old and was a founding member of the inventive, well-respected Toronto band, Spiral Beach. Since Spiral Beach disbanded, Woodhead has been exploring other kinds of music and the melodic, jarring, hazy sounds in Doldrums really speak to his open mind and constant desire to challenge conventional perceptions of art. The latest album by Doldrums is The Air Conditioned Nightmare, it’s out now via Sub Pop, and has prompted Woodhead to tour the world, including a stop by the Hillside Festival in Guelph on the weekend of July 24. Here, Airick and I discuss chilling at the Arbutus Records office, touring with people from Spiral Beach, Henry Miller’s trip, a traveller’s disillusionment with home, iDeath and Richard Brautigan, anger and everything, evolving thoughts on EDM, web traffic, testing your own genes, the Hillside Festival as a formative musical influence, David Woodhead and Scott Merritt and the Barmitzvah Brothers, having a rad dad, pop-punk and hip-hop, Toronto’s music community compared to Montreal’s. contemplating leaving music behind to become a geneticist, the song “Video Hostage” and then there was tackling,

Related links: subpop.com hillsidefestival.ca vishkhanna.com

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News Podcast

Ep. #201: LIDS

LIDS is a Toronto-based trio consisting of Brian Borcherdt (Holy Fuck, Dusted), Doug MacGregor (Constantines, City and Colour), and Alex Edkins (METZ). This past March, the band released a single for “Sarsfest” b/w “Blank Flag” via Telephone Explosion and have played select shows when their busy schedules permitted them to do so. This Sunday July 26 at 7 PM, LIDS performs at Guelph’s Hillside Festival and here, Brian, Doug, Alex, and I talk about the nineties, Empire Records and Reality Bites and The Ben Stiller Show, DVDs, Ronnie’s and break-ups, METZ are fine, where LIDS came from and how they’re a ‘stupor group,’ Rob Ford and the Pan Am Games HOV lanes, two and not three, Toronto the extreme, dysfunctional local government versus civic action, Mayor John Tory and Kanye West and Drake, slapping the bass, good and bad Hillside workshops, Brian dressed like a goofy robot, under pressure, when Prime Minister Stephen Harper attacked Holy Fuck, Doug’s jam band app, Dioctave and drumming with a drum machine, dabbled in clickage, LIDS is a buddy band, Chris Koltay from Detroit, one day in Perth, who’s the busiest, Doug has to juggle City and Colour and Constantines, Brian has free time, Dusted, the MC5 and Can, SARSstock, AC/DC kicked ass and the Stones kinda stunk, Will Kidman quit when AC/DC went on-stage, AC/DC rehearsed at Cherry Beach, my kid and AC/DC, Doug and Back in Black, when Brian defaced a Bon Scott statue, future plans for everyone, Holy Fuck’s new album, Hillside Festival chatter, Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, the songs “Sarsfest” and “Blank Flag,” and then we put a lid on it.

Related links: telephoneexplosion.com hillsidefestival.ca vishkhanna.com

Lids

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