After Belgium and Norway, I made my way to Amsterdam.. It was my first time there and it is a beautiful city! Having just played in Belgium and Norway back to back, I took Sunday off to enjoy the city and be a tourist with my good friend DJ Fullscale, who showed me around. On Monday night, I played the famous ‘Party On A Monday‘ at the world renown Supperclub.. The vibe was insane! There was a such a great crowd in there (from ladies in heels and dresses to women in sweatpants and jordans) and all they wanted to hear was r&b and soul music all night! Seriously, they were singing every word.. I was shocked, but it was a very pleasant surprise and not what I was expecting at all.. Another thing I was not expecting was there to be no turntables, in ALL of Amsterdam! Literally no clubs in the city have turntables anymore and every single DJ is forced to play on CDJs and nobody uses Serato either.. Thank you to Fullscale and the tech at the venue for going out of their way to make sure I had turntables, serato, and everything else I needed to play my set!

To view the rest of the pic from Amsterdam..  Continue Reading »

The first stop of August’s 10-day European Tour was Brussels, Belgium. This was my 2nd time in Belgium (the last time I was there was in November 2010) and it was just as I had remembered it: laid back, beautiful, good people, amazing architecture, good food, and a good time. Big shouts out to my man DJ Psar and the entire MP Fam for all of the hospitality! I played 2 great nights in Brussels and Inglemunster Belgium before flying to Norway on Saturday morning..

To view all of the pics from Belgium.. Continue Reading »

Our monthly residency continues on Friday at Tryst in Toronto. We’re celebrating the birthday of my main man Rob aka Tryst’s GM!

Pleased to announce a new monthly rotating residency that I will be a part of at Toronto’s Century Room on Thursday Nights!
For guestlist: wristpect@wristpect.com

To view all the pics from the night…  Continue Reading »

On Saturday, August 20th, my buddy Skratch Bastid (who just happens to be one of the best djs in the world) threw himself a birthday bbq at Toronto’s Steamwhistle Brewery. Although I had to leave early, I had a great time playing my set on this beautiful Toronto afternoon. Big shouts to DJ Starting From Scratch, Paul E. Lopes, and P-Plus who also played and for everyone who came through! Looking forward to next year.

To view all the pics from ‘Bastid’s BBQ’.. Continue Reading »

MANIFESTO FESTIVAL OF COMMUNITY AND CULTURE
11 days. 13 events. 100+ artists. One city.
September 15th-25th, 2011
Toronto. Canada. 

I’m really excited about this one! The Manifesto Festival is such a beautiful thing and I was upset that I was out of town for last year’s festivities.. This year’s line up is incredible and includes Rakim & Kid Capri, 9th Wonder & Phonte (reunited for the first time since Little Brother split up), ZULU Nation, Mad Decent, Blu & Exile and so many more.. I’m honoured to be playing the main stage between 5:30pm – 7:30pm! Toronto, please come out and support this beautiful celebration of art, music, and culture.

Press Release & Full Information Below

Continue Reading »

It’s hard to believe that it has already been 10 years since Aaliyah’s passing.. My birthday is on August 25th and I can remember turning 16 and hearing the terrible news that one of my favourite artists of all time at died.. Every time I hear her beautiful voice, I am reminded of how much I love and miss her music.

My brother Mensa just released an amazing tribute mix.. See below..

Today marks the 10th year of the passing of our beloved Aaliyah.

For everyone that came up with her music, this one especially hurt.

Following her career was watching a flower in bloom. Aaliyah’s sultry voice, mature demeanour, and provocative lyrics at so young an age captivated millions. Hers was the archetype for so many teenage women coming into their own. She encountered controversy early in her career, and shrugged it off with remarkable grace, and emerged with a new sound, identity, and stronger resolve. Her track record remained virtually flawless. As Aaliyah grew up, so did we.

It was never hard to find something you could love in Aaliyah, someone who had lived in the spotlight from day one. She was a regular girl even while walking down the red carpet. Aaliyah could turn on the star power at will, but found pockets of fun in a business that took itself so seriously. She kept her circle devoid of hangers-on and yes men. Her family was her main priority and support system. The spoils of celebrity were a bonus but not a priority. Aaliyah kept herself balanced because she was in her element as an entertainer.

Aaliyah’s life was tragically cut short at the height of her fame, and is comparable with Kurt, Jimi, Janis, and now Amy as artists who we all knew had long thriving careers ahead of them, but now we can only speak of beautiful fleeting moments we had during their time with us.

This is a mix of her key singles and album cuts. Songs that became anthems for us while we crushed on someone heavy, were in the midst of infatuation, embroiled in argument, or were dealt the crushing blow of love lost. Aaliyah explains her mindset at the different times of her artistry and career throughout the mix.

Forever with us. Rest in peace, Babygirl.

Intro
Hot Like Fire
Down With The Clique
A Girl Like You (with Treach)
Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number
Loose Rap
More Than A Woman
If Your Girl Only Knew
I Need You Tonight (with Junior M.A.F.I.A.)
Are You Ready
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright
I’m Down
Back In One Piece (with DMX)
Rock The Boat
Try Again
Back & Forth
No One Knows How to Love Me Quite Like You Do
The Thing I Like
One In A Million
4 Page Letter
The One I Gave My Heart To
I Don’t Wanna
Best Friends (with Missy Elliott)
My Body’s Callin’ Remix (with R. Kelly)
Choosey Lover
Heartbroken
Up Jumps Da Boogie Interlude
Are You That Somebody? (with Timbaland)
We Need A Resolution (with Timbaland)
At Your Best (You Are Love)
I Miss You

Download “Babygirl: An Aaliyah Retrospective”
(right click on PC, ctrl+click on Mac):
http://www.djmensa.com/mixes/djmensa_babygirl.mp3

The world is where we live from WWF on Vimeo.

That’s right ladies & gentlemen, this Saturday is the 1st Annual BASTID’S BBQ – we’ll be illin’ & grillin’ at the fantastic Steam Whistle Brewery in the centre of downtown Toronto! We’ll be firing up the coals at 3PM and shutting it down around 10PM. 255 Bremner Boulevard. Look for all the green signs. Advance tickets are available at Soundscapes, Rotate This, Play De Record and Ransom Holding Co., or online through Paypal. Tickets will be available at the door subject to availability. Don’t be left hungry or sad, scoop one up now! Consider yourself invited…
*I’ll be playing approx 5p-6p

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After eating some amazing barbecue and playing some great summer tunes alongside a listing of dope DJs, I’ll be heading to The Beachclub Festival (5000+ person outdoor party at Canada’s biggest water park with 2 stages) where I’ll be playing approx 8p-9p w/ JB Allen & Sir Lancelot before heading to Skybar. There are a lot of DJ’s on this bill and it should be another dope event.. Don’t miss out!