EP16 - DJ Reminisce: The possiblities are unlimited

[00:00:07] Speaker A: So, guys, welcome once again, this is the Raj call podcast, and I've got a very special guest today. Probably I'm actually out of all the guests, even though I've interviewed some great musicians. I think I'm looking forward to this one the most because I've got a rapport with him, so. And he's a great, great guy. He mixes my music. Not only that, he's one of the nicest guys in, in the industry, without fail. Um, so I've already introduced. I've already said him. I'm on DJ Reminisce. Introduce yourself. Go for it. [00:00:39] Speaker B: Uh, first of all, bro, you know. You know, so, yeah, I'm Amandeepanessa, aka DJ reminisce. Um, just a normal guy, bro. Been in the scene a long time, done everything, played everything, been through a lot, and just sharing my experiences with the world. [00:01:02] Speaker A: So, you know, absolutely amazing. So I'm going to make a star. Let's, let's. Let's do, like, a story because I don't know a lot about this, a lot about your background, which, um, yeah, I'm not aware of. So I thought, let's take this opportunity to find that out as well before we diverse and. And get into, um, uh, uh, uh. Sugar Miller. Yeah, yeah. So where about you from originally? Because I know you got links to UK. [00:01:32] Speaker B: Yeah, it's a weird one, bro. So I'm born and I'm canadian, born and raised in Canada, but mom and dad are from the UK and they settled in Canada. But when I was born, like, they didn't know what they wanted to do. They're still attached to the UK. So on multiple occasions, we've tried to move back and for some reason, we just ended up coming back to Canada. And then even myself, before I graduated, I had moved to the UK. I've brought on, like, preschool here, preschool there in the UK. High school here, high school there, middle school there, middle school there. Like, it was weird. So I just, I just ended up being back in Canada. For whatever reason, I tried to sell in the UK, spent half my life there. I consider myself, like, you know, one of those. I consider myself, like, when I go back home, it's like being home. So, like, you know, prani like that. When I go back to the UK, yeah, all my nanki are there. I have no family in Canada. The saudi mini nankiyo tea, they're like my homies. And, you know, I got, I got. I got married in England because that's what I wanted to do. So, like, the heart still there. [00:02:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:02:48] Speaker B: In the UK. But, you know, I think for me personally, staying in Canada was the better move for me and my family. [00:02:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Especially now in terms of music industry. Canada's the hub right now. [00:03:03] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, it took a long time to get here, but, yeah, it was good. [00:03:07] Speaker A: Yeah, I should move out there. I should move out. [00:03:10] Speaker B: Yeah, bro. [00:03:12] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. [00:03:14] Speaker B: Yeah, no, it was just. It's just. It was. It was good. I. You know, I don't. I don't. No regrets. You know, I do these days, like, when I see you on stage and stuff, it's like, man, I wish I was in England, you know, because I do. I do miss. I do miss the. It's a lively music scene. [00:03:31] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:03:31] Speaker B: Kind of like. Like you've got your own sort of thing, like India Hale ote, you know, Melemullah G. All right, yeah. Uk. It is. It's, it's. It's. They do, but they don't. It's different. It's weird. Plus, Canada's widespread. So you got Vancouver, which is popping, and then you got Toronto, which is like, you know, six hour flight. So it's not like in England where you go, like, you know, south of Mila. Next weekend you go to Birmingham. [00:03:55] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [00:03:57] Speaker B: So it's. It's nice. Like, you got a really cool circuit, you know. [00:04:00] Speaker A: I think the furthest we've done is, like, the furthest I did was Birmingham to Edinburgh, man. And Aberdeen stuff. That was. That was. Yeah, Aberdeen. [00:04:10] Speaker B: Miller, your social media on that one, dude. [00:04:13] Speaker A: Man, we had to add that day, right, when I. We had that gig. So I was off to Edinburgh. No, I had off to Edinburgh and Aberdeen, I think. Aberdeen. Aberdeen was here. So on that day, my mommy passed away. [00:04:29] Speaker B: Oh, man, sorry. [00:04:30] Speaker A: Yeah. So I had to stop. I was gonna go Chester first. My mommy was still stopping in Chester and that's near Liverpool. And so I was going to go there and stop there. Just, you know, just pay my. Just see my mommy, see my cousin and stuff. But then in the morning, found out she passed away, so I still went there. [00:04:50] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:04:50] Speaker A: You know, paid my respects that time. And it was. And then that's drive straight to thing. So that she only took 12 hours, bro, that's mad. [00:04:58] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, it's funny you bring up the point. I know we'll talk about this, but the stuff that artists. That people know what we have to do. I've been in situation like that, too, where I had a new year's gig and my baba passed away. But you have, like, you know what I mean? You kind of. [00:05:14] Speaker A: Yep. [00:05:15] Speaker B: What do you do? I mean, there's no. There's no right decision, per se. [00:05:18] Speaker A: No. [00:05:18] Speaker B: Depending on who you talk to. [00:05:20] Speaker A: Yep. [00:05:21] Speaker B: So, you know, and this is stuff that people don't realize, like, I see we did not, you know, we're humans as well, right. We have exactly how these conflicts, you know, but then we've got contracts, then you've got, you know, the human side of it. It's tough, you know, there's no right answer. I'm sure you got beat up for that, you know what I mean? But at the same time, I think. [00:05:41] Speaker A: My family was all right. They were. They were understanding about it because they knew that I had an agreement with someone. And to go in that. That far and canceling last. It'd be the last minute, wouldn't it? Cancel. So, yeah, it was all right. But anyway, I was just talking about the. The circuitous, uh, here. Um, you'll have to educate me on. On the geography in, uh, of Canada because I'm a bit ignorant that way. So. [00:06:04] Speaker B: So, yeah, so the. Excuse me. The two main, I would say, center of punjabi music here is Vancouver and Toronto. And out of the two, I would cold. Hardly say Toronto is the bigger, the bigger piece of the pie when it comes to live gigs, club gigs and whatever. [00:06:27] Speaker A: So where's Brampton? [00:06:29] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:30] Speaker A: Is Brampton in Toronto? [00:06:31] Speaker B: Brampton's in Toronto. On Toronto. [00:06:33] Speaker A: Okay. Yeah. All right. Because that's the main. That's all you hear about. [00:06:37] Speaker B: Yeah. And then obviously, bc they were starting, we got Surrey. Right? Surrey is the biggest population of Punjabi. [00:06:44] Speaker A: So, yeah. [00:06:46] Speaker B: Um. It's good. It's good. Lively scene. I. To be honest, over the years, I've seen it become sort of like less and less hyundai. But it's not like I remember, you know, growing up, they're like a. Like, I would say starting from April all the way to summer kushna kushi. Like, you know, this middle folk fest. And then we. We did our own festivals. Like, when I was involved with, like, you know, ViBC. Right? I did, you know, the radio stations here, igdo, sige, at the time, they would do their own festivals. So, I mean, it was vibrant. I'm not saying it isn't now, maybe because I'm older, but it's just different now. Club scene was. I would say it was. It wasn't really big here. There wasn't a big scene. We did once a month, the last Thursday of the month for ten years. Like, we were the longest running Punjabi, sort of pretty cool. Yeah, but that was more of a, like a club thing. You know, you bring artists to that we didn't need to, and then now, you know, there's just similar nights, but it's. It's not like Toronto, where there's something going on, like, every weekend, you know what I mean? Or something. So I don't know why that is, honestly. I think it's more of a, like, west Coast. Sardinia. On the west coast, we're more laissez faire, you know what I mean? We're. We're a bit more, you know, it's not like a big city. Like, London's like, you know, traffic and busy. That's what. That's what the east coast is like. So we're more like barbecues and picnics and sort of chill. [00:08:22] Speaker A: That sounds like me, to be fair. Barbecues, picnics, and that sounds. [00:08:27] Speaker B: Yeah. So, um. But that's. I mean. But don't get me wrong, like Edmonton, Calgary, just. I mean, we've done tours across Canada, so, you know, just pop in areas. But our biggest problem is geography. [00:08:41] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:41] Speaker B: And Punjabis are spread out all over the place. [00:08:44] Speaker A: Yeah, but those are the main two hubs. [00:08:46] Speaker B: Vancouver, I would say those are main hubs. Yeah. [00:08:49] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:49] Speaker B: But now with. I think in the next ten years, you'll see a difference now because, like, we've had over a million Punjabis. Like, well, I'll say, you know, people from India move over the last two years because of immigration. So I think. But at the end of the day, Halevio, they moved to the big cities, like Toronto, Vancouver. But I think, like, everything, when, you know, when too much of a thing happens, people tend to move out. [00:09:15] Speaker A: Yep, yep, yep. [00:09:16] Speaker B: You're going to see. I think you'll see a wider spread of Punjab. Like, I moved 4 hours away now from Vancouver. Sorry, I'm an area called the Okanagan. I moved here in 2018. I would never see any Punjabis here in the area. [00:09:29] Speaker A: Mm hmm. [00:09:29] Speaker B: Very few. Right. I'll go to a Walmart or whatever. I didn't see them now. It's like, every day in my gym. Every day. So. And you ask them, they're like, you know. You know, to see a Tim Huaya, they're like, yeah. [00:09:48] Speaker A: We all do that, don't we? It's like. It's like, what happens is, like, you go to an area, where's the water? Move out. Right? Then. Then the Indians move out, and then another ethnicity moves out. And then slowly, slowly, you just. That's what happens. [00:10:02] Speaker B: It's like, the evolution of a just natural internal migration. Right. [00:10:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. So, like, in terms of the middle, I wanted to mention. Mention the. The thing that kicked. Started here again was Covid. [00:10:19] Speaker B: Okay. [00:10:20] Speaker A: After Covid, there was a milline. Every. You throw a stone, there's a miller. That really changed the scene, but it's starting to die down again. Like, I've had Miller, which. Which have been cancelled all of a sudden. There was going to be a Leamington Miller, there was going to be this Miller and. And they. They just got. They were just canceled. I don't think we've ever had this. But the year I did the Miller. Last year, was it last year I did a lot of millet. I don't think we've ever had this much middle in the UK. [00:10:50] Speaker B: Wow. [00:10:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:52] Speaker B: We're just trying to cash in, I guess. [00:10:53] Speaker A: Yeah, cash in. And, you know, just post lockdown, there was, you know, like, Aberdeen Miller. There was Aberdeen Miller. Slough Miller. Hans low Miller. Birmingham Miller. There's two Birmingham Miller. The big John's Birmingham Miller. [00:11:10] Speaker B: Yeah, that one. [00:11:11] Speaker A: Then the Samuel one. They sort of target slightly different communities where the, um. Uh, the. The Sandwell Birmingham Miller. That. That targets more like a Punjabi, indian Punjabi sort of thing. Hannah. And it's more desi. Whereas the big johns one, that's more, like, to the pakistani crowd. [00:11:32] Speaker B: Okay, fair enough. [00:11:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Which, which is. So that's normally around eve time. [00:11:39] Speaker B: Okay. [00:11:39] Speaker A: And it's. And it's pretty big, to be fair. Big johns. If you can get on big johns. It's a massive, massive, massive day job. But those are the two main ones in Birmingham. Then you've also got this. You've also got the. You got loads in London. You got reading Miller. You got so many Newcastle Miller. And there's all the vendors up north. Newcastle, bury, Huddersfield, Millar. Forgot how many we done last year. It's crazy. [00:12:09] Speaker B: Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I remember that was probably, like, highlights of my youth there. Bros attending these mid lay and the daytimers and stuff. And, like, musically rooted. Like. Like, I wouldn't. If it wasn't for UK Punjabi music in the scene. I would never play. I would never. I wouldn't be Punjabi. I'll be honest with you. I wouldn't know the language. I wouldn't play the music. It's. It was the UK Punjabi specific, like, culture of music. [00:12:41] Speaker A: That is so true, bro. That is so. I don't know whether, you know, I grew up amongst. I was supposed to be interviewing you in it. I'm just telling you about my life. So I grew up with, amongst the bands, you see, because, like, a lot of my cousins and relatives and stuff, they were. They were in the bands. So you had Dave, Dolly, who's. Who's. Who's, like, his. His grandparents and my. My Nanaki. They all came to. From India at the same time. So they all. They all lived in Aston. Do you know Aston? Don't you? [00:13:13] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:13:14] Speaker A: So all these. All these, like, band members, a lot of them lived in Aston or handsworth. [00:13:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:13:19] Speaker A: So all anarchy and grandparents, they all know each other. Like, even now, I think we've got relatives from places where, you know, don't know who they are. I know, but it all came that day and then. So we knew the band members of Excellency, suffrage boys, and this, you know, you had someone and. Yeah, you know, my cousin Sookie, he anki was in as well, so. Yeah, so it's. It was a. I think. I think you're so right that we learned Punjabi through music. [00:13:51] Speaker B: Yeah, I did. I admit it. They were like our superstars, bro. Like, I remember. I remember. I remember that one year I came back to England, and it was the first time I actually got to meet Serge Sota. He was playing. This is at a wedding. Just think, this ain't no concert, you know? [00:14:08] Speaker A: No, no. [00:14:09] Speaker B: I'm, like, fanboying over this guy Obi Bachana. It was a funny thing because, you know, I don't know if anyone's heard the story, but they. I think they got into some sort of accident or car accident. Sweet. Bachata, he's in a wheelchair, all managed up, and he's singing. And here's me going, hey, man, can I have the autograph? He's looking at me like. Like. [00:14:29] Speaker A: We used to. We used to have this video shop called hi fi on sahara. Do you remember it? [00:14:34] Speaker B: Okay, yeah, yeah, I remember hi fi. [00:14:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And May used to own it. Gujarat the owners. May was a really good guy. And I remember when I was about 1112, I had my first signed tape from a Johnnick was. Vijay was signing him. So it was like, crazy days, man. Yeah. You'll never get them back. [00:14:54] Speaker B: No, man. And, you know. You know, we've talked about this before. Like, it's just. It's a part of that culture that, you know, I'm afraid it's just gonna get lost in translation somewhere because we never did a very good job of, you know, documenting it. I know, I know. You know, like, you guys are trying and. Yeah, you're doing what you can do, which is fantastic. Like, this podcast is important. This is going to be recorded. Whoever you put on this there for life on digital