Were there any subcultures/scenes that you were into when you were younger?

Well, I don’t know if this constitutes as younger, but in my late teens, I was definitely into emo/screamo/hardcore. In that order. I heard [Dashboard Confessional’s] The Swiss Army Romance in 2001, and it was just Right Place Right Time. I was feeling emo about “leaving behind my small town to head to college in some other small town.” It was a fun time in life. I played in a screamo band for a few years, and had my first experiences with playing shows/touring/recording, and it was all very pure and magical. I think it’s why I fell so hard for the Turnstile’s Glow On! It made me nostalgic for that time in my life, while still being incredibly contemporary. I love that band.

Who is someone who helped you develop as an artist?

I wouldn’t be doing Teen Daze if it weren't for my friend Cecil Frena, who had an incredibly influential project called Gobble Gobble (and Born Gold after that). I happened to open up for Gobble Gobble in Winnipeg, MB in 2009, and that encounter changed the course of my life. As I was working on the first Teen Daze EP, Cecil invited me to send him demos, gave me tips, introduced me to people in the scene, and invited me on tour. A huge, huge shout out to him for taking someone under his wing like that!

What scene, if any, do you feel like a part of now?

This is a tough one to answer. I’m a little bit in my own world. That being said, when I think of a scene that I find myself drawing a lot of inspiration from, it's gotta be this world of diggers/selectors/DJs who play Bar Part Time in San Francisco or Homage Brewing in Los Angeles. My entry point into this world has been by playing at this space in Vancouver called Paradise, which is my favorite club in the entire world. I’ve danced to so many good DJ sets there and met so many great people, let alone having the thrill of playing to the lovely group of dancers that have found themselves there when I’ve DJ’d.

When it comes to my peers, it’s tough too. I have so much imposter syndrome, because I’m kind of entering this world of music after years of making more traditional “indie electronic” music, rather than just DJing. So my peers are more like the DJs that I look up to.

Who is an artist that you feel is a touchstone for the music you make now?

Speaking of DJs I look up to: I’m going to shout out my buds from Vancouver, Pender Street Steppers. They’re incredible producers, DJs, and humans, and if I could make dance music that felt the way their music feels, then I feel like I would have done my job.

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