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The Master's vinyl library

DJ Mixmaster Fab devotes himself to the vinyl

What: Love Nest Dance Contest

Who: DJ Mixmaster Fab

When: Every Monday night

Where: Maxx Fish

He goes by the name DJ Mixmaster Fab but Paul Fournier, who has spent more than 20 years spinning, still humbly refers to himself as a novice.

He stands in front of numerous ceiling-high bookcases in his self-built home. He logged his own timber, milled his own wood and designed his home, which houses a room devoted to his vinyl collection of more than 4,000 albums and turntable set up. Running a hand down the record cover spines, rare records such as collectable Led Zeppelin and Bob Marley jump out along with a mix of everything from funk, rock and Latin to house and hip hop, and everything in between.

Why vinyl?

For one, it was the only way to buy music when Fournier first started collecting.

"I use all vinyl in my sets: no computers, no CDs," he explained. "I like the medium. There is so much on vinyl. I think vinyl does sound better, louder, deeper, clearer and more dynamic. It is much more simple to manipulate as far as beat mixing and scratching."

Despite a two-decade dedication to the music medium, it wasn’t until a car accident two years ago that the then professional mountain biker of 12 years turned his focus from the park to parties.

"I had to readjust my life in many ways," he said of the accident. "DJing was a great challenge for me. I had to do something else. I couldn’t bike at the time. I realized through DJing that I can make myself happy and other people happy all at the same time."

In a town of turntable talents like Mat the Alien, getting his first break took a lot of time and house parties.

Fournier now hosts a weekly Love Nest Dance Contest Monday nights at Maxx Fish. Crowds chose the winners with more than $300 worth of prizes from the Love Nest, Zog’s, Gone Bakery and Moguls handed out.

He also volunteers his talents at the weekly LUNAFlick outdoor film screening series at Lost Lake Park on Thursday nights. House sets get the crowds warmed up before the under-the-stars screening. Fournier’s vinyl collection is also no stranger to Whistler’s infamous Solartribe Full Moon parties and Loonie races.

"It’s a fusion," he says of his style. "My sets are never going to be similar. It’s crowd driven. Most of my influence is house. Nothing overly technical, but a lot of natural sounds."

After visiting Brazil for Carnival this year, a lot of Latin beats are working their way into his dance party sets. With a library boasting crooner music of the late 1950s to big-brass Latin, rock anthems, disco and Top 40, you never know what the Mixmaster will pull from his boxes for the night.