format. [00:15:21] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. [00:15:22] Speaker B: It's fantastic, man. I give you props. Like, I've been trying. I've been wanting to do this. This sort of idea for, you know, forever, like, just to get the greats on and just. Just talk about life and music. [00:15:33] Speaker A: Yeah. But, you know, we should do one together. You know, we should do one together one day. Yeah, I'd love to do one together. Get a guest where we both grill. [00:15:43] Speaker B: The guests or any padaji. I'll give they know why I'm on the show. [00:15:46] Speaker A: Yeah. At least we've got each other anyway, so I had. I had the one before this. I don't know whether I told you who I've got. So this is, uh, recorded a few. A few weeks in advance. So Mukhtar Zahuta is gonna be the one on coming out. [00:16:01] Speaker B: Yeah, you were mentioning it to me. That's gonna be cool, man. Listen, like, you hear, like, the so tas, like, they're so elusive. You know what I mean? Like, you don't know. Like, I don't know anything about them unless, like, unless you're kind of, like, in the inside circle. Started, like, oh, johnny la milkita. I know. You know what I mean? Like, I just gig Seattle with them. Jussie obviously is my homeboy. Right? So, like, you. You kind of know, but with them, they're like, you know what I mean? So I'm looking forward to that. [00:16:29] Speaker A: So he was Muqdad was. He said that when he's doing music, he locks off. [00:16:38] Speaker B: Yeah. Okay. [00:16:40] Speaker A: I think it took us months to get. To get this, and we've. We were speaking to his manager. His wife manages him, so. Same as me. So it was our wives who linked up. That's how the podcast came to. Came to be with Muqdor. [00:16:52] Speaker B: Wow. That's how things get done, Ruby. [00:16:55] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:16:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:16:56] Speaker A: He let the wives do it, so. Yeah, but he's his podcast. When you listen to it, it's obviously I had to. I was a bit nervous that one, to be fair, because no one's interviewed Muktar. I don't think. There's no interviews on it. [00:17:12] Speaker B: Yeah. You know what I mean? Like, it's one of those things. Okay. [00:17:15] Speaker A: Yeah. I'm not only that he's such an accomplished musician, you're thinking, man, I better know. Exactly. I better know what I'm talking about. [00:17:23] Speaker B: And it, you know, he say what you want. Like, there was that era. And I, like, I don't want to irritate people. There's. But there's that era at one point where you keep punjabi music all sort of sound the same. Yeah, it was that time period, right? [00:17:39] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:39] Speaker B: But no matter, no matter where you are, if you hear his music, it's distinct. He's like that. Only one. You know, where, you know, like the keys that he plays, like the sound design, you're like, that's him. [00:17:54] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, you learn how he likes in the podcast. When you listen to it, you'll learn about how he, he differentiated from the. Because he did. Because when he, when he went solo, he wanted to differentiate from the Sahota sound. [00:18:07] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah. [00:18:08] Speaker A: So he talks about that. He tried to make the sound as the songs as varied as possible. [00:18:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:14] Speaker A: So it was really interesting the way he did that. And he talked about the things about it. The. [00:18:19] Speaker B: That's cool. I'm looking forward to that one. [00:18:21] Speaker A: Yeah, he's good. Good guy. It's a top block. I'll tell you who else was he reminded me of. Swami. [00:18:27] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:28] Speaker A: Diamond. Yeah, yeah. They're very, very business, very similar characters. Yeah, yeah. Very, very calm. Very, like, okay. Um, not expressive. Like, you know, they're very, like, sort of almost introverted, if you could say. Yeah. But, but, uh. Oh, my gosh, they're, they're just talent off the books, basically off the charts. [00:18:52] Speaker B: Swami I met when he came to Vancouver, they played at a festival here, and it was like, probably the only. Probably one of the only guys that. It's weird, like, I'm conversing with him, but we never talk about music. You know what I mean? Yeah, it was business. It was like, it was like one of those conversations where, you know, like, people, like, oh, you know, like something to do with music or a beat he did or something. No, it was all about. It's all about business. It was all about, like, life, you know what I mean? It was so cool. [00:19:22] Speaker A: And he's really nice like that, isn't it? You don't want. You don't want. I don't know whether I said this about the podcasts. He took out half an hour of his time randomly and just told me the ins and outs of sync licensing. [00:19:34] Speaker B: Yeah, you were saying, bro. That's, that's big because nobody really knows that stuff. And who does it? [00:19:39] Speaker A: Who what? No one knows and who. He's got no benefit of telling me the ins and outs of it as he. There's no benefit to him, but he's such a nice guy. I mean, I'll never forget that. I hope it's. I'll never forget what he did there. Do you know? I mean, so, uh, I I was telling you, remember I was saying, this is. And I told you about taxi and stuff was. I remember after that. [00:20:00] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Sink is where it's at. [00:20:04] Speaker A: Yeah, we'll see. See, it goes, we've got to finish those tracks. That, that next two tracks are going on. Taxi. [00:20:11] Speaker B: Yeah, man. [00:20:12] Speaker A: Yeah, we've got to finish those tracks. So, anyway, let's get back to you. This is what happens. Yeah. So you saw, you brought up in, um, your parents moved to Canada, so were you born in Canada? [00:20:24] Speaker B: I was born in Canada, um, at like one years old. I was back in the UK for a bit and then came back again before school started. So it was weird. Like, I ended up doing school there, like preschool, whatever it's called. And then things didn't work out. Then I came back here, did pre here, and then, um. [00:20:48] Speaker A: Which area was you in in the UK? [00:20:50] Speaker B: I was in Southall. [00:20:52] Speaker A: Wow. [00:20:53] Speaker B: Yeah, south. I was in the. [00:20:54] Speaker A: That was quite a punjabi area. And when you moved to Canada, which area was you there initially? [00:20:59] Speaker B: I was at that time, I was in East Vancouver. [00:21:02] Speaker A: So was there. Was there quite a lot of punjabi community there at that time? [00:21:05] Speaker B: There was, yeah, it was pretty good. Like Gordo Seago tenor. Yeah, I was in an area, it was called Main street. That's kind of like the hub. Well, up in dubbed, these were, there's two streets, main street and Fraser, but Main street was the main one. It's kind of like Southall Broadway, let's just put it that way. Our Southall Broadway now, it's changed now because everyone's kind of moved out now. But, um, so we were there for a while and then we had a big crash here where the economy just collapsed, and then we ended up moving further out, which I don't really talk about, but it was basically like a ghetto. We were there for quite a bit and, man, I tell you, the shit I saw there, bro, you know, I don't wish that. So we were there for a couple of years and then moved back to try to go back to England because we had nowhere to go. And then dad stayed, sorted stuff out, then we came back. Then at that point we moved kind of further into East Vancouver. Yeah, like near. Close to the Godwara. We were there and then from there, stayed there for a bit and then we ended up moving to Delta, which is like, near Surrey. Like, basically there's one street, Scott Road, which is the border of Surrey and Delta. So I pretty much lived Delta from there from that point on, you know, Surrey Delta, Surrey Delta, back and forth. And then between that, I was. I was in the UK from 92 to 97. 98, wow. Somewhere, like, solid, that was. [00:22:51] Speaker A: Martins solid. [00:22:53] Speaker B: So. But back and forth. Right, but I was living in the UK. [00:22:57] Speaker A: Yep. [00:22:58] Speaker B: Working there. Got some cool jobs, man. Worked at the Disney store. HMV. I worked catering for multiraja restaurant. Good times, man. Good times. I've done it all, bro. Honestly. I've djed there for a little bit with a crew and came back here. But it was. You know what it was, it was. I just wanted to be part of that UK music scene, you know, I want to be part of that, but it just never worked out for whatever reason. Guess. Locke, maybe me. I don't know what it was. Maybe I wasn't UK enough. I don't know what it was, right. But. But I never. I never hated on anyone, so. But I took that influence and when I came back, I was like. I was the only guy at that time, like, you know, playing UK music at parties and weddings. [00:23:49] Speaker A: What was played before that? [00:23:51] Speaker B: Oh, there's this stuff, bro, this he stuff. [00:23:53] Speaker A: Just like they were. [00:23:56] Speaker B: People are racist for over you guys's music out here. You play. You play a UK garden at a wedding, they'd be like, aki remix. Right? So my brand and what I've based on what I am today is because I. It was because of UK Punjabi music. I used to get booked for what I played, not for who I am, but which UK. [00:24:17] Speaker A: So let's just clarify that. Because UK Punjabi music was in the eighties as well, was that frowned upon as well? Channy Singh and some stuff. [00:24:28] Speaker B: Some stuff really stuff was anything with like a. Like a break beat to it or like it, you know what I mean? Jedi, desi, ghana, ck UK, like the milky or whatever. [00:24:37] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:24:38] Speaker B: But if I drop in like a. Like a Johnny Z. Yeah. Or Hunter Manakin or something. [00:24:43] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:24:44] Speaker B: People look at you like, you know, I mean. [00:24:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:24:47] Speaker B: And that's the kind of stuff that I like playing. I like. I was. I was always more of an urban sort of Punjabi music guy. Right. So. But holy, I refuse, bro. I refuse. I would not. I was not a jukebox for anybody. I know. Here's who I am. Here's what I play. If you like it, you like it. You don't, you don't. [00:25:08] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, but what's funny is that the UK scene is what influenced the India scene in the first place. Do you know what I mean? And you're not liking the original bit. If. Does that make sense? It doesn't quite make sense, does it? Like all the western instruments that came into indian music, they came from the UK, didn't they originally? Like, you know. Yeah. [00:25:32] Speaker B: But you gotta remember like Jedi, they came straight from Punjab. Right? So they're used to like the. You know what I mean? The. [00:25:41] Speaker A: Even before. Even. Even before Bindraki and all these guys. So you're talking about like. Like before you had the UK scene, you had Yamla Jat Kuldeep manic. That's. And they had only. They had only four instruments in the songs there. Wasn't it like Vaja? [00:25:57] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:25:57] Speaker A: Yeah. Vaja. Tolik. Tolik. And you know, maybe a guitar and stuff. That's it. [00:26:03] Speaker B: Yeah. You know, so I'll tell you what broke the ice. It was mokeet Singh. [00:26:08] Speaker A: Okay. [00:26:08] Speaker B: Wow keeps. Its album came out, which was, um. [00:26:12] Speaker A: What is it? [00:26:15] Speaker B: Nothing song came out, bro. That was it. It was game over. But I used to play that song like seven, eight times a party. Right? And then, um, there's, there's some. It was weird. Like you could see kind of like a shift. But Jarna, CJ, you know, they would go no matter what. Right? [00:26:40] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:40] Speaker B: I'll tell you funny story. I remember when. Remember when, um. One day at the Botskini came out. [00:26:46] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:46] Speaker B: We agree that's one of the greatest punjabi songs of all time. [00:26:48] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:49] Speaker B: Hundred percent fact. Anyone can argue in the comments of your video. I don't care. It's a fact. [00:26:53] Speaker A: That's a game changer. [00:26:55] Speaker B: Game changer. I. So me and my buddy Bob Mandeh, who's a good friend of mine, we had that song because we're in UK at the same time. We brought it back. Okay, so this is about maybe a month after the song came out. So you figured it would have been hot everywhere else. Right? I remember I played that song and I still remember the hall is Bear Creek Hall. I remember I played that song. People like, what is this? And they walked off the dance floor. [00:27:22] Speaker A: Really? [00:27:23] Speaker B: Yeah. Not only a month later, it was like the hottest song in the world. We're playing it three, four times. You know what I mean? It's weird how the dynamics were. [00:27:33] Speaker A: That reminds you a bit like a bit remind you of how when amplifier came out. [00:27:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:27:39] Speaker A: That had the same thing here. And I'm one of them because here. [00:27:44] Speaker B: Took off like right away it was done. [00:27:46] Speaker A: He know it took off around the light. So you basically, you know how you. The hardcore Birmingham crowd, you know, Birmingham, hardcore Punjabi, if they're not speaking proper Punjabi, that's it. You know what I mean? What's this? Yeah, they hate. You gotta speak like, the music could be like, funky, whatever. But your Punjabi has to be on it. Yeah. With amplifier. His Punjabi, you know, he's added loads of english words and singing, what, like, with all due respect, a lot of auto tune and that. That wasn't here at that time, do you know what I mean? That didn't happen and all of us sort of frowned upon it. But you can't knock the guy. The guy. [00:28:25] Speaker B: Massive, bro. He came at the right time for that generation change, right? [00:28:32] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. [00:28:34] Speaker B: 2007, 2008 was the. Was that changing of the guard. [00:28:39] Speaker A: Yeah, he's the guy. He's the guy that brought. Took punjabi music right outside the Punjabis, if that makes sense, because otherwise, globally. Yeah, exactly. Before that, it was like Bangladesh music. We're just. Just amongst. In Birmingham, basically. Birmingham, southeast. [00:28:58] Speaker B: Let me put it this way. So we did his concerts in North America, right? Twice, sold out shows in cities where they never did punjabi concerts. Let me put it this way. Right? [00:29:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:08] Speaker B: So I remember when we talked. So this is when he was the one unforgettable came out. So this at his peak. [00:29:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:29:15] Speaker B: So we were talking to. We're trying to book this guy and there's, what, 365 days in a year. When we tried to book him, he was booked for 360 shows that one year. So you do the math. [00:29:28] Speaker A: Crazy. [00:29:30] Speaker B: That's how big he was. If he was. If he launched today with how social media is and streaming is. Yeah, probably game over. He'd be. He beat. He'd be up there with, like, the currents, you know what I mean? [00:29:42] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100% agree with you. [00:29:47] Speaker B: So it's just. But I mean, he did that on pure units. Think about it. He did that on pure cd sales, what he did. I mean, whatever it could be. Hundred, thousand, 250. I don't know how many units he sold. We'll never know. [00:30:02] Speaker A: But I think. I think if you go on the itunes world chart, right, he's the song still there. Yeah. I'm not even. Not even blagging yet. This is. I checked a few years. I checked a few years back, right? I don't know. Now, this, I'm talking about