Right then, here is my final mini blog from my recent Canadian tour.

It’s all done & dusted now & I’ve had a few days to recover so thought it was about time to do the last one (for anyone that is still reading them!).

“Up high!”

After yet another, but relatively quick flight across to Cranbrook I was picked up by the promoter from Fernie who very kindly drove me the quick hour drive to Fernie. As I said before, A.Skillz had been playing at the very same club I was playing at the night before so I was hoping he’d not partied everyone out too hard! Luckily there were a few people that still wanted to go out & shake a leg. At the club that night they projected a 15ft image of my name onto the wall which was pretty damm cool! They tell me that Fernie is one of the best ski rersorts in North America & it’s won a few awards recent for just that. Unfortunately I was only in Fernie for a few hours as I had to leave just after lunch the next day so I didn’t managed to get up the hill to snow board. Before it was time to leave we went out for a great lunch where I sampled ‘the best sandwich in the world’ or so the guy on the next table told us! To be fair it was a pretty damm good sandwich (consisting of smoked meat, olives, cheese, salad & pickles) tho the jury is still out if is does indeed take ‘the worlds best Sandwich’ crown! Big thanks to Kyle & Chad in Fernie. Was great to meet you guys & hopefully next time I’ll be able to hang for a bit longer & make it up the hill!

“Before it was time to leave we went out for a great lunch where I sampled ‘the best sandwich in the world’ or so the guy on the next table told us!”

Next up was the last gig of the tour in Kimberly which is another small mountain town a few hours drive away. The promoter from Kimberly ‘radical Rob’ had arranged a ride for me & we would meet him at White Swan hot springs which is natural hot spring that is pretty high up in the hills & about 2/3 of the way to Kimberly. The drive over to White Swan was across the foot of the Rocky Mountains which (once again) were spectacular & foreboding (if this actually is a word?!?). We drove up this crazy icy track that had a near vertical drop on 1 side. Because it was just a ice road we were sliding about all over the place but as we were in a 4×4 it was all good & those Canadian drivers know how to drive over ice, thank god, as if it was me driving we would have been over the edge in about 2 minutes! White Swan hot springs is a mad place. There are a system of small pools that lead down to a river. The very top pool closest to where the hot spring emerges from the ground is about 40/45 degrees! Then as the water runs down over the rocks the next few pool cool down a bit until they merge with the river that has come straight from mountain snow run off & is about 1 degree. As it was my first time there I was ‘told’ I had to go in the hot pool at the top & then jump into the cold river & get my whole body under, which I duly did & let me tell you it was FREEZING! Safely back in the hot pools we supped down a few beers & whiled away a few hours in bliss.

On the drive to Kimberly Rob told me that A Skillz had played for him the night before aswell! So for the second day in a row I’d be following him in the same venue. Just my luck, it was looking like I was A.Skillz’s 1 day late stalker! This time at least I had Friday night on my side. The gig took a little while to get going so I happily showed the guys how to play pool & beat them all! Soon as I jumped up on the turntables the place stepped up a gear & was a really fun gig. I love playing the smaller towns just as much as the big cities as people really let loose & party.

“Name?”

The next day we were up kinda early & went up the hill for a few hours snowboarding. Radical Rob is a ski/snowboard instructor & on about our 2nd run he said ‘I’m gonna push you to the edge of your limits’. So he took me up the hill, across a track & then we reached the edge of the park. At that point he lifted the out of bounds rope & said ‘head on thru here, we are gonna find some real powder’. The snow was so deep compared to what I’d ever boarded on before & untouched. It was so hard riding deep powder as it’s totally different to the way I’d ridden before & I was falling over all the time. It’s also tricky to get up as when you push up you just sink further into the snow! He had me weaving down a crazy steep (well to me anyway) run round trees. I feel over so many times but luckily into waist deep snow. It was so much fun. Thanks so much to Rob & his family for welcoming me. Again your warmth & hospitality is greatly appreciated.

