Cultural Industries
Cultural Industries
City Planning
City Building
Creative Practice
Creative Practice
The CKCU Two-Year Review Report documents the transformative journey of CKCU under my leadership as Executive Director, showcasing modernization, community engagement, and digital innovation to ensure the station's continued relevance and impact in the evolving media landscape.
As FACTOR's inaugural Diversity and Inclusion Observer, I've played a key role in shaping the organization's commitment to equity in the Canadian music sector. Through strategic initiatives like demographic data collection, jury diversity, and program revisions, FACTOR is actively advancing inclusivity and celebrating diverse musical talent across Canada.
At the Amplify Music session "What This Crisis Has Taught Us," I contributed insights from my article "The Great Streaming Space-Time Warp is Here," discussing pandemic-driven shifts in music consumption and artist engagement.
"Full Spectrum: Peer-to-Peer Professional Growth and Development for the Arts Sector" is an video toolkit co-created with artists and cultural leaders, including myself. Born from direct community feedback, the series empowers artists to localize their brands, cultivate community collectives, and navigate the evolving arts landscape.
In the "Why DIY? The Future of DIY Club Culture" panel we explored the grassroots nature of DIY culture in Ottawa-Gatineau, discussing its challenges and potential for community and innovation. Insights were shared on nurturing local arts through DIY practices, highlighting their role in fostering a vibrant and supportive cultural landscape.
The Ottawa Music Strategy is a comprehensive plan fostering the local music industry's growth, culminating in the establishment of the Ottawa Music Industry Coalition to implement its diverse, educational, and professional development-focused recommendations.
The lecture "Hip Hop & Technology" at the ISEA2012 symposium explored the relationship between Hip Hop and technological evolution within urban environments, emphasizing Hip Hop's significant impact on urban and technological development.
The Renewed Action Plan is a strategic framework developed with community input, focusing on enhancing the city's cultural identity and access to arts. It outlines key strategies for celebrating culture, developing creative spaces, promoting local culture, and fostering cultural leadership.
In the CreativeMornings Ottawa talk, I explored the concept of genius loci to illustrate how the spirit of a place influences cultural and creative expressions, emphasizing the connection between urban spaces, cultural identity, and creativity.
The project undertaken as part of the MSc Space Syntax program at UCL focused on analyzing and enhancing the Riverside Walk in London, revealing its underutilization and proposing strategic improvements to its spatial integration and cultural connectivity.
In the PLATFORM II series at the National Gallery of Canada, the panel discussion "Mapping the Social Logic of the City" examined the impact of urban design on social interactions and the Ottawa music scene, highlighting the importance of urban planning in promoting cultural diversity and social inclusion.
The Music Cities Together panel addressed the critical need for effective music policies during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing together international experts to discuss the vital role of music in urban settings and advocating for targeted support to sustain the live music ecosystem.
Through the Creative Class Exchange blog, the focus was placed on exploring the connection between urban environments and cultural expression, with Scene Analysis pieces examining how cities influence and are influenced by their creative communities, contributing to the discourse on urban development and cultural vitality.
In a November 2015 episode of Monocle Radio's "The Urbanist," the discussion centered on integrating music into city planning and development, highlighting its transformative impact on urban vibrancy, economic resilience, and community engagement, showcasing the critical role of cultural initiatives in shaping dynamic urban environments.
Over 15 years, I have shaped Ottawa's nightlife with a dynamic blend of genres, co-founding the celebrated monthly dance party Timekode, renowned for its inclusive environment and musical diversity.
A collaboration with the National Gallery of Canada to create "Platforms," a program that enhances Rashid Johnson's "Capsule" installation, focusing on Black music innovation, urban social justice, and the nexus of ecology and club culture, through engaging panels and performances.
TIMEKODE, established in 2006, has matured into a significant element of Ottawa’s cultural scene, providing a space for music and community engagement. My role as co-founder and creative director has been to oversee its development into a venue that both reflects and contributes to the city's diverse cultural landscape.
I established Memeplex to blend different musical styles with new sounds, creating a label that supports artists who defy genres. The label’s goal is to release music that pushes boundaries and offers fresh auditory experiences.
Ian "Pho" Swain and I facilitated a six-week Learning Lab at ArtLab, guiding interns through an exploration of sound and sampling, resulting in original musical compositions across varied genres. This project not only developed the interns' technical skills in music production but also produced a distinctive compilation of tracks, reflecting their artistic growth and diverse influences.
Rideau2Richmond is a 28-track album that reflects the sensory journey of city life in Ottawa, particularly along the #2 bus route, capturing the sounds and rhythms of urban movement and interaction. The project serves as a sonic snapshot of the city, documenting the blend of routine and unpredictability in daily commutes.
TIMEKODE.tv, an outgrowth of TIMEKODE parties, is a digital platform offering live streams and content that delve into DJ and alternative music cultures in Ottawa, featuring performances, interviews, and local-global music insights. This initiative, co-hosted with DJ Zattar, aims to sustain cultural connections and support local music ecosystems through fundraising, evolving with a monthly broadcast focus on quality and diverse content.
"TIMEKODE X Vol. 2" is a project that merges music with social activism, offering remixes that delve into the complex theme of police violence, and aims to stimulate discussion and reflection on this critical issue. Through its auditory and visual components, the album seeks to contribute to the broader conversation on racial justice and equality, using creative expression as a tool for change.