four, four, five years ago. And how's that track now? Probably. Yeah. [00:30:21] Speaker B: 2008, right? Came out 2008. [00:30:23] Speaker A: So I checked about four or five years ago, it was still, like, in the top. Top ten of a world music itunes chart. I'm not about streaming on about, you know, iTunes. The sales shot is still there, but. [00:30:37] Speaker B: But, you know, hate on what you want. But when we go back to talk about, like, punjabi music, UK has been there for those global changes. Yeah. Was by far the biggest punjabi song ever, bro. I'm at a Lakers game in LA. Los Angeles. Lakers game. Right. And they played that at the thing. [00:30:59] Speaker A: Crazy. [00:31:01] Speaker B: And I'm just like. Like. It was such a surreal moment, right? I'm just like, holy. Like, at that point, I'm thinking, shit, we made it, right? And now you got, like, the jeep doing sold out shows across the world. Like, you know, how we've progressed. But it all started from somewhere. [00:31:18] Speaker A: To be fair, you know, people miss this about UK music is. But I don't. I think people don't know. In the eighties and early nineties, we already crossed over into the mainstream here because you only had four or five. Four channels there. Five channels. So you had, like, you remember Blue Peter. [00:31:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:37] Speaker A: Soul. To spawn it. [00:31:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:31:39] Speaker A: Up north. And he thought on it. They were all on. On these shows. Exactly. We were all on it. And people forget, like, with all due respect to everyone else. Now, I'm not. I'm not saying, you know, they got. They got there because they deserve it. But we were all on it already in the UK. We're doing it. It just. It just. [00:31:58] Speaker B: I had the same conversation with GV, you know, GV. [00:32:01] Speaker A: Yeah, GV. [00:32:02] Speaker B: And we were going back and forth because, you know, all these people hitting accolades like XYZ got millions. Spotify billion. Spotify this and that. And he was saying. He said to me, he goes, I'm gonna. He goes, look. He goes, what's happening in today's music is unbelievable. He goes, but we did this 20 years ago. [00:32:19] Speaker A: Exactly, right. [00:32:21] Speaker B: And I had to think about that. I'm like, yeah, bro. Like, you guys did. [00:32:24] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:24] Speaker B: He goes, the problem is no one knows about it. I go, yeah, because no one talks about it. I go, there's not. There's nothing dedicated to. Like, if you look at nineties hip hop, you go on Instagram. How many. How many accounts you see of people just like. Like, you're on my instagram. You see I'm always popping. [00:32:40] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely, right? [00:32:42] Speaker B: We don't have. We don't have that. We don't have that. [00:32:47] Speaker A: And definitely, we know the UK Bangalore movies and snippets. We're doing. Yeah, that Ruby's doing. They blowing up, bro. She doesn't even do that regular one of them succumb just getting like tens and tens of. Tens and thousands of just views and it's a little 1 minute clip. [00:33:03] Speaker B: That's cool, though. [00:33:04] Speaker A: It's just blowing up. Yeah, because they're talking about that stuff. They're talking about what happened. It's. It's crazy, bro. It's crazy stuff. Anyway, we keep getting. We keep getting distracted. So how did you get into music? [00:33:17] Speaker B: I just love this stuff, man. I love getting the coverage because we. Every time it's a five minute phone call with me and you, we end up talking for like 2 hours. Right. [00:33:24] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. [00:33:24] Speaker B: My apologies. I'll let you read this. My bad, man. My bad. [00:33:28] Speaker A: No, bro. This is what it's about. It's, you know, I'd rather talk about and just whether if anyone listens to it, they listen to. If they don't. You and I have had a laugh, you know, so. Yeah, I. [00:33:42] Speaker B: When, like yourself, when people are passionate about music, it comes out authentic. [00:33:46] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. And that's the vibe of the show, you know, of this. It's not about. That's what some of those shows you probably see podcasts have done. I've been a bit difficult because the piss. It's been a bit hard to interview certain people because there's no vibe, you know? [00:34:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:04] Speaker A: You know, me. Which sometimes it happens, and it's not. It's not the person's fault because they might not be, you know, used to podcasts and there's language barriers and this and that. So, you know. But anyway, how did you get into music? The feel the first. What did you do first? Djing or singing? Because I know you sing as well. [00:34:23] Speaker B: So we have this thing in school. It's called, like, the. The AV club, where you go and set up, you know, as a student, you go set up, like, microphones when you do speeches in school. [00:34:34] Speaker A: Yep, yep. [00:34:34] Speaker B: And this and that and AV audio video. [00:34:37] Speaker A: So. [00:34:38] Speaker B: Yeah, AV audio video. Setting up projectors. I'm talking, bro, like, these kids, like, projector? Like what? Like, you know what I mean? So, you know, we'd set those up, and then I remember I still. I still talked in Wade, one of my friends, his older brother, like, he was like, he was way older. So I was, like, 1213 at the time. He was in high school, and he. He had. He was a big public enemy fan. I don't know if you know who public enemy is. [00:35:08] Speaker A: Yeah, I know public enemy. [00:35:09] Speaker B: Yeah, public enemy. So he was a big public, like, bro, his license plate had public enemy on his license plate. This is way back in, like, eighties, right? So I used to go to his house and used to play all this music, and it'd be public enemy. And then at that time, we were growing up. There's a lot of racism, right? And, you know, being brown, like, I. You know, I mean, that's a podcast for another day kind of the stuff I went through. But, you know, it was hard, man, growing up, you know, in that sort of area where we were. So he was doing that, and I was listening to the music he'd play all the time when I go over, like, public enemies. Very street conscious hip hop, right? But so relatable to me at the time. And then I. I just, you know, said, hey, man, can I. You know that time we used to make tapes for each other, right? Cassette tapes, yeah, I'll make a cassette tape with a bunch of songs on it. So he made me cassette tape. And I probably rinse that tape every day. Like, I probably still even have it. I think it's one of my things. I gotta check my box. I still have it. It won't work. Like, it's all jammed, whatever, but I have it. And so I just kept. Lucy had that. He had, like, nwA on there and some other, like, it's hardcore, like, gangster rapid. But it was the. It was the message in there because it hit home, and I just kind of, like, fell in love with hip hop. And then at that time, break dancing was big, and this net sort of djing and emceeing. [00:36:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:36:36] Speaker B: And, you know, at school, I was setting up this thing where some group was coming in to kind of perform, and they were, you know, they had the DJ in the back and two guys. Two guys rapping, and they started going, and I was just mesmerized. I'm like, holy, this is fantastic. Like, this guy is on, like, the turntables. Like, really? You know, I'm like, wow, I want to do that. Right? So I was working doing paper routes. So we had paper routes where, you know, like, the newspaper. [00:37:00] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:37:01] Speaker B: I used to go around the neighborhood, do paper routes, and I saved up to get my first set of turntables and, you know, bought a couple of records, and that was it. I just started, you know, playing, and then from there went to, like, I started doing that, and then people kind of. I started making tapes for, like, my friends and then started making tapes. This, bro, this is before, like, these turntable was just turntables. There weren't, like, pitch control. Like, there was no. [00:37:24] Speaker A: Yeah, I was. [00:37:26] Speaker B: I was basically like, I'm playing the song and I pull the other one to mix into the next one. I'm, like, speeding it up with the record. Try to match the beat. Like, this is old school, bro. Like, you know, I mean, this is, like, straight jaloo stuff. So I was making these tapes. The tapes were horrible, I gotta admit. Like, the beat that, you know, the mixing in between, whatever, right? So I made these tapes for my friends, and then we had came up to. It was like a school dance coming up, and they're like, hey, why don't you play the music on there? I'm like, sure, I'll play it. And then I remember it was like a grade six, whatever that would be in the UK, it's like grade five or six. I did the school dance for, like, the graduating class. They were going into middle school and. And I played that, and people, like, you know, started booking me for, like, other things. And so when I was. The following year, when I was in grade seven, is when really popped off. Like, I was djing, like, all the time with, like, small, little functions. Like, all the schools in my area, I was doing them, like, small parties, right? And then that graduated from, like, high school graduations. So I'm like, you know, 14 year old doing, like, high school graduations and then. [00:38:39] Speaker A: Crazy. [00:38:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So coming back to the public enemy part, you know, I was a big public enemy fan. They came to concert, and at that time, there was a big dj here. His name was Maximus. Clean big. He was sort of like, he's chinese guy. Big chinese guy, right. And he was the dj for them on tour in Canada. And I knew him from, like, just meeting him through, like, you know, just like, I go to store, buy records. You see other dj's and stuff. Yeah, he had a public enemy t shirt on and. Or a jacket. You know, those puffy jackets that we all used to wear? Yeah. So he had one with a big maximus, or, sorry, with a big public enemy thing on the back. And I'm like, hey, wow, man, that's a cool jack. We started. We started talking. It's like a Maximus clean. I go, I'm a dj too, man. Like, blah, blah. He goes, oh, come by the club, you know, maybe get you on a set. I'm like, really? Right? So I'm like, 1415, right? And I'm like, sure. So I came up. I go to the front door with my. With my case of records. We take. The guy's looking like, you're not allowed in here. You know what I mean? I go, but the guy told me to come and play, so I got kicked out. I didn't come back, so. And we'd have phones back then, right? So I saw him again. He's like, you didn't come by the club? I go, I came. I go. But he won't let me in because I'm underage. He's like, don't worry. You come with me. So then I went with him, and he let me play. Like, I didn't get to play any. Like, I'm playing, like, where there's nobody in the crowd, right? [00:40:07] Speaker A: Like, yeah, gotcha opener, right? [00:40:10] Speaker B: So I'm like, I played the gig and whatever. Things started, you know, slowly started popping at open for everybody in the clubs. And at that time, 1415. I'm running, like, a night back then. So, like, that was big money for me, right? That's crazy. Yeah. At 1415. Listen, listen. If you're 1415, I'm not saying you do this, okay? Let's just be real here, okay? This is just how it started. And then, um, we're djing one night, and there were some promoters there, some I still remember his name was Suki. He. I knew him because I was a big. I play football, right? Like, with the local teams, the punjabi teams. So this guy was like, you know, he's a money man. He was a real estate guy, had money, and he was promoting a gig. And he's like, he saw me there. He's like, oh, I didn't know you dj. I go, well, I didn't know either until, you know what I mean? So they started putting me on because we're doing the gig, you know, you should come and play there. I go, sure. He goes, who are you doing? He goes, bali Sagu. So this is when Balisagou came to Vancouver for the first time. This was a club called 86th street, way back, early nineties. [00:41:19] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:41:21] Speaker B: And I didn't know who he was, I'll be honest with you. I was strictly hip hop. I knew my first cassette was heated dance from heat up. So that was pretty much the only sort of punjabi music I knew at the time, right? Other than that it was like shop, then Muskie and G and stuff like that my mom and dad would listen to when we used to travel a lot the time, right? There's no. There was no punjabi music in the car, bro. None, right? So I'm like, yeah, let's do it, right? So I went on, obviously, dead crowd. No one was there. I did my thing played my music, and I'm strictly hip hop. And then this guy, Bali Segu comes on, okay? And he's, like, playing punjabi music, and he's got these hip hop records, and he's like, beat mixing over top, bro. That was it for me. I was in love. I'm like, that's what I want to do that day, that night, the next. Yeah, the next night, I. So he's doing signings at my buddy's video shop, bro. I was harassing him. Like, bro, like, blah, blah, blah. Like, you know, I was asking all these questions. He's getting pretty annoyed. You could tell, right? Like, he's trying to sign this. Oh, I do this, I do that. I go, well, you know, how do you get. How do you get your vinyls? He goes, oh, my dad owns a music store. Remember? I think his dad owned a music store. I've been to it on Birmingham. Yep, somewhere. Like, he owned a music store. It was like, yeah, we just. You just buy all the vinyls from there. And he's give me some tips. So I phoned England pretty much like that next day after, and I'm like, like, start buying vinyls for me. I'll send you money, whatever it is. That was. It started my vinyl collection. Get them. And then I started djing here because after that, I got to know a bunch of Punjabi's, right? So I started, I'm like, hey, I'll do for free. Let me do your party. I just want to spin for half an hour, right? I just want. I just want to. I just wanted to play the music, right? Because I loved hip hop. And then I found this newfound love for UK Punjabi music, right? Because it was very. It was very modern, right? Drums and everything. So I'm like, I think this is a go. And then, you know, one went to two, two went to four, and then back then, and, like, pretty much, like, in the whole area, everyone knew who I was, right? You know what I mean? Like, I was doing college parties, I was doing all the dizzy functions, and then just like, like school, university things, you know, half an hour here, 20 minutes there. [00:43:41] Speaker A: Yep. [00:43:41] Speaker B: And it's fantastic. I was just remixing live and I was doing mixtapes and stuff and just handing stuff out to people, like, straight hustling, right? And then my, one of my buddies, like, you know, who kind of encouraged me, he's like, bro, I'm getting, like, his older brother's getting married and, like, his name, like, he wanted. He wanted dj, too, right? But his brother's getting married. He's like, hey, why don't you dj my brother's wedding? I ain't no djing no wedding, bro, like, thing at me, right? No, man, you got this. And I'm like, okay. So I dj'd his brother's wedding. And not gonna lie, like, it went really well, right? Because my thing was. And I've always been like that. I see Punjabi, right? No disrespect to anybody else, no disciplinary culture. I played punjabi music even when people were sitting down and eating. Yeah, right? I played all the hits, like, you know what I mean? Like, if you're sitting down eating, like, I'll play, like, whatever. For me, it was about making memories, right? So I want people, bro, I used to get more bookings out of people listening to my music sitting down than me DJinge, because I'd be like, oh, man, I haven't heard that song. Bo chir Hoya, Ghana. Nice one number they, bro. You know what I