That night (Sat) the gig I had been booked for in Big White had been cancelled so I had the night off. Tyler (Stickybuds) & Adam (A.Skillz) were playing in Nelson which was a relatively close 3 hour drive away (tho with Rob driving about 2 hours) so Rob & I headed over to meet up with the crew & have a final night partying. The show at Spirit Bar was great & sooo packed. There was a big crew of us out & it was an epic fun night. I met up with a load of new people from the Nelson area. We went to a couple of amazing after parties & general fun & messiness was had all round! Someone came up with the idea that the following day we should go to the hot springs at Ainsworth (about an 45min from Nelson) to relax & sweat out some of last night’s Fireball. The hot springs here are natural but had been made into a cool little complex with a pool like a swimming pool that’s 35 degrees & also a cave that you go in that is around 40 degrees. They also have a plunge pool that is 3 degrees that when you jump into it & head back into the hot pool leaves your whole body tingling. We spent pretty much all afternoon here as about 15 of us all went up to wash away the haze of the night before. It was great chilling with peeps I normally only get to see in loud clubs when I’m a little drunk! After that we made the trip back to Kelowna with the Kelowna crew, which was an epic 6 hour drive where we saw so many deer on or near the road. Luckily they didn’t come to close. I had 1 more day chilling in Kelowna before my return trip to Sydney, which was well needed as the 3 nights of partying had taken it’s toll.

“Someone came up with the idea that the following day we should go to the hot springs at Ainsworth (about an 45min from Nelson) to relax & sweat out some of last night’s Fireball.”

Getting out of Canada actually proved harder than getting in as it took 5 different people to check my passport/boarding pass. Then I had my bag searched twice & was quizzed by an over-zelous airport security guard for 20 mins before letting me on the plane home!

A massive thank you to everyone involved in my first ever Canadian tour. Tomas, Jen & Manousos thank you for all the hard work you guys put in behind the scenes. Without you it would never have happened. Thanks to all the promoters that booked me to play, I’ve mentioned ya all already but once again I enjoyed every show I played. Thanks to all my Canadian friends & the new friends I made along the way. Your warmth & hospitality will always be remembered. I had so much fun & I’ll be back for my first ever Shambhala this summer for more crazy times!

What I’ve learnt & Canadian things I’ll take away with me:

• Auto flush toilets seem like a good advancement in technology but in reality are annoying
• Driving on the right isn’t so crazy
• Cut beef sandwiches called ‘The Baron’ rock my Sunday
• Fireball is a great cheap drink. Only $16 a bottle! Very highly recommended
• Reading everything out in French on planes is nice & continental at first but if it means you miss the last 5 mins of your movie it sucks
• 5 mini red wines, 2 mini whiskeys & a sleeping tablet makes Doug sleep like a baby on the long flight home!

Travel so far:
Sydney > Vancouver > Calgary > Vancouver > Victoria > Vancouver > Whistler > Vancouver > Edmonton > Grande Prarire > Edmonton > Kelowna > Vancouver > Crankbrook > Fernie > Kimberly > Nelson > Kelowna > Vancouver > Sydney

So…once again I find myself at Vancouver airport with a couple of hours to kill.

I’ve spent half my tour in this place! Which is kinda odd as I’ve not had a chance to stop in the city apart from driving thru it a few times. Hopefully next time I’ll get to stop & meet up with the Van City crew as there is so much talent here.

“Is this thing on?”

Taking up from where I left off, I finally got to Edmonton after my flight was delayed for 5 hours! Luckily it didn’t effect me making my gig there that night. I was hoping to have a bit of time to look around Edmonton, mainly to go & check out the largest shopping mall in the world that is loctaed here. Apparently you need 2 days to go round it fully! But alas all I got to see was the hotel & the club. The peeps in Edmonton were really great. The guys putting on the party were super hyped to have me playing for them. I had lots of fun & they took great care of me whilst I was in town for the 11 hours I was there! So big shout to Donavon, Kelsey & Ben. Hopefully next time I’ll get to hang for longer & check out the mall!

