We are
very excited to present our first featured DJ of the week:
HARDMONK3Y has been an active DJ in the
Vancouver scene for 6 years and is loving it. The music is his drive and after
listening to one of his DIARY mixes, either the
DIRTY-DIARY or the HARD-DIARY any EDM lover will be bumping to his
sound. Incorporating Hardstyle, Melbourne Bounce, Psy Trance and Minimal, HARDMONK3Y never disappoints when he spins a
new chapter and we are always so stoked to see what he does next.
Originally from Toronto HARDMONK3Y first realized his desire to DJ when
he stumbled upon a video on YouTube of Yoji Biomehanika
spinning at Sensation Black 2007.
spinning at Sensation Black 2007.
"He had so much energy and knew how to work the crowd, got me
pretty pumped up and that was when I decided that I wanted to be a DJ. "
To this day Yoji Biomehanika is credited as being HARDMONK3Y's strongest
creative inspiration and therefore it wasn't much a shock when he named him the
artist he would be most want to open for with Showtek and Will Sparks
as close
second and third. When we asked him what his favorite track to spin is he was
reluctant to name just one track but we got it out of him: Jiggers - End of the
line.
HARDMONK3Y last spun at Vancouver's NYE massive at The PNE coliseum
"Solid NYE 2016" to a packed dance floor ! Although his dance floors
weren't always packed the DJ admits
"My first show was at Lola’s
Bar on West Broadway. I only had a total
of 4 people there but hey every DJ been through that." Speaking of
something every DJ has gone through HARDMONK3Y recalls his one of his biggest
obstacles was second guessing his potential success in the start of his career
"When I first started out, I never thought I was going to play in
front a crowd because I wasn't confident.
I always had opportunities to play at events but never took it cause I
wasn’t ready. I would constantly
practice in my bedroom, until one day I decided that I should and now it’s no problem getting up on stage and doin' my
thang." His best advice for aspiring DJs is to follow their ears when it
comes to mixing software and above all else practice, practice, practice.
"Always stay on top of your music playlist, I spend an hour or more
trying to look for songs almost every day. PRACTICE BITCH."
HARDMONK3Y looks forward to 2016 being his best year yet (isn't it the
year of the Monkey?) and definitely has his future sites set on being an
Internationally recognized DJ.
"I don’t have a backup plan. If I don’t make it as a DJ/Producer then I’ll just become a hooker. "
We would like to thank HARDMONK3Y for being our
first official interview and you can check out all his mixes on his SoundCloud