mean? [00:44:56] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:44:57] Speaker B: Like, so what, you never, huh? [00:45:02] Speaker A: Were you nervous doing a wedding for the first time? [00:45:04] Speaker B: Oh, bro. Yeah. You know what? I'll be honest with you. Most weddings I did, I was nervous. Most weddings that did, especially your first one. First one was. First one was okay because I didn't know what to expect. [00:45:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:45:19] Speaker B: And they're like, I knew everybody there, right? I knew everyone there because they've heard me. Like, I didn't realize how bad uncles were until I started djing. This is what I'm talking about. Like, that. This. I didn't. [00:45:33] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:45:34] Speaker B: I never got that heat forever because I'm in a booth in a club. [00:45:38] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:45:38] Speaker B: No one can say anything to me. So that was new to me when they were coming up to me and not requesting stuff, but basically ready to throw hands, you know? Like, it was. It was weird to me. I'm like. I'm like, I'm not here. Like, I'm not saying anything insulting to your. Your family to see. I mean. You know what I mean? Like, I'm arguing with uncles, like auntie and stuff, like, over Ghana. Like, it was really weird to me. I'm like, what's. Like, I almost quit. I'm like, bro, I can't do this, man. Like, you know? So this is gonna get some serious. But then they're like, nah, man, you got this, right? So then out of that party, someone booked me. Like, it was weird. I just kept getting booked out of. I've never printed a business card ever in my life. [00:46:20] Speaker A: Never. [00:46:21] Speaker B: Never. I never had the desire. I never. I never wanted to be a busy dj. I'll be honest with you, Raj. I never really did. It just lack fortune. I don't know. I think it was more. It wasn't me as a person that I got booked is what I played and how I played it. [00:46:41] Speaker A: When you play. [00:46:42] Speaker B: But it's a three car, too. Right? Like, a lot of dj's are like, I'm gonna play whatever I want. Right. Which is fine. I did. But there's also a way to play, like, if you're on stage singing a song and you can judge the crowd, there's certain songs you're not gonna do. You're gonna switch your order. [00:46:58] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, exactly. [00:46:59] Speaker B: It's a game of chess. [00:47:00] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:01] Speaker B: That's the way I look at it. Right. Like, you know, I'm not gonna. If the whole family's out there, you know, dancing and stuff, you know, BP's out there. I'm not gonna drop tupac. Right. Right after. You know what I mean? [00:47:11] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, exactly that. [00:47:12] Speaker B: Yeah. There's certain. There's certain things you got to look at, so. But it was. It was. It was a. It was a learning curve. But I had to learn pretty quick because, um, I didn't. Like I said, I grew up in a different. I grew up in a neighborhood. There was Punjabis, but it was everybody spanish, you know, white folk. It's only till I moved to the Surrey side, where I really experienced sort of, like, a lot of Punjabis all at once. And obviously being in the UK, but UK Punjabis were different than the Punjabis that were in, you know, it was weird. It's a culture shock for me. It was tough, bro. [00:47:44] Speaker A: How so? [00:47:45] Speaker B: Coming back to Vancouver, how were they different? [00:47:48] Speaker A: Just out of curiosity, like, in Canada. [00:47:54] Speaker B: In Canada, straight desi. [00:47:55] Speaker A: Because I think we're hardcore this year and bearing. [00:47:57] Speaker B: Oh, man. You guys. You got no, man. Like. Nah. Like it. Hang it. They see. But this is straight Bindu daisy. [00:48:05] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:06] Speaker B: Right. At that time. Because, like. [00:48:09] Speaker A: Because, you know, when I was young, you mentioned about hip hop and stuff. We. [00:48:12] Speaker B: We. [00:48:13] Speaker A: When we were. When I was in school, all of us. All of us listen to Bangladesh, we didn't listen to hip hop. [00:48:19] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:48:20] Speaker A: So do you know me? Because it was found upon sort of thing and we listened to black people's music that. Yeah, that's what. That's what we were told. [00:48:29] Speaker B: Yeah. We never had that. Because we are there, I guess, because where I grew up. [00:48:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:36] Speaker B: But you gotta remember, you're also a generation ahead, right? So you had more time to sit with Punjabis than I did at my time. [00:48:46] Speaker A: Yes. [00:48:47] Speaker B: I think maybe that's kind of like why I love coming to the UK, because there's more of our kind. [00:48:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:53] Speaker B: In one sort of saturated spot. [00:48:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:55] Speaker B: I never had that in Vancouver. Right. So it was just. It was just different. Two different worlds. And then I just. I just got lucky, bro. DJ just took off. But I never. I would tell people straight. Like, even in my. Even to my last gig, I'm like, this is who I am. This is what I'm going to play. I don't want to hear what you want to play. I want to hear what you don't want me to play. I had a don't play. Listen. That's. That was the difference. I like you tell me the song you don't want me to play. [00:49:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:49:23] Speaker B: And I won't play them. I don't care what they are. Even if they're the hottest record in the world, I'm not gonna play them. But everything else is free for all. Not here. No b's after the fact. I go, you gotta let me do my work and be doing a thing. I go, I will guarantee you, good show or don't pay me. [00:49:39] Speaker A: No, that's great. [00:49:40] Speaker B: Way out of. Out of all the gigs I did in my life, had one guy that never paid me, and he was just being an asshole, man. [00:49:48] Speaker A: So what about the sort of a, you know when you mentioned you got into djing? So I'm. I'm not a DJ. So how did you actually learn the craft of djing? You know, this. This podcast is about musical excellence and how you learn music. So. Yeah, explain to me, as an amateur, how did you learn that? Because you got the decks that time. [00:50:11] Speaker B: I got the Dex. And then the first thing I had to learn was how to count bpms on a record, right? So you put the needle on the record, start it from the kick to that first bar. You got to count time wise, minutes or seconds, whatever it is. Then there's a formula that you use to say, okay, Xyz divided by this will give you the BPM. That's how I learned. [00:50:35] Speaker A: So who told you that? [00:50:37] Speaker B: I don't. Sorry. [00:50:38] Speaker A: Who told you that? [00:50:40] Speaker B: Maximus clean. [00:50:41] Speaker A: Okay, nice. [00:50:42] Speaker B: Maximus clean. So he goes, that's how. So then he taught me. He goes, what you want to do is get these. I wish I had. I got some. I'll show you on personally. Got. I got my old records where I've written the bpms, right? [00:50:55] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:50:55] Speaker B: So then he's like, okay, once you calculate them, put them all in order from BPM, from, uh, fastest to slowest. [00:51:04] Speaker A: Mm hmm. [00:51:06] Speaker B: Goes, don't worry about genre. Don't care. Just whatever. I'm like, okay, right? And then he, like, even the little thing, he goes, look, when you dj, you take the record, you put it like this in the crate. You pull it out and you leave that there because you know when to put the record back. You know, little, little things like that. So if you nails, I remember back, they would put the worker. Put it up like this. Right? I don't know if you noticed, like, back in the day when we were, like, the dj of the vinyl, so little things like that just to kind of streamline your flow, right? And he's the one who taught me. He goes, look, the way I dj. I'm not say you suggest it. So he would DJ. He'd come in, play the song. First took verse, next song. Done. First took verse, next song. That's how I started djing. [00:51:47] Speaker A: Base. What? Sorry. Versus chorus verse. [00:51:49] Speaker B: You play the first hook for. Play the first verse. Hook you mix into the other song. [00:51:54] Speaker A: Gotcha. [00:51:55] Speaker B: So in a night when you. When you used to come to my party, to the punjabi gig, you'd hear about 2300 songs. All the hits, verse, hook, verse, hook. The most fights I ever got to was people saying, oh, to Sara gone. Sara, ghana, nilayato. [00:52:09] Speaker A: Have you been in there recently? [00:52:11] Speaker B: Sorry? [00:52:11] Speaker A: Have you been India recently? [00:52:14] Speaker B: Uh, last time I was there was 2018. They're the same, bro. [00:52:19] Speaker A: They're worse. Yeah. They do like 30 seconds of the song. [00:52:23] Speaker B: Yeah, the word. Yeah, I noticed that. And it's like, they don't do. They do it an odd time. [00:52:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:30] Speaker B: So random. Like, if you do it right, people won't notice. Yeah. [00:52:34] Speaker A: I mean, like, got you. Yeah. You're talking about actually mixing in, aren't you? Mixing the BPN. Mixing the. Yeah. At the queue. And you blend it all in. They just switch a song from 30 seconds to another song. [00:52:47] Speaker B: It. But that's the thing. And the other. The other thing, too. I've had talks with other dj's about this, too. Like, it's. It's how you play. You're not going to take a hook. You're not going to take a song, play the hook, then go to a worse song per se. Right. Then people are going to notice. Right. No matter how good you are, like, you got it. You got to look at energy. You got to look at. There's so many things you got to look at. Right. So I would set my. I would. I would dj live, but I had records put in strategic places. I'm like, these five records are gonna go. These five records are gonna go. Whatever, you know, like, okay, now we're gonna go into house music. Okay, so we're gonna start with this one and blah, blah, blah. So it was still strategic at the end of the day. [00:53:29] Speaker A: Did you practice at home first? So. [00:53:31] Speaker B: Oh, all the time, bro. All the time. My practice was making mixtapes for my friends. That's what I would do. I'm like, yeah, I'll make a tape for you. And, um, you know, especially, how do you like you? [00:53:42] Speaker A: I mean, how did you do that? Like, sort of. I'm just trying to picture it in my head. [00:53:46] Speaker B: I set up at home, so when I made enough money, I bought two, like, speakers. Like, just, um, an amp and two speakers. [00:53:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:53:55] Speaker B: And set up in my basement at the house. I have my turntables and my. Just my speakers now. Is it. That's all I should do every day after school, just. Just sit there and just not practice, just listen to music. That's the. I think that's the difference between me and a lot of the guys at the time of my peers is I would listen to music, you know, like. Like, I would, like, even with punjabi music, like, you know, like, you can take, like, say, prodesi's, like, um, come with the pongara, whatever it is. Seven, eight minutes long, right. Me, strategically, I would actually play certain parts of that song throughout the night. Cut back and because you know that multi tempo song, right. So I would like, you know, I'll play something and I'll slip that in there. Like, I remember later on, like, you know, when things went digital and people, like, doing. Mixing in, like, in the computer, I remember djing and getting comments from these kids, like, oh, what mixtape is that? I'm like, bro, what are you talking about? Mixtape. I'm doing it live in front of you. They're like, no, bro. Like, what's the mixtape? Like, I'm like, no, I'm doing it live. Like, I'm gonna show you. You know, come here and I'll show you. So, it was weird how, like, that transition was. I'm like, there's nothing that I didn't do, you know, with Mib and stuff, like, those mixtapes did. We can talk about that whenever, but where, you know, we didn't do live somewhere. Like, whatever we did, we put on. If we put onto a mixtape or CDN, we. We were doing it live in, and I was a big proponent of it. Like, I'm not gonna just create something where, you know, it's, like, fake to me, you know what I mean? That's kind of, like, where I really respect Bali Segu for that. Because the stuff that you hear on his cds is stuff that he was doing live, like, back in the eighties, because I've heard some of his mixes, right? He's doing it live. So, you know, authentic authenticity was a big thing for me, and I stuck by that rule. It was a blessing and a curse. I lost a lot of gigs because of that. I'm not gonna lie. Like DJ's now, bro. You've seen it. These road shows, they're on seven figures a year. All day. [00:56:05] Speaker A: Crazy. [00:56:05] Speaker B: All day, right? I was never that guy. It was never about money. It was about. I never sold out. You know, it was so bad where certain areas were so dissy that I refused to book gigs there because I knew I'd get beat up. Stop by my gulf. Yeah, 100%, bro. Jim, JM gal, go on a ghana lata. You know, people come up to you. You know, you like. I like. You know. I mean, I know, like, punk either, right? Like, I'm not gonna get, you know, Gustav. [00:56:34] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:56:35] Speaker B: So, yeah, I just knew myself. I go. I'm not gonna go there and just get to go get beat up because of some song. Like, that's just stupid, right? This dumb shit by getting fights over music. [00:56:44] Speaker A: It's the dumbest, bro. [00:56:45] Speaker B: I guess. I used to get into fights with antiya. [00:56:51] Speaker A: That's crazy. [00:56:51] Speaker B: Honestly, I'm like, what do you mean? But go and have some show lip today, for God's sake. You know what I mean? You seriously, like, you sit, like, honestly, you got to think of the mentality of someone. You came up to me yelling and screaming at a gig, which is free for you. Free food, free booze. You didn't pay for a ticket, and you're whining about a song. [00:57:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:57:20] Speaker B: It makes no sense, bro. Honestly. [00:57:23] Speaker A: Crazy, crazy. Just me, as a singer, I don't. I tend not to do any weddings or parties. I don't do them because as a singer. Right. Yeah. I don't know whether you can relate with this. DJ's is a bit different because you're just playing different types of music, but you run the risk of, um, just becoming a background noise. [00:57:45] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:57:46] Speaker A: Unless you're. Unless you're really known. Unless you're really, really well known. Like mugi, Sangho, jazzebi or someone. Everyone just sits down and just carries on and just your. Your background noise. [00:57:59] Speaker B: Yeah, they'll be complaining. Oh, you know what I mean? [00:58:03] Speaker A: Like, exactly. Yeah. So I don't. I tend not to do weddings at all. [00:58:08] Speaker B: Yeah, that's fair enough, man. It's not for everybody. I didn't want to do weddings. I was. Honestly, I refused. Like, when I was to book weddings, I I would look at the couple and I would say, do I fit them? It wasn't the other round. I was interviewing them, right? And I would say to my girl, that's fine. You want to book me? There's one condition. You got to come to the club and hear me play, because what you hear in the club is going to be your. Your. Your. Your reception. There ain't no wedding receptions. Give me a freaking party. [00:58:37] Speaker A: Hmm. [00:58:38] Speaker B: If you're okay with that, then we'll talk. Right? If they never showed up, I never booked them. It just wasn't worth it to me, bro, because, like I said, my. Like, me, my brand, my. My authenticity meant everything to me. You know what I mean? Like, I didn't want to