Kilbourne leads Canada’s latest dubstep imprint to fight the pandemic blues
2022… oh, what the future holds. We can all agree that the past two years have been arduous in many ways, and yet rife with potential in a few other as well. Time itself moves differently now, and so do we, but at least one force of nature has held steadfast in these trying times. That force is something we at Sub Chakra are all too familiar with, and her names are numerous. Dubstep, 140, deep bass, and soundsystem music are just a few of the ways we address her, but the names don't really matter. Ultimately, our words crumble upon the precipice of such illustrious sound waves, leaving us breathless and tuned-in to something more primal than our silicon powered technocracy would ever care to acknowledge. Somewhere between that thin film that separates matter from vibration, us followers of the 140 way find our home, and among us is a wizard living in Powell River by the name of Jordan Kilbourne.
As an ace selecta, conscious connoisseur and curator of Canadian bass music, Kilbourne is a man of many talents. Producing dubstep over there and mixing over here and owning a record label on top of it all is no small task, but his vision is one without rest. That vision, drive and integrity are what lit up Sub Chakra's radar, and they're what motivated us to invite him out for a mix and interview to highlight him and his contemporaries' work in the Canadian bass music scene as the first installment of our mix series in 2022.
Now, if the new year can be thought of as a door to a new chapter, then consider Kilbourne's hour-and-eighteen-minutes on the decks as a gargantuan wrecking ball swinging for the hinges. This thing hits hard and it hits with the kind of precision you only get from individuals who are dead-serious about their work. Moreover, the whole affair is packed with unreleased dubs and forthcoming tunes that have us all scratching our heads and brimming with anticipation (that is, when we're given slight moments of reprieve between the bombastic grooves of heady bass and vibrant beats). We're honestly shook, and we're pretty sure you will be too when you hear this.
As always, yours truly took a break from pondering the orb to sit down with the artist in question, so catch Kilbourne and I getting acquainted and up-to-speed on his music and work as a record label owner below.
Scryer:
Jordan, you're a man with lots on the go, so thanks for sitting down with us and doing this interview! Can you give us a little introduction about you, your music, and your record label?
Kilbourne:
Yeah definitely. Just wanted to start off by thanking everyone at Sub Chakra for allowing me to use your platform as an opportunity to share music that most people won’t have heard before. As for me and my sound… I started crafting my sound on the beaches of Diversity Festival on Texada Island. Finding a love for sound system culture and diving head first into it. I started curating events and wanted to learn as much as I could. I spent 5 years in Powell River throwing events and honing myself in as an artist. Since then I have made the move over to Vancouver Island to broaden my opportunities and further spread my roots. Then the pandemic hit and events and everything took the back burner. So, I started to further my connections with people as much as I could online. Eventually coming to the decision of starting my record label, Cimmerian Records.
Ever since starting throwing events my favourite part has always been connecting people and helping create space for people to create lifelong connections. Just as so many people have done for me! So the label was a way for me to connect artists, help people grow and push sound I truly believed in. My goal for the label (though still supporting artists from all over) was to push the vast amount of amazing Canadian artists that weren’t getting as much of a platform as other areas. I started off the label with a compilation album consisting of 11 artists, 9 of which were Canadian. The release then followed to hit number 1 on Juno. I then got to start seeing these artists starting collabs with each other and gaining friendships themselves. That’s what means the most to me, seeing people connect and watching people grow. Starting the label has also given myself a great opportunity to connect with so many people, and work with artists I’ve been looking up to for years. As an artist I take my time given with a crowd as an opportunity to help you leave everything else behind and live in the moment.
I try to balance the rise and falling of energies using eccentric percussion, worldly melodies, and sound system shaking bass. All I can hope for is that when you leave from listening to me, you're inspired in any way to pursue something on your own. My music is an extension of myself, and I pour my emotions into it completely. It’s a reflection of my journey through this culture and I really look forward to seeing where that goes and how my connections with people grow further.