Next up was one of the shows on the trip I was really looking forward to, a trip to Grande Prairie (Or GP as its called) for a show on Friday night at Shark Club along side my good buddy Evan ‘Slynk’. We do loads of gigs in Oz together & have the same management so it was great to be playing a show together on the other side of the plannet. We hung out together all day playing pool, drinking beer & watching Hockey & Evan picked up a kinda stakler! But she turned out to be really cool & bought us shots at 4pm! The show in GP that night was super fun. I’d been chatting to some of the guys there online for a while before the show & they were some of the first people to be interested in bringing me over to Canada so I was really happy to be playing for them. Both Evan & I rocked it. GP is a smallist town in the middle of nowhere. In Alberta (the state in Canada) there is loads of Oil & Oil is the main industry there. Needless to say they work hard & party hard! It regulary gets to -20/30 degrees round there but they all still have to work even if it’s -50 which does happen. I really enjoyed GP & big shout to Derek (and a happy birthday) fot bringing both us up on the same night & to all the cool party heads we partied with!

The following day I was once again on the move & heading to Kelowna. I was looking forward to going to Kelwona as everyone I’d spoken to on the trip was telling me how nice it is there. Also my Canadian agent/management are all based there along with a few other friends. I had a show on the Sat night at a really cool club called Habitat. It is mainly a live music venue & was only 1 of the first DJ shows thats been done there so I was a little nervous that it would go well. It was St Patricks day so there was a good vibe everywhere & that carried over into the party. The show went really well & I really enjoyed it! We had a crazy after party at my agents Tomas’s house with lots of crazy antics. It was soooo much fun & everyone was so nice to me. It was great to party with you guys & I’ll rememeber that party for ages!

“Heeeyyyyyyy”

I (thankfully) had a few days to chill after the Sat night gig. I managed to catch up on my sleep & also get out and look round the city. Kelwona is on the edge on Okanagen lake which is a huge lake, much like a Scottish lock, that runs for miles & miles thru the hills. There is a legend of a monster that lives in the lake called ‘Ogopogo’ kinda like the Lock Ness monster. I got a few tourest type pics of me next to a statue of it! On the Sunday night we went out agian for a few drinks in a new bar/cafe called Arcade. They’ve got loads of old skool arcade machines like the original sit down Tetris, 1942, Mario & loads of others. I played on loads of games that I played on as a kid & was totally rubbish at all of them! Tomas & I had a few epic Tetris battles. On the Monday we also had a funny Karoke night at Tomas’s place where he ruiled the Karoke machine! I (very badly) sang a couple of songs, Roxanne & Superstition. Funny times.

There is a legend of a monster that lives in the lake called ‘Ogopogo’ kinda like the Lock Ness monster.

The next morning I was a little ‘hazy’ but had to be up promptly as I had to make my way across to Whistler. I got a ferry from Victoria back to Vancouver which was a chilled 1 & a half cruise up in between the islands that make up Vancouver Island. It’s a very scenic place with lots of smaller islands covered in Furr trees. I was hoping that I might see some of the Killer Whales that live round that area so I was outside with my camera out like a tourist for some of the trip but alas no Whales this time. I was picked up from Vancouver & we drove the 2 hours up to Whistler.

I managed to get in 2 days of boarding whilst I was there, which was amazing. I’ve never seen so much snow! 1.5m fell in 72 hours! The boarding was super fun.

I had a great time in Kelowna. Everyone was so cool & I made a load of good new friends. Massive thank yous to JGirl & Manousos for letting me stay & putting on the party. Tomas for being a great host. All the peeps I met whilst in town (too many names to mention ya all). I made loads of new friends & really really enjoyed it there.