book something for whatever, two, $3,000. And I go there and, like, I destroyed the party because they didn't like my music. It's possible it's not me or my technical ability. Jive with the crowd. Like, why would I want to risk that? [00:59:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:59:12] Speaker B: Every party I've done where I had the backing, because, you know, I've had parties where Bungay went off, right? People yelling and screaming. Everyone that I did, where the bride and groom would come up, where the family would be, like, standing right behind me. Like, no, you guys need a. Need to shut up and let him play. The party went off the hook every single time. I still remember those. Like, I still remember them in my head. All the parties were, you know, the family came up on the mic, like, you guys need to calm down or leave. Like, those parties were unbelievable. But that was a relationship I wanted. I told him, I mean, you're not booking a dj, man. You're. You're like, this is gonna be memorable. Like, you're gonna go back and watch this, and you're gonna be like, you know, throwing your hands up in the air, like, while you're watching the video, I go, it's gonna be non stop. These are the conversation I'm having. I'm not like, oh, you know, well, if you want, this package is gonna cost you x amount of dollars. It wasn't. I never brought money up, ever. It was the last, very last thing I was trying to sell them. I was trying to sell them, like, ibiza. You know what I mean? [01:00:15] Speaker A: You for basically selling experience, isn't it? [01:00:18] Speaker B: Basically, I'm trying to sell them an experience. I go and I would tell him, I go, I would be straight. I go, I may not be the right guy for you. That was usually the first thing, right? I'm like, I appreciate you. Like me, appreciate, want me. But am I the right guy for you? Because here's what you're gonna get, right? Like, I'm talking, like, you know, people, like, people gonna be, like, going ballistic, you know what I mean? Because I was the one. I was the original guy that did video dance parties. Not like screens. Like screen. Like, people have screens, bro. I was djing videos. [01:00:50] Speaker A: Crazy. [01:00:51] Speaker B: Like, you see. Yeah, you see the videos and you see them on the stage. [01:00:54] Speaker A: So how did you get a cd or like a dv or. [01:00:58] Speaker B: It was so, um, we all use, I don't know what it is now, but back then when we went digital, there's a software called Serato. Serato is a DJ software, right? [01:01:11] Speaker A: Rings, rings a bell, yes. [01:01:12] Speaker B: So they came up with hardware in a box where you could basically put your mp3 s, digital, and you could DJ. I was on the. I was one of the beta testers, right? Yeah. Bro. Let me tell you, if I had those videos of, like, beta testing, it was so bad. Like, it was so bad. I'm talking. You play the record. Like, it was so bad. Like, the original beta testing, right? But then they were testing, it was called Serato VJ, which was a plugin where you could mix videos. And I still have it, bro. That was a game changer. Like, you know, screens is one thing. Like, you know, and I hate to say this, I know, I know. It's. It's the couple's party, and it's all about them. And you go to parties now. It's got their name blasted everywhere, and they're on their floor. And that's fine, man. But when you booked me, I don't care who you were. I don't care if you're the bride, groom, father, whatever. Like, once I'm on, it's mine. I own. I own it, right? So, like, I would play videos and I would make custom sort of things and chops and. And, um, you know, I'd find out who their favorite sports team is. I would like, you know, cut stuff up, make special stuff. Like, it was pretty cool, man. The stuff, I missed that. But it was a lot of work. So I try to make as memorable as possible. [01:02:32] Speaker A: What were the actual parties like in Canada? At that time, like, here, you had. You had, like, you know, school halls. Started for school halls. Was it a similar thing? [01:02:40] Speaker B: Same, bro. Same. Same halls. Community centers. [01:02:44] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:02:46] Speaker B: And then I missed those days. I really missed those days. We used to bring our own rig. [01:02:52] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:02:52] Speaker B: And come in and set up. Because every. Every DJ was different. You know, I mean, everyone had their own little spice. It was like a nice, healthy competition. And then, like, I don't know about there. Then it changed, like in the. In the early two thousands where man operates. Sort of saw the money and they're like, okay, well, if we build a hall, do our own catering. [01:03:16] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:03:17] Speaker B: And have a built in DJ, that's all the money we get to keep. [01:03:20] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:03:21] Speaker B: And that's kind of what happened here. [01:03:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:03:23] Speaker B: Right. So. But hallelujah. There's, you know, you can still do the setups, but it's. It's different now. It's. It's a totally different game now. I couldn't do it, man. Like, I need a crew of like five or six, you know, game change. Okie robe. Like, it's nuts. Passage in it. Like, they are not set up. Can you. Equipment land. You're probably talking like probably 100, 5200 grand. [01:03:48] Speaker A: It's crazy, man. [01:03:50] Speaker B: Yeah, right. Totally different jam. [01:03:52] Speaker A: And then top of that, you got to market yourself properly. [01:03:55] Speaker B: Yeah. Market yourself. [01:03:56] Speaker A: Because here you had the whole scene of DJ's were marketing themselves by getting the track ghost produced. Putting on Britasia TV. Sorry, Z music box then. And that's how they'd get bookings. [01:04:12] Speaker B: I'm glad you said it. I didn't think you're gonna bring this up. That's hilarious. That's awesome. Boom. Yeah, but, you know, but it is what it is, right? At the end of the day, any publicity is good publicity. I always say that. Yeah, it is what it is, but. [01:04:30] Speaker A: It doesn't make sense. Like, as a musician, you're hiring a DJ who's produced the track. It doesn't mean he's a good dj or not. But he just produced the track and his video and he's not even produced it. Someone Sookie chan's produced it or camp Frantics produced it, you know, so. [01:04:51] Speaker B: Yeah, you. I. And I. [01:04:54] Speaker A: Sorry that. [01:04:54] Speaker B: That the UK did a very good job. And I mean, this, like, I'm looking out as a business now. Right. [01:05:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:05:02] Speaker B: As, like, taking that DJ to the slash artist. [01:05:07] Speaker A: Yeah, they killed. [01:05:10] Speaker B: Sorry. [01:05:11] Speaker A: They killed the UK Bangladesh industry. That's what happened. [01:05:16] Speaker B: That's my contribution for that one. I mean, then they know, but whatever. Yeah, they're the band killers. [01:05:22] Speaker A: Oh, gosh. [01:05:23] Speaker B: Now respect to them, man. [01:05:25] Speaker A: But, you know, I'm gonna know whether you heard one of my podcasts. I'm not gonna mention who was. Now they said one of the artists, right. This was his theory on what killed the UK Pongado industry here, the pan scene. This is what killed it. I don't know whether you. You agree on this. So he said that before all the band members, including the singer, all the used to get equal amount of money. But then he goes, one artist. What he started doing, he didn't have his. He didn't have a fixed band. He came as an artist and he charged five grand for himself and then pay each person 200 quid. [01:05:59] Speaker B: Right. Assession players. [01:06:01] Speaker A: Yeah. Session players, not a band. [01:06:03] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [01:06:04] Speaker A: Whereas before you had a full band, you hired the band and the bandaid wasn't as expensive because everyone had 200 pound singer and 200 pound and that's why everyone could afford a band. This was history. I don't know how true this is. This is what he. What he said and then, and then he said, but this other singer came in on the scene and he changed the game the way it was done. So bands became singers, came a lot more expensive than DJ's, which is why prospered. I don't necessarily agree with that, but that's. That's what he said. [01:06:37] Speaker B: Are we going there? Are we at that stage? Are we going to talk about other things first? Because it's a good. It's a good question. [01:06:41] Speaker A: You can talk. You may come back, come back. [01:06:45] Speaker B: I think it's a complicated problem, but the problem is it accelerated too quick, I think, from outside looking in. I think what killed the UK bands was their lack of releasing music. Because you can't, you can't. No one's gonna book a band on stuff from, you know, especially if you're not big like a milk eat. Who's got endless pots of heads from stuff from five years ago? So that continual. And no one says you should, you know, and I'm talking like the ep era because I was late. That was late eighties, early, like, that was late nineties, two thousands. Right. So even if you did four songs, right, I think you need a continual sort of cycle so people know who you are because listenership changes. Right. Yeah, whatever. But my kids don't know no. [01:07:40] Speaker A: Right. [01:07:40] Speaker B: They're not going to go back and listen to catalog. Right. But my kid knows who Eminem is. Why. Right. My kid knows who even, like some of these nineties rappers are. They're not as big as Eminem. Why? Because they're continually doing something. Right. But there's that. Go on. [01:07:59] Speaker A: No, obviously. Don't you think, though? So the UK bands, right? So you have the UK band, but look at. Look at the rock bands. [01:08:06] Speaker B: They. [01:08:06] Speaker A: They've kept their fan base. Like, you. You can hire a rock band that now, right? And they did, like, Bon Jovi, for example. Now, if Bon Jovi performed in the show now, right, he'll still sell out the arena and he still get his old fanfic. But the. But UK bands didn't have that, did they? Like, you know? [01:08:26] Speaker B: I agree. But don't forget, Bon Jovi just released an album. [01:08:29] Speaker A: I know. I know of that. I haven't really heard it all yet, but I'm just. [01:08:32] Speaker B: You told me about it. Yeah, told me about it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you see what I'm saying? But they're still. They're still active. [01:08:39] Speaker A: It's still relevant. [01:08:40] Speaker B: Our problem. Our problem was we weren't active. Like, you can't expect, you know, like, remy to be on or whatever, to be on socials, like, all the time. It's just not their job. It's just not that. It's not that. It's not what they do. Right? [01:08:58] Speaker A: Dude, they're shooting themselves in the foot. The amount of people of the. I've invited on this podcast, right. [01:09:04] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:09:05] Speaker A: It's not my thing, you know, podcasting. It's. [01:09:08] Speaker B: And that's completely fine. Right. Yeah. But then you look at what. You look at what. When B 21 came in, what they did, they were instant superstars. Yeah, right. Because they're doing all the right things at the time. They were going on shows, interviews, and. You know what I mean? They were good lads or, you know, it was that, like I said, the changing of the guard, right? [01:09:29] Speaker A: Yep. [01:09:30] Speaker B: And so why would you want to book someone that you don't. That you don't know what they're going to do, where you can book someone like that who's. Whatever, you know, musically, they were different. You know what I mean? It was. I don't know. And then at some point, it's like when you got one producer producing everything for you, like, you got. You know, you got, say, excellency. It's like, produced by XYZ. Are you really excellency? [01:09:59] Speaker A: No, not anymore. Yeah. [01:10:01] Speaker B: So, I mean, do people care? I don't know. I know I did. Right. Like. Like, if you listen to excellencies, like, you know, Mariadne and stuff, like the classics. [01:10:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:10:12] Speaker B: Regardless of who was playing like, that was. That was banned unity. Right. They sounded. That's the thing. That's the thing that people don't understand is the UK Punjabi bands, they all sounded different. [01:10:24] Speaker A: Yep. [01:10:24] Speaker B: In their heyday, all of them. If you go to India and listen to these individual singers, they all sounded the same musically. It was a voice that was distinct. Right. [01:10:32] Speaker A: Don't get me started on that, man. [01:10:34] Speaker B: Because they all had the same session players. [01:10:36] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:10:36] Speaker B: Top of the range, grade a. Some of the best in the world, that is. I agree. Right. But the end of the day, right, what you. What UK had. And that's why I was attracted. You keep in music is like, you could. You could hear song like, okay, that's Hira. You hear something. Okay, that's producing. Right. Just by. Just before they even start singing, the riffs, beats, whatever. It was so cool. Like, it was competition sometimes. Like, oh, you know, I got a new song and you're like, you won't know who it is. I will hit play on the cassette. You're like, you know, listen to it. Oh, I think it's, you know, XYZ whatever, right. That changed, man. I think that was, uh, for me personally, that's was like, I don't know where this is going with the UK Punjab music. You could kind of see the. The downfall when, like, you know, one, two, three people are doing everything, literally. And, like, two, three studios are cranking everything out. [01:11:30] Speaker A: That's what's happening now. Like, you've got, like, I think you've got about two or three bands here. And the bands are covering all the artists. Any artist that comes forward from India, they'll session play, and it sounds. Don't get me wrong, the musicians are phenomenal. [01:11:46] Speaker B: Best. [01:11:47] Speaker A: Yeah, the. The music sounds all the same. [01:11:51] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [01:11:53] Speaker A: There's no, as you said, there's no variation. Anyway, we digress. [01:11:57] Speaker B: Digress. [01:11:58] Speaker A: Yeah. Let's get back to you, bro. So how did mundane Black come? [01:12:07] Speaker B: It was weird. So I was. I was in the studio at the time, so I guess we should talk about that, too. So obviously, the progression was from djing to kind of like, you know, I was very big in the canadian hip hop scene in my area, like rascals and all these guys. All these guys that came in through. So I used to, you know, I got to know him through djing because I was the DJ before. You know, you just meet people and then I'm like, oh, you know, I want to go in studio. And I was just really fascinated by. So I got to go studio. Watch these guys. And then that's when the love of music really kicked in. When I got to start being behind the scenes and I kind of knew what I wanted to do at that point. I'm like, djing was. Djing for me was money, so I can go to school and do whatever need to do. It was never. It was never a career thing for me, even though it kind of ended up being a career thing for me, like a. It was a profitable hobby. Let's just put it that way. Like, hobbies are usually expensive. It was a profitable hobby for me. And then I fell in love with. With being in the studio, engineering, especially being on the boards. And then because I was part of, like I said, it was part of the AV club, so it's already setting stuff up. So I started out doing live gigs for, like, like, these rappers. I'm like, hey, man, don't worry about it. I got you. I'll set up the DJ gig and then I'll do the front of house for you because I was doing it anyways. [01:13:29] Speaker A: So you do the mixing? [01:13:31] Speaker B: Yeah, the front of house? Yeah. You know, Djinge when they come on, I'll go in the front and, you