Kwende Kefentse, Rachel Weldon (Photo: Christina Bell), Michael Caffrey (Photo: Kerry Campbell), Seiiizi (Photo: Curtis Perry)
Why DIY? The Future of DIY Club Culture
Join Rachel Weldon, Executive Director of Debaser, for a discussion of DIY club culture with Michael Caffrey of Ghetto Blast Sound System; Kwende Kefentse, Creative Director of TIMEKODE and Executive Director of CKCU-FM; and Seiiizi, Ottawa musician, DJ, and event technician.
Through diverse perspectives, they will address the history, challenges, and future of DIY culture in Ottawa-Gatineau.
The conversation will be followed by a live Q&A with the audience.
Free. In English with French simultaneous interpretation. Please note that this is a hybrid event. Attend onsite at the Gallery, or watch the live broadcast from home via Zoom. Onsite capacity is limited, and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Speakers
Kwende Kefentse is the inaugural Executive Director of CKCU, Ottawa’s original independent non-profit campus-community broadcaster. In his more-than-fifteen-year career working at the intersection of the arts, heritage, public policy, urban science, multimedia, music and the economy, he has carved out a unique niche within the Canadian cultural landscape, playing a leading role in renewing, developing and promoting local arts and the local music industry.
Kwende graduated from the Bartlett School of Architechture, and serves on multiple boards focusing on diversity, music, film and the visual arts. In addition, he is producer and performer DJ Memetic, host and Creative Director of TIMEKODE — one of Canada’s most established independent club nights — and a beacon of progressive pluralism. His TIMEKODE and solo productions and remixes have received international critical acclaim, and he has been tapped to open for luminaries such as Nas, and Barack Obama.
Michael Caffrey is a technician, musician, and DJ within the Outaouais art and music scene. He has played a variety of traditional and electronic instruments for a range of innovative music projects, and DJs for dance parties, club nights and gallery events. In addition, he has recorded a number of local bands and mixed live sound for countless shows, while also enjoying many concerts and dancefloors as a music enthusiast. For the past twenty years, with partner Kerry Campbell, he has been hosting free outdoor DJ and electronic music events with a solar-powered sound system.
Born and raised in Ottawa, Seiiizi is a self-taught emcee, DJ and producer with artistic roots in hip-hop and reggae. The multidisciplinary artist strives to build up the urban arts community, while fusing her own unique twists on tracks and mixes.
Rachel Weldon is a music curator, consultant and creative producer. She is the founder and executive director of music and arts organization Debaser and its quarterly festival Pique, and is the music programmer for SAW, an artist-run centre and venue in Ottawa. With more than ten years’ experience in event production, music curation and arts administration — along with an ongoing commitment to inclusivity, diversity and safety in all her work — Rachel is a trusted voice within the Canadian arts community.