So… next up on the trip is a quick flight & a 3 hour drive to Fernie for the gig there tonight. It turns out that last night A.Skillz played in the same club I’m playing tonight so I hope there are a few party people left!

“Twiddling de knobs”

As I had a few days off mid week we went out 1 night to see A.Skillz who is another great DJ that is also touring here at the moment. He put on a great show & it was also cool to see the Itchy & Scratchy DJ’s that my mate from Bournemouth Jimmy is part of. They were warming up for A.Skillz so was good to see them do their thing. Next morning we drove back to drop me off in Vancouver for the flight to Edmonton where I’m playing tonight. Another big shout to Andy & Jen for putting me up & bringing me up to Whistler. I had a blast with you guys, thank you very much!

So that’s pretty much it so far! I’ll do another post next week sometime after my adventure this weekend as I’ve got 3 show in the next 3 days!

More things I’ve learnt so far:

• Toilets in Canada a rather low off the ground.
• FIREBALL!!!!
• Opgopgo needs further exploration.
• Charge your camera out it will die.
• Canadain cops are quite nice people or the one I experienced was.
• Wear something green on St Paddy day.
• There is more to a city than a hotel room.

Travel so far:
Sydney > Vancouver > Calgary > Vancouver > Victoria > Vancouver > Whistler > Vancouver > Edmonton > Grande Prarire > Edmonton > Kelowna > Vancouver

So….

As I said to a few people before I left here is my first mini blog from my current (and my first ever) Canadain tour!

At the moment I’m sitting waiting for a delayed flight in Vancouver airport, on my way to Edmonton for a gig tonight. I’ve got 2 hours to kill so seemed like the perfect time to get this done as it’s nice & warm here!

D-Funk @ Savage Bass, Whistler, BC, Canada

Ok so I left for Canada last Wed (Aussie time) at 12.30 lunchtime. After a 14 & a half hour & VERY bumpy flight I got into Vancouver. The flight was so bumpy that I had to hold onto my drink for about 3 hours as the mini red wine bottle & my cup kept falling over! But hey I got here fine & all was well. Arriving into Vancouver as we landed it looked exactly as I’d expected, snow capped hill & peaks, rolling forrests & pretty island & bays. After making my way thru customs & immagration (I still had to get my work visa as it can only be approved when you get here so it was a little nerve racking/exciting for a few mins) I hopped onto another flight from Vancouver across to Calgary where my first gig was taking place. It was kinda odd as I arrived in Calgary at 11.20am Wed morning which was a hour before I’d left (due to crossing the international date line).

Calgary is right next to the Rocky Mountains & we flew right over them on the way in. It’s a beautiful view as you cross them. They look very cold & impressive with snow covering them. Calgary is one of the colder places in Canada & can get to -30 degrees but thankfully it was pretty warm whilst I was there.

I was playing at a big Dubstep party put on by a crew called Supreme Hustle. I was in town a day early so I just chilled the first day & caught up on some much needed sleep. The next day (Thurs) was the show which was good. I was on earlyish which worked well as I was playing more funk based stuff than the rest of the DJ’s on the bill. My set went well & was great to have good start to the tour! Calgary has a massive Bass music scene & the Supreme Hustle guy throw loads of big parties with huge line ups. They picked up all the DJ’s in a limo they own & drove us around Calgary all chilling in the back! We also had a great dinner where I tried eating Elk for the first time! It’s really tasty, kind of gamey but also like Lamb. I’d deffo reccomend trying it it you ever get the change (and are a meat eater).

I had an earlyish flight out the next day so after a quick lunch with one of the other DJ’s Rob (of Dodge & Fuski who was also on the bill the night before) & his girl Jenn I headed off to the airport with super driver extreme Robbie from the Supreme Hustle crew. Big up to all the guys I met in Calgary esp Mike & Robbie.