know, set their mics up and do whatever. [01:13:37] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:13:38] Speaker B: So started small, got bigger and bigger, started doing bands and then starting festivals and, um, just progressed, you know. Then I'm like, you know, I want to. I want to. I started liking this, but I want to be in the studio on the big boards. Right. So then I basically tried to get an apprenticeship with all these studios, and then I ended up working with, um, Len at Fiasco Brothers. Len is like our Pete, where, you know, he's our Tom Lowry. Like, he jazzy Kamali, you name. So sunk dad did his apprenticeship there, too, at the same time with me. [01:14:15] Speaker A: Wow. [01:14:15] Speaker B: So that's how I know them. So. So I worked in that studio for quite a bit of time. You know, tape runner, when we recorded tape. I've recorded everybody in there. You name it, I've. [01:14:30] Speaker A: So is that where you got your studio experience and you mix things? [01:14:33] Speaker B: My real studio experience was there, like, recording the tape. Yeah. [01:14:37] Speaker A: Wow. [01:14:38] Speaker B: So that was cool. And I just fell in love with that process of being behind the boards and recording vocals and then doing that. And then from there, getting that experience, I ended up going to a bigger studio owned by now it's owned by Brian Adams. It's called the warehouse. Greenhouse. Greenhouse Warehouse. Anyways, one of them, I've worked on them both, and at that time, David Foster was in there. He had the whole studio book for, like, three months. He was doing, he was doing Celine Dion, and he was doing some stuff for Christina Aguilera. So I learned lots. Just, I didn't do nothing. I was just in there, you know, ran a chord, maybe, but the stuff I learned at that place, like, I'm talking from real producers, you know what I mean? Like, you know, pitch and vocals and, you know, how to. Right. Like, telling singers and, you know, that. [01:15:36] Speaker A: Reminds you of when I did tell you. I went to real world studios. [01:15:41] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [01:15:42] Speaker A: I went to real world studios here, and I saw the place when Nusa Fateh Khan recorded biggest artist. Any, any, every artist recorded there. Beyonce. They've all recorded there. Yeah. It sounds like that kind of vibe. [01:15:55] Speaker B: Yeah, it was, man. It was like, I, it was never that. It was, I was never, uh, I'm not a star studded guy. Like, if they can. I mean, I was never like, oh, my God, like, sleeping Dion. It was never, I've never been like that because I still think they're human beings. Like, you know, they're obviously superstars, but I never think of them that way. [01:16:12] Speaker A: I'm just like, she's combat. She's come. But she come back the other day. [01:16:15] Speaker B: Yeah, she was on the Olympics. So for me, it was just, it was, it was good. It was like I was that fly on the wall, bro. I was, like, learning experience, and then, um, you know, but for me, I still want to stay in the urban scene, so I kind of use that experience to, you know, hook up with all these rappers and stuff and did stuff. And then we, I tried the whole, I tried. It's funny. I tried the whole, like, rapping thing, too, with a buddy of mine, alpha. So my name is Reminisce. Our group was called Reminiscen. Right. And then we never really recorded anything, but we did shows in, like, schools and stuff, and then he ended up moving somewhere else to the states or something. So then, so I kept the name for myself, but, all right, so if we're gonna go anywhere, it had been with him. I know it's gonna book me. [01:17:00] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:17:00] Speaker B: Right. So that kind of ended, and then I was in the studio working on stuff for, with sokbal sook. Right? So when he came from India, he was in the studio doing stuff, and he was doing mixtapes at the time, like boom blasters and stuff like that and coffee kamkita, like, on some stuff. And I was like, yeah, this is, this is kind of cool. I'd love to do this, right? And at the time when I was djing, there was a banquet hall being made. Was being made by my friends. They do, like, tilt up construction, and they were gonna run the hall. And their dad, who I knew, was like, oh, my son wants to dj. Can you teach him how to dj? Oh, yeah, no problem. I don't care. Right? And there was Navi. Navi Jagpol, who's still my. He's my homie, right? We're still. Yeah, we're still friends. And he. There was another guy, Mandeep. He was. Remember I was telling you that the brother I djed? [01:17:54] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:17:55] Speaker B: So that was Mandeep. And I djed his brother's wedding, like, a few years back. So we all kind of got to know each other. And then Navi and Madib kind of became tighter than me because I was never around, like, on the weekends from Wednesday to Sunday, I was never around ever, like, because I was working at night, right, djing. So these guys were doing their thing, and then they're like, hey, I was working on some mixes, and I'm like, hey, I'm going to put out a tape. And they're like, yeah, we're doing the same thing. It's like, why don't we just get together? Just put out together. Lo and behold. I didn't know that when we released that first mib that it would go, like, it popped. Like, I'm not saying this to exaggerate. Like, it popped to the point where, like, people were pissed. You know what I mean? Like, because we didn't know. We're just taking people's guard and just putting beats on it. We don't know about copyrights or whatever. Well, I shouldn't say that. I mean, I did, but whatever. We just did it for fun, right? We didn't think, you know, we. We thought. We honestly, we thought it was. That's it, right, right. We'll get a couple of gigs out of it. That's it, bro. I didn't know. We're gonna get calls from England and stuff. I didn't know. We didn't know. Right? It was. It was such a weird learning experience for us. We had no idea. [01:19:15] Speaker A: So who'd you get called from England, if you don't mind me asking? Who'd you get called? Movie bucks can talk, right? Because, like, most of their producers were using hip hop beats anyway, bro. [01:19:28] Speaker B: It was crazy. I remember. It's funny I can say this story because, you know, you know, Jesse's my boy, right? I remember when we picked up? So they were coming. B 21 was coming for concert, and they go to the promoter, they go, they want us to come pick them up. So I went to go pick up Jesse, me, Navi and Mandeep. So, Jesse, bhuta, like, we want to sit with you and the bali, or Bali. And whoever the tolis are going to sit with the other two, right? So before they get in the car, my boys, like, something ain't right here, right? Something. Something doesn't seem like, oh, whatever, right? So I sat in the car, but like, okay, we need to talk about the songs you guys ripped off. Oh, my God, here we go. Right? It was so funny. I'm like, listen, bro. I go, I'm sorry, right? It is what it is. Like, what do you want? They're like, okay, we want to go here because they part our music. We want to go here. We want to go talk to them. It was funny. We all came good friends, about. [01:20:28] Speaker A: Did you just sample the music? [01:20:30] Speaker B: Yeah, we took basically, off the first of my be. I took Dior, Davia. Yeah, the whole song, like, added some beats to it, some whatever, and it smashed, man. Like, it was a good song. Right? We just moved it up a bit and then. [01:20:45] Speaker A: So it had the original vocals on it. [01:20:47] Speaker B: Yeah, it was a whole song. We just did it, like, just added our top. So they had every right to be. [01:20:52] Speaker A: Pissed, but I don't know, because the UK was doing that anyway. [01:20:56] Speaker B: If you went North America was famous for that, right, for the mix. [01:21:00] Speaker A: But if you. If you went to, like, so your video shop hi fi, you'd find these remixes by, like, DJ Chino and this and that. That's what they were doing. They were just getting songs from India. Yeah. Basically what you guys were doing to the UK. UK was doing to India, yeah. [01:21:16] Speaker B: So make sense. It was funny, though. It was just like, you know, you live and learn, right? Hey, listen, we. We were never. Our. Never. Our intention was never to mess with someone's money. No, that was never the intention. Right? So, you know, we worked it all out. It's all good. But then, you know, I remember going to England, walking in the movie box, and I thought they were gonna, like, kidnap me and, like, tie me to a chair and, like, you know, it was pretty. They had their bouncers there. They had a bunch of people there like myself, like, seven, eight of them. Like, okay, what's going on here? It's pretty funny. [01:21:53] Speaker A: That's crazy. He's a nice guy, the Shabiris. [01:21:56] Speaker B: Super nice guy. Really nice. Guy. [01:21:58] Speaker A: He's a nice guy, isn't he? Boxer. I don't think he runs it anymore now. I think his son runs it. [01:22:03] Speaker B: Oh, they're restauranteers, I think, or something. [01:22:05] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:22:06] Speaker B: Yeah, his son, Cameron still. [01:22:08] Speaker A: Yeah, Cameron runs it, doesn't he? [01:22:10] Speaker B: Yeah, Cameron. Yeah. That was an experience, too, man. Going to Southall, walking the store. Metro music. Remember Metro music rings a bell. [01:22:18] Speaker A: Is that south hall? [01:22:19] Speaker B: Was it south? [01:22:20] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm probably not as familiar with it. [01:22:23] Speaker B: I had to settle my differences there as well. That was fun. Why me, bro? Why is it always me? You see all my. Why do a bungee over me? [01:22:32] Speaker A: It's like, you know, I'm off to air for a bit now. I'm not on Twitter. [01:22:37] Speaker B: I need to cancel that too, man. All the time for no reason. [01:22:41] Speaker A: Not only that, it's just Twitter just started showing me, like, they keep showing you, like, videos, which totally irrelevant. [01:22:49] Speaker B: I don't want to see. [01:22:51] Speaker A: I just come off it thought, this is a waste of time. It's gone really funny now, isn't it, Twitter? [01:22:57] Speaker B: It is. It is. But, yeah. [01:23:00] Speaker A: People arguing. That's it. People arguing. [01:23:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:23:03] Speaker A: Toxic place. [01:23:03] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, that was kind of like my introduction to. My introduction to punjabi music was a weird one. I wouldn't say it was a smooth transition, but I never gave up. It was good, though. You know, I'm thankful. But it was again. It comes back to UK punjabi music wasn't for that. I even. I'll tell you now, I'll be honest with you. Like we look at today, I'm not in love with the scene anymore because of stuff that's coming out. We're doing well. Don't get me wrong, Canada's doing well. I'm really happy for all the artists. There's a bunch, you know, like my homie, intense and stuff that I thought I love. But in terms of. For me personally, maybe because my age and where I am, I've really fallen in love with hip hop again. And kind of like, punjabi music is like, whatever right now. [01:23:49] Speaker A: I think it's become stagnant, bro. It's basically, you know, what happened to the UK. Like, yeah, it's good once in a while, you get. But it's all this. It's too much like, what happens without music, right? There's. You get a song which hits and everyone follows that formula. That's it. [01:24:06] Speaker B: Literally. Literally, yeah, Jeremy. [01:24:09] Speaker A: And it becomes boring, which is why, you know, even the music we're doing, like, I'm not saying it's the best music in the world. But at least it's different. [01:24:16] Speaker B: It is. I can say. Yeah. [01:24:18] Speaker A: Yeah. Do you know what I mean? You know, even the track, you know, the one you're mixing now, the weekend style one. Yeah, yeah. [01:24:26] Speaker B: Totally different. Yeah. That's a weird one, man. It's like, um. I just find it. You didn't really. When UK and India were going head to head, you still have the differences. What I find now, that stuff coming from India and stuff coming from North America now is very similar. [01:24:44] Speaker A: Exactly, bro. [01:24:45] Speaker B: It's the same beats, same formula, same tarja. Right, sorry. Go. Same year. [01:24:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:24:51] Speaker B: Right. Which is. I. Look, I don't know if that's okay or not. I'm just saying, for me personally, he's boring. [01:24:57] Speaker A: I'm straight up. It's boring. He's boring. [01:25:00] Speaker B: So. But on the flip side, the hip hop scene is crazy. Like, it's huge. It's a. [01:25:10] Speaker A: But hip hop's got this thing, isn't it? Where, like, I'm. I'm not hip hop expert, but what. What I see from the outside, they always sort of, um, mix different genres in it and they keep doing it. Do you know me? Do you know Linkin park track? [01:25:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:26] Speaker A: Look at that. That's. That was from one of the best tracks ever. [01:25:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:30] Speaker A: You know, so they keep doing that and they keep evolving, which is what. And now you got the country, hip hop. Hip hop, country. Drake. And not Drake. Sorry, Kyo. Then, you know, Beyonce did one, as. [01:25:43] Speaker B: All country did one now. Yeah, I know. That's a weird one, man. That ain't country music, man. [01:25:48] Speaker A: That's. But at least they're progressing. They're trying new stuff. [01:25:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:25:53] Speaker A: I mean, you can't knock that. [01:25:55] Speaker B: I gotta give these guys. I gotta give these guys props, though, because these guys are out in the streets doing these ciphers. I don't know if you've seen them. [01:26:01] Speaker A: No. [01:26:02] Speaker B: Like, you know, started with Chindigarh, where they'd meet in this park, whatever. Play a beat. And they're just rapping and it took off like. It took all over the world. Birmingham's got a cipher. Midland Cipher. We got them. Toronto's got one. It's a different culture. [01:26:23] Speaker A: Educate me on this. On this woman. [01:26:25] Speaker B: What? [01:26:26] Speaker A: Cipher? [01:26:27] Speaker B: Oh, yeah. [01:26:29] Speaker A: Lost your camera. [01:26:32] Speaker B: So basically, what is these guys got together? Just call it Jindy got a cipher. Right, Cypher? Just a group of people getting together. They just rap. [01:26:39] Speaker A: Mm hmm. [01:26:39] Speaker B: Just whether it's freestyle. [01:26:41] Speaker A: Almost like street battle. Like a street rap. [01:26:43] Speaker B: It's not really a battle. It's just body. Body that they go on their rap. Right? So there's no battling, which is fine, but it took off. Like, it. Like, I'm. Bro, there's, like, this girl rapper, Jyoti, her name is. She's in a wheelchair and she's rapping and her flow is nuts. So. And then I've been watching it since they started, and honestly, they literally blown up. I don't know if you saw that one guy, his name is Ranja, he. He blew up with one of his songs and, like. Like, every. Like, even Carly and Gore were talking about it, and he ended up getting a record deal off. A cypher for mass appeal, man. So it's crazy because there's a lot of eyes on India right now about hip hop, and rightfully so, because, again, the numbers in the streams and it's nice to see that, like, punjabis are involved in that. [01:27:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:27:35] Speaker B: You know, it's still just. I think it's still, like, young. It's growing, it's getting there. [01:27:40] Speaker A: It's quite poppy, isn't it? Yeah. The hip hop, they are fine, but some of it is, you know, the mainstream. [01:27:48] Speaker B: It's weird is I find, like, a lot of these guys are still liking those nineties beats. [01:27:51] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:27:52] Speaker B: And then they're. Or they're very, like. Like, it's like nineties beats, but. And. But now I've