Saskatchewan doesn’t scream Electronic Dance Music for most Canadians, but there is a scene there for those who want to find it! Like any good rabbit hole, it’s worth it to take the trip down and we found some insight into the deep, dark Bass of it all. Upon arrival, we heard sexy House, Techno, and many other genres blasting from the rooftops of Saskatchewan! To get the down-low about the spark of rave spirit lighting up the prairies at Electric Sky Festival, we set up an interview with local influencer S’MOORE.
FMF: Tell us about yourself- What do you do, and where are you based?
My name is Ethan, I go by S’MOORE professionally. I’m a DJ, producer, promoter, event thrower, cool dude, and sweetie pie. I’ve been based out of Saskatoon, SK for the past four years, and in that time I have grown and cultivated a community here. I’ve thrown some of the best parties that I’ve ever been to, and toured around music festivals, played music and just had fun!
Tell us more about the music you make, and the events you’ve been throwing.
I make like, sexy fucking Bass music. Very Hip Hop influenced, just stuff that makes you move and get silly with your friends. I host a rooftop DJ series here in Saskatoon called the Treehouse Series, it’s the first rooftop series to ever be done here and it’s a bit different style of music. Definitely aimed more towards House and Techno, Funk and Soul, Lounge and R&B. Just easy listening, rooftop patio party music!
Sounds like a sweet summer vibe!
Yeah, these parties are the vibe of the summer. We’re getting ready to go into our fourth year now, and I’m very excited. If everything [with COVID-19] cools down, then we’ll be starting up in May.
What other notable events you attended this past year?
My good friend Jayme (JAY ONE) throws these really incredible parties, it’s like being in a mini-festival in Saskatoon! Full production, video walls, full VIP booths, and the best decoration I’ve seen at any event. He and his partner Alex do really cool work. (Check out their brand Top Drawer Collective for more information on the SWERVE event series!) Besides that, there’s a lot of little festivals happening throughout SK. We’ve got a really cool grassroots Electronic Music scene here and it’s beautiful. Despite being in the middle of a landlocked province, we’ve got a lot of international talent coming in.
What are some of the main names you’ve seen coming through recently?
In the last few months… Death on the Balcony was an unreal time. They’re a Deep House DJ duo we brought in from the UK, and they played a killer set. We’ve also seen Shiny Things, Pigeon Hole, Neon Steve, Justin Martin, Christian Martin… those have been some of the highlights from the past 6 months or so.
Where is your favourite venue in Saskatoon?
Saskatoon is really lacking right now in venues, so it’s kind of turned everything into the underground. Renting out warehouses, finding abandoned buildings, doing things old school. Which I think is really cool.
Interesting! Well, I do want to hear more about that grassroots festival scene blooming in SK, and I have been hearing in particular about Electric Sky. You played there last year; can you describe the vibe?
Yes! Electric Sky is a really awesome festival. It’s held at the Ness Creek Grounds, which is a magical place. There are two stages: the main stage and secondary stage that have all the lights and bells, full PK Sound everywhere. Great quality production. Some bigger name artists coming through mainstage like The Librarian, PINEO & LOEB and Rumpus. Then we have a lot of locals as well like Provoke and JAY ONE, because we are trying to stimulate the local electronic music community. The second stage is definitely more about the Bass music scene because there is a lot of desire for that here. Hosting artists like Joe Nice, HomeSick… and me, bitch! (S’MOORE’s 2019 Electric Sky set)
Well, I’m excited. I am planning to attend Electric Sky, so I will try to stay awhile and come to a Treehouse Party too!
Hell yeah! I can’t release any information yet, but we should have a few shows happening around that time and you’re more than welcome to come.
Electric Sky is happening on August 21-23. Stay tuned for the lineup announcement and click the Electric Sky below for more info. See you in the Sky!
S’MOORE: Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud
