This Broken Mixtape

Musician Aerin Fogel decided to create Venus Fest after recognizing an inherent need for a safe space where women and non-binary musical artists as well as music fans could thrive in.

Now in its second year, the Toronto music festival and concert series will be held September 20-22 with headliners Moor Mother, Zola Jesus, Bully and Partner.

We sat down with Aerin to talk about navigating through the many pitfalls of launching and sustaining a music festival, breaking the long history of sexual assault and microaggressions at music festivals, and how Courtney Love and the music of Hole inspired her to pick up the guitar

Singer-songwriter/Model Kaya Wilkins, aka Okay Kaya, recorded the majority of her debut record in her Brooklyn apartment.

The ethereal, melancholic bedroom-pop album delves into themes of racial identity, sexuality, insecurity, and mental health.

We talked to Kaya over the phone about the benefits of recording in her own home, playing White Stripes covers with her older brother, and her most favorite and least favorite condiments.

In celebration of their first year anniversary, we recount some of our favourite stories from interviews over the past year. In the third volume of our retrospective episodes, we share clips from guests Moon Eyed, CATL, Bodega, Shilpa Ray, Tammy Yiu, Simone Ferkul, Big Norm, Snail Mail, Moscow Apartment, In Vintage We Trust, Maylee Todd, Sugar Brown, Richard Cureton, and Aisha Brown.

In celebration of our first year anniversary, we share some of our favourite stories about memorable albums from our childhood discussed in interviews over the past year.

In the second volume of this retrospective series, we share clips from guests Eric Spitznagel, The Gillespie Brothers, Aisha Brown, Wafia, Lauren Pirie, Tanika Charles, Jonas Bonnetta, Shad, Maya Killtron, Big Norm, Snail Mail, and Priya Panda.

In celebration of our first year anniversary and the 50th milestone episode, we look back at some of our favourite mixtape stories from past episodes.

You'll hear from Common Holly, David Hayman, Rhiannon Archer, Kip Berman, Kohji Nagata, Blue Sky Miners, Japanese Breakfast, Malin Johnson, Lilla Drömland, and Trevor LaRocque, along with samples of the memorable songs that were featured on their mixes.

As one of the Executive Producers at Revolver Films, Richard Cureton has produced some of the most innovative works in the world of music video, advertising and digital.

For the past 25 years, he has worked on over 1,000 videos for artists like Drake, Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, Feist, Stereolab, DJ Shadow, Spoon, and Belle and Sebastian, to name a few.

We sat down with Richard to talk about creating live visuals Daft Punk in the mid-'90s, tracking down an orange Honda ATV for DMX to crash through a suburban home, and his top five music videos of all time.

Simone Ferkul is a Toronto-based multidisciplinary designer who specializes in interior and industrial design.

In her own words, Simone combines "traditional means of production with modern day processes to create a progressive design approach that is responsive to contemporary culture."

We spoke to Simone about winning Best-in-Show at Umbra's 2017 Compact Living Exhibition for her Sling Planter project, being a superfan of The National, and secretly seeking validation from music snob clerks at local record shops.

Snail Mail began as a solo project of teenage singer and guitarist Lindsey Jordan.

Her outstanding debut album, Lush, contains 10 deeply confessional tales anchored by 90s-inspired lo-fi indie riffs.

Joined by guest host Jennifer Buchanan of Indie Shuffle, we talked to Lindsey about finding a "soul-sister" in Liz Phair, reenacting Say Anything's iconic boombox scene, and why Kristen Stewart is her #1 celeb crush.

Toronto Neo-Soul/Jazz singer-songwriter Chelsey Bennett is one of the hardest working live performers in the city.

On any given night, you'll find her playing an intimate set at a cozy bar or music venue.

We sat down with Chelsey to discuss how she eventually rejected her classical/opera teachings to pursue jazz and soul music, regularly performing at the Practice jam sessions, and which music legends she would summon to headline her dream concert.