noticed, like, everyone likes to rap really fast. [01:28:01] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:28:02] Speaker B: So. Which is, you know. You know, it's weird. Like, it's like, what are you trying to do? Like, you know, I mean, so. But they're. But it's. But they're still doing something. They're out live in the public, their own voice, no auto, no nothing, whatever. You know, like, no mic. And they're just. Just rapping raw. It's like, it's really cool to see the culture. And that take took off in Chindigarh and it's all over. Like, we got one in Surrey now. There's one in Toronto that gets nuts. [01:28:34] Speaker A: He said there's one in Birmingham as well. [01:28:36] Speaker B: There's one in the midlands. Yeah. You remember ammo 47? What was his. What was his handle on Twitter? Something beats. Sunny beats. [01:28:45] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:28:47] Speaker B: Yeah. Him and his boys, man. Yeah. It's crazy. [01:28:53] Speaker A: Gonna check it out. I'm here. [01:28:55] Speaker B: Yeah, man. It's. It's, it's. Yeah. Where do they do it? [01:28:57] Speaker A: Where do they do it? [01:28:58] Speaker B: I don't know. I don't know the dates. It's pretty ad hoc, but it's, um. It's cool. I like what they're doing, because it's. It's. It's raw. You know what I mean? It's not polished. You can see, you know, you see talent, and I'm there all. I'll comment all the time. Like, I'm like, hey, man, like, I'll go underneath the cypher me. Like, hey, let's work. If you want to work dm me, let's work. And I've had a couple of rappers hit me up, and we actually got a song coming out next month. [01:29:27] Speaker A: Oh, that's phenomenal, dude. [01:29:28] Speaker B: Yeah. So it's cool. [01:29:31] Speaker A: So I was just gonna say it's a good segue into. Into your career now. So you've got your mixing. How did you get into. Properly into your mixing. Mixing bit, and then we'll talk about you as an artist. [01:29:43] Speaker B: Yeah. So I've been mixing for 30 years, but, like, any industry, you know, it's. It is what it is, bro. It's. It's racist at the end of the day. You know what I mean? So what do you mean? Just, you know, hip hop is predominantly black culture. You know, getting in, breaking in that as a brown guy, it's next to impossible. Right. Whether it's rapping or in the. In the background scenes, you kind of. You kind of get, like. You got to get, like, initiated into it, you know? I mean. [01:30:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:30:18] Speaker B: For example, like, say there's, say. Say I'm a studio owner and say, wherever Memphis and garlic happen, be the only people in the area. And I'm there in my studio, I'm gonna pop with them. You see what I'm saying? Like, kind of like. It's like being in a gang. Right? You're kind of, like, initiated into the process. Well, I live in Surrey, whatever. Vancouver. There's not that many Carly here. [01:30:42] Speaker A: No. [01:30:43] Speaker B: So anything I do is kind of, like, you know, from here and there, or, you know, stuff is sent to me. So I'm not. I'm not, like, a known guy in that. In that culture. Right. So a lot of stuff I do is kind of, like, for other engineers, like, okay, you're gonna do this small piece of it, send it back to me. You can do this small piece of it, send it back to me, but now. Not that yet. At the end of the day, which is fine. I'm totally cool. You know what I mean? [01:31:07] Speaker A: So you. So you're a ghost engineer? [01:31:09] Speaker B: Ghost engineer. Pretty well, yeah. It's just. [01:31:11] Speaker A: If you want to call it that, I'm just. [01:31:13] Speaker B: Yeah, but the studio gets the name at the end of the day. And that's fine, right? I don't get no royalties, no nothing. Nothing like that, which is fine, right? But professionally, here in the city, I'm very fortunate. I got a pretty good name for what I do. So, like, middle Abda Kamehameha. Miltona. Enough to the point now where, you know, I feel comfortable. I can turn stuff away now. So just because, you know, I'm getting older, bro, like, I want to enjoy life now, too. You know, you see me, I work dumb hours, so now it's like, you know, I want to enjoy life. And now mixing and stuff, I got time now. You know, my girls are older, and I just had this bug to kind of, like, fulfill some dreams that I've always had. So kind of gone into sort of the artist side of things, which is I hate it. I can't stand it. I don't know how you collect cars. Do it, Mandy. I absolutely hate it. [01:32:12] Speaker A: You gotta be thick skinned in it. [01:32:13] Speaker B: It's not just that, man. It's just the work. Like, I've never been a guy who wants to be in the face. Like, I don't want to be in the videos, nothing. You know what I mean? It's just. It's just weird. I don't know how long I'm gonna last. But it's been fun, though, because now kind of transition from making, like, going back to making some music. [01:32:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:32:30] Speaker B: Which has been kind of nice. I'm on the west coast, you know, obviously, I'm a big West coast hip hop fan. Fan. So my sound, my aura, my origin is all west coast. I want to stay true to that. That's kind of like what I. I don't want to intimidate anyone. I want to. I want to stay close to my roots, so that's kind of like what we're doing. But it's been nice, man, because, you know, you meet friends over the. Over. You know, over the course of time, and you see who your friends are when you want to do some things. You know what I mean? [01:33:01] Speaker A: Yeah. You were saying? Yeah. I don't know whether you want to talk about that. [01:33:04] Speaker B: Like, I. It's funny because you realize how. How fickle the industry is and how jealous people are. [01:33:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:33:12] Speaker B: Over dumb shit, you know? Like, for example, like, I'll give you. Like, I messaged a bunch of folks that I know. I'm like, hey, man, I want to do a record. You know, let me. You know, will you. Will you help me out? Will you do something on it? And out of the ten, you know, let's just say. I'm just saying. It's not what I've been saying in general. Out of the ten, three basically didn't respond. Seven left. Out of the seven, you know, four, like, nah, right? Whatever. For whatever reason, out of the three, sure, no problem. Sending the beats out of three. Two never sent anything back. One guy next day delivered vocals. Let's do it. So that. So I did a record with my buddy, big jazz called kill shot. [01:33:59] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:34:01] Speaker B: It was just. It was right away. Next day, he had the vocals to me done. A guy who I don't know that well compared to, like, some other my friends. I send him the beat. He's like, let's do it, man. You go? I go, are you okay with me, like, rapping on there? He's like, yeah, I don't care. I go and I go, as long as you co sign it, right. I'll send it back to you. Let me know because I know you sound fine, right? I was so, bro, I. I. Like, I did my part and I. He did his part, and I felt so dumb. I'm like, dude, I can't put this out. Like, I sound like a. Like an idiot, right? So I redid my part multiple times and just got worse and worse because I was too. Like, I'm listening to him conscious. Yeah. He's like, no, bro. He's like, just go back to here and just do this, and you're fine, right? He goes, like, I know where you're coming from. Like, yeah, I do this all the time, but I'm telling you, as an artist, you're good, right? So then you kind of gave me that whole SlA, so I put it out and I felt good. Like, what? I got hated on it, you know, that's natural, right? I didn't really care because I had nothing to lose, right? I'm not here for accolades or streams. It's just. It's just for fun, bro. Like, I've got all this energy inside me of creativity that I want to do out. Like, I love. Like I said, I love. I love Punjabi music and I love gangsta rap, so I want to do. Put the two together. So to do it right? Because to me, to my ears, because I hear stuff and I don't like it. It's, like, totally out of pocket, right? So, like, that lot that the record I did, I took, like, I took a, you know, giddy with Shakti sample, chopped it, because I love that song and I put it to, like, a beat that I love. Do you know what I mean? So I got the best of both worlds for myself. And jazz is like, yo, this is hot. Like, let's do this. Like, this is, you know. And he's like, no problem. And it came out good for us. Right. Regardless of what the public thinks. Right. I can, hand on heart, say it's authentic, like, what hip hop should, to me, should sound like. So that kind of gave me the bug. Now. Now my goal is to release a new song at the end of the month, every month. That's my goal. [01:36:10] Speaker A: What. What was the, um. Like, I know you've done vocals before. [01:36:15] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:36:16] Speaker A: What was it like? Did you. Did you. Did you have to rehearse the vocals? What? Hand, if. Yes. How to do it. [01:36:23] Speaker B: So people don't know this, but I was. I learned, like. Like, Keith and safety gurdwara. [01:36:30] Speaker A: Really? Whoa. [01:36:31] Speaker B: Yeah. And the keeper in the gutwara was, there's another guy there. Like, he's known as Pamba. Canadian. Right? Who, in my opinion, is one of the best singers in North America that no one's ever heard. [01:36:43] Speaker A: Really? [01:36:43] Speaker B: Wow. I think. Are this. You hope I'm not canadian, right? They used to live where I used to live. Used to live basically just down the road from me. I used to beg him a little bit. I used to beg him, beg him, beg him. He's just. He's a roofer, right? So he's always busy, and then he's like, okay. Then one day he said, come on Sunday, do Kirtan with me, right? He goes, you're just gonna watch? I go, no problem. Right? And I stopped there and just watched him. Watched him for months come in. Then he started, like, I got the books here. Somebody's like, okay, aya, you know, sade this, that, and he was, like, showing me all this goes, okay, now do it on the. On the Baja, right? So I learned, um. I learned Surah from him. Not like, full logs, per se. [01:37:29] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:37:29] Speaker B: Because I just ended up. We just, you know, family life takes over, and he was just too busy. But I learned vocal control from him, which is really nice, which is almost like, we can have the debate about the studs and, like, vocal coaches, because. Yeah, we all went through. Remember that whole argument went on Twitter? I don't know if you remember that. Like, everyone got involved in that one, but, you know, like, I think just see, was saying, like, you know, vocal coaches. [01:37:54] Speaker A: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [01:37:57] Speaker B: It's whatever, right? You know, it's. It's two different worlds. And I. I said to my gop I love you, but I don't want to sound like you, right? I go, you need to. You need to show me how to me to sound like. He goes, I don't know how to do that. He goes, right? Jamaasakonatanu. You're gonna end up singing like me. He goes, but he goes, just practice these dogs the way you would normally do it. Like, he. You know, I mean, so it was good. Um, and then there's another staaji that I went to, uh, baba nim Singh, but he, um. Unfortunately he passed away. Um, I. I learned from him too, a little bit. And then just. Life took over, bro. I just, you know, I did a few songs. Just. There was no. I wasn't looking for encouragement, you know what I mean? But just. It's just nothing, I guess. Nothing popped. I'm a man of action, right? Like, I've got three or four things going on. If I'm focusing on something and this one's making me money, like, I'm going to go towards that, you know what I mean? Where I can focus money, where there's a return. So I did the artist thing and, hey, listen, we. We toured with Imran Khan, right? Well, so it's kind of cool. We went on across Canada. We did show, bro. We even went to India, did a show, right? It's pretty nuts, but it's just I was getting better results somewhere else, so I'm just like, it's all good, right? That wasn't, you know, and then I still kept practicing this and that. And then back in 2010 or eleven, we had a flood in the basement. Sarakush got flooded. We had like, 2ft of water. My budget, everything. So since then, I never really got one back. Like, I see your harmonium there and I'm jealous, bro. Yeah, I want to get one, but just diamond, bro. Like, John, new job, you know, go to my Gaji. He's a. Like, he. He's a part of Gurdwara. He played. He played tabla, right? So he played tabla with, bro. He played tabla of Nasir Fatih Khan when he came to Vancouver. [01:40:00] Speaker A: Crazy. [01:40:00] Speaker B: That's how good this guy is. So he's like, just having a time, just, you know, I mean, just so. [01:40:08] Speaker A: That'S really interesting, though. The fact that you've, you've see, I would never have known that. [01:40:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:40:14] Speaker A: And the fact that you've got that background in things, that's. That's admirable. [01:40:21] Speaker B: Yeah. No, you know what? I'm glad I did it because I feel sorry. For artists that recorded me because I give them the. Like, I make them sing, bro. Like, that's how I was taught, you know? Like, bro, I've been in studios where producer. Like, no, man, like, go home. [01:40:37] Speaker A: Mm hmm. [01:40:37] Speaker B: Like, you're wasting my time. I'm talking, like, big names. Yeah. I'm talking big artists are like, go home. You're not it. You can't do today. Like, big artists. [01:40:48] Speaker A: Well, you told the artists, the producer. [01:40:50] Speaker B: Because the artist go, like, just go home. You're not. You. You're not feeling it. [01:40:54] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:40:54] Speaker B: Like, these are. These are big Grammy warning artists. You're like, holy shit, what just happened here? Right? Yeah, but, you know, like, day Honda, bro, that you can't. You're not a singer 24 hours a day. [01:41:04] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. [01:41:04] Speaker B: You're gonna wake up one day and you'd be like, oh, my God, whatever. Right? [01:41:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:41:09] Speaker B: Right. But when. When, you know, when you have a studio booked, you know, as a small artist, you got 4 hours. My goal is to make magic happen. [01:41:18] Speaker A: Hmm. [01:41:18] Speaker B: Right. And because we only have that 4 hours near paying good money, so we got to make shit happen. Otherwise it's not a waste of time. And that's why I think UK Punjabi music, even India at the time when they were in the studios paying for studio time, you all created magic, man, because you had a certain type of window to get stuff done, right. So you have to go in there and get it right. That of the artistry is what we're missing. Because you can just record from home. I'm not saying, you know, you're at fault with this or anything. It's just when you're at home, you can record. You want, take your time, 4 hours, 5 hours, come back the next day and it's all good. But I can tell you as an engineer, when I get sessions come over, I can tell when the vocal takes, like, the vocal takes are different, you know what I mean? Because, you know, you may have recorded it here, and then the next day you came back to do punch ins or whatever. I can hear it because I've recorded a thousand vocals in my lifetime. Right. But as an engineer, my goal is to make sure that you're consistent all the way through. Just little things. Like, you could be singing there and you drop your shoulders a bit, just a touch. Now your vocals are going to change. Little things like that. You'll be surprised. I'll be like, hey, man, straighten your. Straighten yourself up. Like, what are you talking about? Just straighten yourself up. [01:42:35] Speaker A: Even the book, even the song we're doing now. You know, the one I sent you, man. [01:42:39] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:42:40] Speaker A: Like that. That's a prime example of that. You