In the age of the Internet mixtape DJs are king and Whistler's premier duo is running for some sort of crown.
Or, well, maybe they're just making music. Crowns come later, but local club regulars Tim Livingstone and DJ Canosis, aka Dave Rollie, have already earned an impressive online reputation and have been featured on several well-known breaks blogs. They eventually caught the ears of the honchos at the UK's Riddim Fruit Records, who will release the duo's first mixtape, Thank You Mr. DJ, Vol. 1, in May.
The mixtape will feature seven original cuts, including a completely original disco track, alongside remixes of Featurecast, Pimpsoul, the Funk Hunters and others. The duo will be giving away copies of the CD at the release party on April 5 and it will be available as a free download online May 1.
Separately, Canosis and Livingstone have been lighting up local clubs for years but had never been introduced until last August, when Rollie was blasting his original tracks over the PA at the Spruce Grove baseball diamond concession stand while flipping burgers. Livingstone walked up, complemented him on the tracks and the two discovered a mutual affection for German producer Ian Pooley.
Livingstone invited Rollie to spin at his regular Tommy Africa's gigs on Tuesdays and from that the creative partnership snowballed.
Livingstone says that separately, the two had trouble finishing songs. Once they joined up, however, they were able to compose a steady output of originals and remixes. Rollie's precision on the drums fused with Livingstone's piano training provides a funky blend of hip-hop, dub-step and soul.
"We're both easily distracted so if we work together, we both stay pretty focused," Livingstone says.
"We both have a similar love of music, we both love the same styles, and we work well together because we both have an idea of where we want the track to head."