Next up was my show in Victoria on the Friday night. So after a flight back to Vancouver & then a crazy short 15 min flight from Vancouver to Victoria I arrived in Sidney! Not the Sydney I know but a small airport just outside Victoria! The show that night was at a great club called Hush & I was performing along side a friend of mine & a big player in our scene Stickybuds. The show was super fun & the place was jumping! I was happy to play another great show & also have time to hang with Tyler (Stickybuds) & Mikee the promoter from Victoria. I met loads of really nice peeps whilst in town for the short time (only 20 hours) & really had a good time. Thanks to Mikee for getting me to play! Victoria itself is quite a small city that is situated on the very tip of Vancouver Island & is one of the furthest south areas of Canada. In fact it’s south of the US boarder as it kinda pokes out into America which is only 30km across the sea. You can see USA looming in the distance.

The next morning I was a little ‘hazy’ but had to be up promptly as I had to make my way across to Whistler. I got a ferry from Victoria back to Vancouver which was a chilled 1 & a half cruise up in between the islands that make up Vancouver Island. It’s a very scenic place with lots of smaller islands covered in Furr trees. I was hoping that I might see some of the Killer Whales that live round that area so I was outside with my camera out like a tourist for some of the trip but alas no Whales this time. I was picked up from Vancouver & we drove the 2 hours up to Whistler.

I managed to get in 2 days of boarding whilst I was there, which was amazing. I’ve never seen so much snow! 1.5m fell in 72 hours! The boarding was super fun.

Whistler is one of the main Snow resorts in Canada & was the place of the 2010 winter olympics. It’s a small town with only around 10k people living there in the winter. The main village is right at the bottom of the hill with the main ski lift going from the square in the village. The hill is massive. It takes about 30 min to ride the lift to the top which is 2,300 meter (roughly). When I got there it was snowing & it pretty much snowed non stop for the 5 days I was there! I managed to get in 2 days of boarding whilst I was there, which was amazing. I’ve never seen so much snow! 1.5m fell in 72 hours! The boarding was super fun. Sometimes I was boarding thru so much powder that it was over my knees whilst I was riding! I met up with a friend that now lives over there & we boarded together for a bit but everyone was way better than me! To be honest I’m not that bad but when you see people overtaking you whilst they are riding on 1 foot or backwards it make you feel rubbish! I only stacked it badly twice which isn’t bad for 2 full days riding.

I had a show on the Monday night at a club called Savage Beagle (awesome name). The guy putting on the show, Andrew who I also stayed with whilst up there, had put loads of effort into the night installing a new soundsystem & loads of lighting. He had the place looking & sounding great. The party itself was great fun & a good show. As the Aussie would say I was ‘stoaked’ to be playing in Whistler.

As I had a few days off mid week we went out 1 night to see A.Skillz who is another great DJ that is also touring here at the moment. He put on a great show & it was also cool to see the Itchy & Scratchy DJ’s that my mate from Bournemouth Jimmy is part of. They were warming up for A.Skillz so was good to see them do their thing. Next morning we drove back to drop me off in Vancouver for the flight to Edmonton where I’m playing tonight. Another big shout to Andy & Jen for putting me up & bringing me up to Whistler. I had a blast with you guys, thank you very much!

So that’s pretty much it so far! I’ll do another post next week sometime after my adventure this weekend as I’ve got 3 show in the next 3 days!

What I’ve learnt so far:

• Take your shoes off when you go into a Canadian’s house.
• Don’t leave your warm jacket on the sofa in Sydney.
• It rains a lot in Vancouver.
• If it snows alot you may hit your head on the beam outside the house.
• Saving Private Ryan is a great movie even after all these years.
• Canada has a beer called Canadian.
• Don’t plug your Serato left channel in the right & right in the left. It’s kinda confusing.

Travel so far:
Sydney > Vancouver > Calgary > Vancouver > Victoria > Vancouver > Whistler > Vancouver > Edmonton (nearly).