know, you're not on it every day, and, you know, I recorded it. Everything sounded fine to me. And look, they went back to it thinking, man, doesn't sound fine. [01:42:56] Speaker B: It sucks, though, bro. Like, because, you know, I. I don't want to. I don't want to do that to artists. Right. I don't want to sit there. But it's my. At the end of the day, you got to put out the best music possible. Right. Because, you know what I mean? And everyone's at fault from. From. From you to the guy mixing the song. It's my Jimmy, too, to make sure that I, you know, that. You know, what I hear, whether it's an artistic decision, that's your call at the end of the day. But it's still my response to be like, hey, Roger, this part here. I don't know, man. Like, is this how you wanted it? [01:43:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:43:36] Speaker B: You may have been like, oh, shit, I didn't realize that. Right, because you're. You're focused on singing. You don't hear what I hear. [01:43:42] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think comes down to that thing, what you said. People are starting doing it from home now. Yes, there's positive sides of that, but there's also negatives. Like when you were an engineer, say I was with you in person, you'll be able to correct me, right. Then you'll hear things that I can't hear. [01:43:57] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:43:58] Speaker A: You know what I mean? Whereas. But the positive side of it is that I can record at any time. [01:44:03] Speaker B: Yeah. [01:44:04] Speaker A: But one thing I would say when I. We used to go in a studio, there'll be more theory. Do you know what I mean? [01:44:11] Speaker B: 100%. [01:44:12] Speaker A: And that's why now, you know, that vocal that we're doing now, forget this. I got to go back to the drawing board. My theory, as if I'm going to. As recording in the studio, I should know the song inside out before even come to the mic. [01:44:27] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll find. You'll just. You'll just feel better. [01:44:32] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah. So do you know, I mean, it's been a hour and over hour and a half. [01:44:38] Speaker B: We didn't even get to the thick of it, have we? [01:44:40] Speaker A: No. Been over hour and a half. So, um. Yeah. And it's half eleven here in the. In the night, and I've got to do baby, baby shift in the night. [01:44:48] Speaker B: Yeah. Sorry, bro. [01:44:49] Speaker A: No, don't be. I want to carry on. To be fair. [01:44:55] Speaker B: We can continue. [01:44:56] Speaker A: We can do a part two, but yeah, so I normally end the podcast. Just asking. My whole purpose of this podcast is in the pursuit of musical excellence. So what advice would you give me? Would you give listeners to get, become excellent in music, whether it's a dj or singing, producing or. Because I know you do all of it. [01:45:23] Speaker B: It's a tough one, bro, because I think if you're, it depends where you are at your stage, right? Like, if you're, if you're, if you're starting out and you want to sing, you need to find a couple of mentors. Just listen. The biggest problem I found music industry, no one wants to listen anymore. Like, I listen to music every day, every day, every day for last. Since music is, I've heard music in my life. I listen to music. I'm listening for fashion, I'm listening for how things are set. I listen for language. I just. Do you get what I'm saying? I'm listening to mixes. How is, what's the new sound? Is it too bright? Do not. Right? Like, I tell everybody, especially singers, like, they'll laugh, bro. They'll laugh at me. All these punjabi singers are pajama going on, going out. What should I do? I'm like, go, go download the what's his name, Malcolm Buble Christmas album and listen to it over and over again. And they'll look at me like, you're too pogo. I could just go listen to him. I go, if you want to learn how to sing, go listen to that. Listen to how he sings, right? If you don't want to get in the stud, you need to find someone and listen to how they sing. Listen how they say the words, listen to the breaths, right? And if you want to make beats, pick an instrument and learn it simple. I always say, piano or guitar, you gotta, you gotta learn. You gotta learn. Can't run before you walk, right? I think I find, and this is a fact because I'm in like, these Zoom meetings with, like, you know, label owners, like, you know, and all this stuff. We have masterminds. It's a fact that music, over time, recently has degraded for quality because there's no more gatekeepers, there's no anrs, no more. No one's learning an instrument. You know what I'm saying? So think if you want, if you want to excel at what you do, I think you need to, you know, like, how many, I don't know how many singers that I know that want to sing, they don't even own a mic. [01:47:35] Speaker A: Hmm. [01:47:36] Speaker B: That, that makes no sense to me. If you want to sing, you should at least own a mic, right? [01:47:44] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:47:44] Speaker B: So it. It's honestly, come, like, I think we've complicated too much. It comes down to basics. Just. Just pick it up and do it. You'll get. You'll get good over time, right. But at the same time, you need. You need to. You don't. I'm not saying you compare yourself to someone, but you. You need to sort of set a level of where you want to be, you know, quality wise. You know what I mean? Like, you. I know you go to nostalgia, so you. You've got someone to. Someone to keep you feedback from you. [01:48:14] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:48:15] Speaker B: Right. So that's the problem now is, like, we got so much stuff going unchecked, and if you get checked, like, someone, like. Like, bro, I try to check people all the time. Not because I'm hating, because I'm like, you know, I've done it my whole career, bro. I've been to studios where, like I said, like, big artists are crying in the. In the washroom because the guys like, bro, you can't sing your shit in diwi, right? It tv crazy, right? So you gotta, like, you just got a man up and just woman up and just get it done, right? Like, we're coming from some of the greatest music eras ever in history, whether it's punjabi music, country music, hip hop, and r and b. So you've got plenty of stuff to look at behind you. [01:49:02] Speaker A: Hmm. [01:49:04] Speaker B: So my suggestion is, like, you know, podcasts like this, know, all the artists that you've picked, like, some of them are heavy hitters. You know, I'm hoping that these kids are going okay, you know? And that's the thing. Like, our Jimmy Wadi is to inspire these kids somehow to do these things right. Like. Like, I don't want to come across as a hater, which I don't know why I get tagged with that. But, you know, my thing is never to hate. My thing is, I want, like, to me, if a young kid can make a career out of music, a career out of music is, you know, I've done my part. Like, if it was one little thing that I said, like, hey, bro, I popped because you said, x y, z, look at me now, like, you know what I mean? That'd be the most amazing thing. You know what I mean? But it's a different world now. And the other thing, too, unfortunately, is get your socials up. You gotta work on your social content. You gotta get a hundred percent, bro. It's sad, but it is what it is. [01:50:05] Speaker A: Yeah, 100%. I mean, I'm digressing. That was excellent, by the way. That was great for the podcast and for myself as well. I remember talking to a friend of ours and he was saying, oh, I'm in. You know, it's a bit strict when it wouldn't come when he gives feedback and stuff and really? So I don't get that vibe from you. Oh, I've never got that vibe for me. I've never, ever got that vibe for me, bro. [01:50:35] Speaker B: I. Why here? Here's the thing. And I learned this. I've been very fortunate. Like, I was raised in an environment where I was raised by, because, let's be real, the music industry, it's a dirty business. It's all. It's like, I don't know about. I was in the UK. Well, I know I was in the UK. People that own the clubs, these nightclubs and shit like that, they're all hustlers, bro. Like, it's a dirty business. They're all like, whatever, monsters, gangsters, whatever you want to call them. So I was raised in an environment where I learned a different type of entrepreneurship, where you had to be really good at what you do and you have to be smart at what you do, right? And the advice I got is, you know, if you want to slowly kill someone, you give them the wrong advice and overdose time, they'll just implode. That's one thing I learned, as I always remember that. So for me, if I'm saying something to you is not to kill your career, is. It's to make sure that, you know, you kill, like, you kill somebody else's career because you're better than. That's always been my thing. You know, if I'm saying to you, Raj, like, you know, I wouldn't ever say your vocals suck, I'd be like, hey, bro, look, this portion here is like, blah, blah, blah. Like, know, we had these conversations. [01:51:50] Speaker A: Yeah, of course we have. Yeah, yeah. [01:51:52] Speaker B: I've had these conversations with, like, everybody, like anyone. You know what I mean? Like, bro, if a song sucks, it sucks. Can we agree? [01:51:59] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. [01:52:00] Speaker B: So then why the hell we promoting it? It doesn't help the industry. Like, it makes no sense to me. I'm not. Listen, I'm not saying I'm no NASA fate, khan. I've never said that, ever. Right. But, you know, I got ears, you know? I know. You know, if it fits within the D, like, you know, a song's a song, but if something is really bad, like, totally biz sort or whatever. And you got all these people bigging it up or someone's completely stolen something and all these big artists are bigging this up. How was that helping the industry? [01:52:34] Speaker A: Hmm? [01:52:35] Speaker B: Because if that happened in like, the hip hop world or the Gora world, buddy, they'd get, they get eaten up alive. Lawsuits, this and that. Defamation, culturally, we just, we're just very, like, egalitarian where we trying to push everybody up, where sometimes it doesn't make sense. You know what I mean? Like, I've seen it punjab now. Like, I don't know if you've seen my year on my instagram, you see me post this one guy, I don't know what his name is, but he can't sing at all, literally. And these guys are giving him stages, some sonu atiyawali or something. I don't know what his name is, but, bro, he's like, I don't know why they, but they're putting him on stage and like, go round nay on that, bilko. But, you know, he's getting views and clicks and what I don't get it. [01:53:22] Speaker A: There's that guy called. Have you seen him? Jahat fatelli Khan. [01:53:27] Speaker B: That guy's OG, bro. He's booked around the world. [01:53:35] Speaker A: He got 21, his video, 21 million views on, on YouTube. [01:53:43] Speaker B: But why, you see what I'm saying? It makes no sense. It makes no sense. [01:53:53] Speaker A: He's back. What we need to do on my right, we need to do parody videos instead. Parody singing instead of blow up. [01:54:00] Speaker B: Honestly, like, I, it just, it is what it is, bro. But it's disheartening at the same time because it's like, why, why is that big? Yeah, makes no sense. And watch. You probably get a record deal for all we know. Warner is gonna come along like, oh, yeah, this guy's got 20 million views, got 400,000, and they're gonna sign this guy. Like, you know. [01:54:26] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:54:28] Speaker B: Like, at that point, you might just quit. [01:54:31] Speaker A: Crazy. Anyway, we're almost at 2 hours, so. [01:54:38] Speaker B: Sorry, bro. [01:54:39] Speaker A: I think we'll do, I think we'll do a part two, you know, but, but, you know, I like coming. I think I've heard some of your podcasts before. Great podcasts. But I think we've, we've got a different side of you here in this podcast, which I'm really grateful for you, you know, your history and the technical side of it as well, which is what, what it's about. And so I really appreciate you coming on, and we're going to carry on working together. Anyway, you've got two more anyway, so look out for that. Is there any projects you want to mention that you're doing? Look out for good. [01:55:16] Speaker B: Just, you look out for the stuff that Roger is going to put out. Uh, you know, I got the honor, privilege of mixing and mastering that. [01:55:24] Speaker A: I'm producing it as also the Raymond did it. [01:55:28] Speaker B: Yeah, Raymond did a fantastic job, man. Um, that and just, you know, I just, like I said, every, you know, following on my socials, I'll be putting out music, you know, at the last, last Friday of every month. It's all urban hip hop based stuff. First love. I've been very fortunate that I got to work with some young punjabi rappers from, from all over. So for me, it's. It's just making music that I love doing, bro. Honestly, that's it. And it's. And to prove. And, you know, because we talk about metrics all the time. [01:56:06] Speaker A: Yep. [01:56:06] Speaker B: Like, at my age, for what I'm doing, I'm slowly, steadily growing. And I've got the receipts to prove it. [01:56:13] Speaker A: Yeah. [01:56:13] Speaker B: So if. And this is what I say to everybody, like you and I know some of the most talented people in the world, right, that haven't done anything for whatever reason, right. And they were to put out a record now, they would probably do better than so many of us. But I've got proof in the pudding with what I have done consistently that if I could do it at my age, you know, that someone that's got, you know, real talent and, like, real backing that you could do, like, it's unlimited. The possibility that someone can do, and that was the whole purpose of this year, is to put music out to prove a theory that if you consistently put stuff out, you consistently do your socials. Like, I'm not getting millions of views. That's not the point. But I'm getting a thousand streams per song. You're growing. Thousand views per video. [01:57:15] Speaker A: Yeah, you're growing. I mean, there's a. There's a book of red called talent is overrated. Have you. [01:57:21] Speaker B: Okay. [01:57:22] Speaker A: Have you heard of the book? [01:57:23] Speaker B: No, but I'll get it. I love reading books. [01:57:25] Speaker A: Yeah. So talent is overrated, saying, basically, you could. The hard working guy would always trump the talented guy. [01:57:32] Speaker B: Get that one, bro. [01:57:33] Speaker A: I've got the audiobook. [01:57:35] Speaker B: Okay. Yeah, yeah. [01:57:36] Speaker A: The latest edition. Yeah, I've got the audiobook of that. So I've nothing. Yeah, but talent is. Overrated is basically just saying the hard work will always trump a talent as you want. But if you're not working hard, it doesn't matter. [01:57:50] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%. I. That's probably if you want to get anything out of this podcast. That's what Rod said. Talent beats hard work all day, every day. [01:57:58] Speaker A: Other way. Hard work beats talent. [01:58:00] Speaker B: What did I say? Sorry, my bad. Reverse that. Yeah, but it's funny you say that because it's true, though. Talent. Talent is one of those things where you're gonna get noticed for sure, right? Tons. But it's that hard work that's gonna put you on the edge. [01:58:18] Speaker A: Absolutely. Yeah. [01:58:19] Speaker B: All day. [01:58:20] Speaker A: Yeah, any, bro. Peace out. I'm just gonna say the last bits for the podcast. So, guys, that was DJ reminisce. Amen. And make sure you follow him on all his socials. And leave a review for the podcast as well. And leave a comment and share. There's gonna be. If you're watching this as a snippet, you probably won't be, but anyway, if you're watching this a snippet, just make sure you share. Share the podcast, and I'm sure Oman's friends will share it as well and give it a listen. And God bless you all and peace out. I'm going to stop this podcast and just catch up with Oman afterwards. Thank you so much, bro.