After gaining a lot of local support in Toronto and Montreal, we had the chance to catch up with the young DJ and producer, Kwikfiks. He shared some of his insight in the cultural differences between the two leading cities of the electronic music scene in Canada.THUMP: You've had exposure both in Toronto and Montreal, do you feel that electronic music is different between the two cities?
Kwikfiks: I think that people in Montreal are more open to the music. They're more willing to give different types of music a chance. In Toronto, if it's not cool, people are most likely going to stand with their arms crossed until someone tells them it's cool. I think both cities are really pushing the envelope in terms of creating electronic music, but I don't think that one necessarily fosters an entirely different sound from the other. I think the difference lies mostly in each city's openness to hearing new sounds.Most Canadian producers call Montreal the mecca of dance music, what are your thoughts on that?
It feels as though Montreal appreciates the arts a lot more, there's more out there to experience and get inspired by. In the summer time you get festivals like Osheaga and Piknic Electronik, and in the winter you get Igloofest. The events here seem to be curated better and more tastefully than other Canadian cities. It's more about the music, not so much about the corporate touch and it's definitely more inspiring. So I guess because it has all these things to offer, and gives musicians the opportunities for better exposure, you could call it the Canadian mecca of dance music.From what I've seen, you've been producing since 2011, was that when you first started?
I'd love to say yes but the truth is I've been making tunes for a while. I gave producing a go for the first time when I was about 17, and I've been at it ever since. I just turned 22, so it's been a while, but my music has gone through ups and downs, and it's seen a variety of changes as I've gone down this road. To say the least, I was putting out music that I no longer cared about under another moniker and thought it was necessary to start another project. I wanted to output work I actually cared for, so that's how KwikFiks came to be.Who were your influences for getting into dance music?
One of the main reasons why I started producing was because of Burial. When I first heard Untrue I was blown away and I'd never heard anything like it before. I said to myself "I need to know how to do this." That really kicked me in the ass to start trying to produce. Besides Burial, Daft Punk's Homework, and early MSTRKRFT also got me into dance music. I was a huge Death From Above 1979 fan when I was younger, so as soon as they disbanded and MSTRKRFT came to be, I was hooked on electronic music. I can also thank Nine Inch Nails for introducing me to electronic sounds earlier on. A mix of all these definitely inspired me to get into it all.Is there a Canadian label that you're interested in?
I like the stuff that Rare Beef and New Kanada have been putting out. ASL Singles Club is also another dope label that has recently caught my attention. And who can forget good ol' Turbo Recordings out of Montreal.
Kwikfiks: I think that people in Montreal are more open to the music. They're more willing to give different types of music a chance. In Toronto, if it's not cool, people are most likely going to stand with their arms crossed until someone tells them it's cool. I think both cities are really pushing the envelope in terms of creating electronic music, but I don't think that one necessarily fosters an entirely different sound from the other. I think the difference lies mostly in each city's openness to hearing new sounds.
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It feels as though Montreal appreciates the arts a lot more, there's more out there to experience and get inspired by. In the summer time you get festivals like Osheaga and Piknic Electronik, and in the winter you get Igloofest. The events here seem to be curated better and more tastefully than other Canadian cities. It's more about the music, not so much about the corporate touch and it's definitely more inspiring. So I guess because it has all these things to offer, and gives musicians the opportunities for better exposure, you could call it the Canadian mecca of dance music.From what I've seen, you've been producing since 2011, was that when you first started?
I'd love to say yes but the truth is I've been making tunes for a while. I gave producing a go for the first time when I was about 17, and I've been at it ever since. I just turned 22, so it's been a while, but my music has gone through ups and downs, and it's seen a variety of changes as I've gone down this road. To say the least, I was putting out music that I no longer cared about under another moniker and thought it was necessary to start another project. I wanted to output work I actually cared for, so that's how KwikFiks came to be.Who were your influences for getting into dance music?
One of the main reasons why I started producing was because of Burial. When I first heard Untrue I was blown away and I'd never heard anything like it before. I said to myself "I need to know how to do this." That really kicked me in the ass to start trying to produce. Besides Burial, Daft Punk's Homework, and early MSTRKRFT also got me into dance music. I was a huge Death From Above 1979 fan when I was younger, so as soon as they disbanded and MSTRKRFT came to be, I was hooked on electronic music. I can also thank Nine Inch Nails for introducing me to electronic sounds earlier on. A mix of all these definitely inspired me to get into it all.Is there a Canadian label that you're interested in?
I like the stuff that Rare Beef and New Kanada have been putting out. ASL Singles Club is also another dope label that has recently caught my attention. And who can forget good ol' Turbo Recordings out of Montreal.