Welcome with Karim Kanji

Paul Chin is a Polaris Music Prize-nominated producer that has risen from a pedigree of classical training, to discovering bedroom production; then years of releasing music as a beatmaker's beatmaker; followed by almost a half-decade of inwardly-focused musical exploration, practice, and collaboration. The Toronto artist's return to the market – while easy to be apprehensive about – begins a new chapter marked by this joyous and confident reflection of his vast musical vocabulary, and adoration for the artform as an electronic artist.

Paul Chin is a lifelong student, lover, and explorer of music, which manifests itself in his work as a music producer and DJ. Growing up in the Cayman Islands, importing influence and inspiration from any and everywhere was always ingrained in his sense of identity. Additionally, the ethos of DIY culture and resourcefulness exemplified by his Chinese-Jamaican immigrant parents are part of what drew him to the resilient philosophy of hip-hop while studying classical and jazz in school and private music lessons.

Eventually, his robust musical foundation and scrappy work ethic would meet his insatiable appetite for new and exciting sounds, leading him toward beat-driven electronic music. Since permanently relocating to Toronto, Canada, Paul has embedded himself in the city’s creative fabric. Collaborating and performing alongside resident stalwarts such as Skratch Bastid, Harrison, Tanika Charles, and Shad has afforded him local ambassadorship on stages alongside the likes of Snakehips, Falcons, Toro Y Moi, and Shigeto. His releases all possess a gravitational centre of instrumental hip-hop, but draw his pursuits of jazz, gospel, IDM, disco, garage, dancehall, and anime scores into their orbit. Not content to emulate trendy aesthetics from any one genre, Paul continues to develop his sound, performance, and collaborative work from a diverse spectrum of artists.

Here's the first episode in a series we're doing called Lost Venues. We'll explore lost concert venues through the eyes of former musician Gregg Tilston. Gregg was 16 when he started playing live gigs with Plastic Dollz from Whitby/Ajax, Ontario. The first gig in Toronto was at Larry's Hideaway.

Half fable, half manifesto, this brilliant new take on the ancient concept of cash lays bare its unparalleled capacity to empower and enthrall us. The Money Plot: A HISTORY OF CURRENCY'S POWER TO ENCHANT, CONTROL, AND MANIPULATE. Frederick Kaufman tackles the complex history of money, beginning with the earliest myths and wrapping up with Wall Street’s byzantine present-day doings. Along the way, he exposes a set of allegorical plots, stock characters, and stereotypical metaphors that have long been linked with money and commercial culture, from Melanesian trading rituals to the dogma of Medieval churchmen faced with global commerce, the rationales of Mercantilism and colonial expansion, and the U.S. dollar’s 1971 unpinning from gold.

In the spring of 1965, Bill Cosgrave was smuggled across the border into the United States after receiving an irresistible invitation from his captivating friend Mary Werbelow. When he made it to her apartment in Los Angeles, Mary introduced Bill to her boyfriend, Jim Morrison. The two young men quickly bonded.

When Jim and Mary’s relationship faltered, Jim headed for Venice beach with his notebook. Bill and Jim spent endless days together, enjoying the aimlessness of their youth and the freedom of the times, fuelled by Jim's unlimited supply of dope.

Jim Morrison's writing would morph into iconic hit songs, rocketing him to international fame as the hypnotic lead singer of the Doors. Beautiful Mary would set off on her own journey. After years of futile searching, Bill finally tracks down the woman he had secretly loved. He’s dying to know where her life has taken her and stunned by what he discovers.

Ian Keteku is a poet, musician author and artist. Ian Keteku earned the title of World Slam Poetry champion in France in the summer of 2010 and is also a two-time Canadian poetry slam champion.

Meg Warren is our first guest of 2021.

After starting the multiple award-winning band Repartee in 2009, they criss-crossed Canada for 8 years, driving the van to hundreds of shows across the country.

A high point in her career came in 2016 when what started as a little song idea about fighting for the people you love called ‘Dukes’ became the most added song across all radio formats across Canada in July of that year. Repartee would go on to win the 2017 Indie

Music Award for Pop Artist/Group of the year.

Now, as a solo artist and songwriter, Meg co-produced and co-engineered her EP, ‘A Thousand Ways’ with ECMA-winning producer Dan Ledwell. She also engineered, mixed, and co-produced Newfoundland singer-songwriter Virginia Fudge’s upcoming EP which is slated for an early 2021 release.

She can't wait to see what's next.

Nick Kypreos is a retired hockey player who won the Stanley Cup while a member of the New York Rangers. Nick also played for the Hartford Whalers, Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs. Most recently he spend over two decades with Sportsnet as a hockey analyst and insider. Today he is host of the Real Kyper at Noon show on YouTube and part owner of the Little Buddha Cocktail Company.

During the last year of school, Chin Injeti recorded an indie album of the band in a home studio built by his father & brother. That CD ended up selling 70,000 copies and served as his introduction to the music industry!

The band (by then known as Bass is Base) went on to gain fans all over the world and garnered a deal with Universal Music and Island records in the United States.

Fronted by Injeti, the group won a Juno (Canadian Grammy) for best R&B record, a Much Music Video award for a song called “Funkmobile” and Chin was awarded with Songwriter of the Year from SOCAN.

With many years of creating, touring and performing all over North America with the likes of The Fugees, The Roots, Jamiroquoi, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and so many more, Chin learned the craft of carving out frequencies and the importance of an impactful lyric and melody. For years he just listened and watched until he was able to take a selfless approach to his craft, where he put the song and the artist before everything.

His purpose, indeed, became crystal clear when Injeti teamed up with then partner DJ Khalil; with whom he made music with and for the likes of Dr Dre, Eminem (“Recovery,”and “Survival” which he later won 2 Grammys for), Drake (“Fear”), Pink (“Here comes The Weekend”), Aloe Blacc (“I’m the Man,” “Can You Do This”), The Clipse (“Kinda Like a Big Deal” feat. Kanye), Lecrae (“Mayday” and another Grammy win), K’Naan (“Waving Flag” and another Juno award) and so many other artists.

Injeti’s impact on music was slowly taking shape with millions of records sold and Gold & Platinum plaques as evidence, and, perhaps most significantly, his being able to pick and choose the artists that he wanted to work with.

Chin Injeti is a force of nature - an inspiration, a teacher, mentor, leader, innovator, singer and multi instrumentalist, writer, collaborator, student; and yes, Icon.

Twin Flames: The husband and wife duo of Chelsey June, Métis (Algonquin Cree) from Ottawa, and Jaaji, Inuk and Mohawk from Nunavik, are long celebrated for their sonic soundscapes spanning Canada and the Arctic, and honouring their ancestors through song in English, Inuttitut and French.

Al Strachan is a member of the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. Al is a best selling author of 6 books as well as a former sports writer with The Toronto Sun, Globe and Mail and Montreal Gazette. His latest book is Hockey's Hot Stove - The Untold Stories of the Original Insiders.