Scryer:
That's the kind of passion that paves the road to lasting success! Navigating all of it through the pandemic must be a pain in the you-know-what too, but it sounds like you're making the most of it. Now, when everything opens back up, what does Kilbourne have his sights set on? A return to shows and festivals perhaps?
Kilbourne:
I’ve got a big summer planned within BC this summer as long as we don’t get shut down. You will see my name on a few festival lineups… I won’t spill the beans yet haha. But once we have really moved forward my plan is to make my way through the states. I’ve made a lot of connections and friends through the states and look forward to furthering those connections. I was booked for an event in Portland before the pandemic and I really hope that will still happen once it can. All of the festivals here in Canada have been committed to so many artists after being shut down for two years, so their lineups are generally full. I look forward to them getting the acts they booked in so they can start looking for new talent. Hoping to make the radar for Shambhala (the grove specifically), Bass Coast, and Wicked Woods. I’m looking forward to things opening back up so I can transfer the label into my events and start bringing artists into BC from out of the country.
Scyrer:
Cool stuff! So live events and work with owning a record label have a bit of crossover with future plans then! Can you give new ears some details regarding Cimmerian Sound's vibe and overall mission statement within the greater ethos of the bass music scene? And who are some artists that have really helped move things forward along the road to establishing your imprint in the dubstep world?
Kilbourne:
I pulled Cimmerian from the Greek mythology definition. The definition is “a member of a mythical people living in perpetual mist and darkness near the land of the dead". I chose this to help create the vibe of the label. Deep, dark sound system music. My goal with the label is to help bring more awareness to the amazing culture and music relating to the bass music scene. With it being such a niche scene I think it’s important for platforms to be doing this. These artists all deserve to be able to live off of their work like the rest of the electronic scene. I have had the privilege of working with so many amazing artists.
Launching the label with a compilation coming out strong, featuring myself, Internal Frequency, Nahlith, Teffa, No Remorse, Riddim Fernandez, Wraz, L Nix, ancientthrones, and Slater. Past that we moved into two other releases in 2021. The first being Internal Frequency, one of our resident artists. Aaron delivered a four track EP really helping balance my taste between the melodic side of dubstep and the banging side. From there we went to Lampa with two tracks and remixes from Wraz and no other than the legend Biome. This was a huge moment for me. I’ve been listening to, looking up to, and inspired by Biome for years. These first three releases helped set a solid standard of what we’re going to be doing with the label and the sound we’re going to be pushing. 2022 is stacked with some of my favourite artists and some absolute dons.
Scryer:
Cimmerian is off to a great start isn't it! That's really exciting stuff for Western Canada's bass scene and beyond, no doubt. And this mix, man, it's absolutely mint and full of great dubs. How many of those goodies are coming from Cimmerian's forthcoming releases and/or Canadian artists in general?
Kilbourne:
Yeah I'm very proud and excited about where the label has gone so far and where we plan to go! I'm really glad you've like the mix! This one is full of forthcoming bits from labels we know and love, and lots of unreleased bits from friends. There are definitely some forthcoming Cimmerian bits in there that aren't ID'd as such… don't want to spoil the surprise! As for Canadian artists you can find dubs from myself, Substance, Nahlith, Widow, Wraz, Mythm, ancientthrones, L Nix, Internal Frequency, Mat the Alien, and so many more outside of Canada. I'm hoping this will help show more people how amazing Canadian Bass artists are (if they didn't already know).
Scryer:
Well if this mix of yours is any compass, it's safe to say the future is very bright for Canadian dubstep. I know you also produce as well, and recently released a track on Deep, Dark & Dangerous. What's next?!
Kilbourne:
I’d say it does and I’ll do what ever I can to help push it on the way! Yeah I’ve got a lot of music on the way and being finished. Primarily an EP I’m wrapping up that I’m very excited to share with people. You can expect to hear a good idea of what I’m trying to push for my own sound. I’ve also got a tune coming out on Iron Shirt Recordings titled “nomad” as part of Volume 5 of their compilation album series. That comes out January 22nd on their bandcamp and website and everywhere else February 13th! At the end of the month you will hear a remix from myself on the upcoming Wheelton Orbital EP on Cimmerian Records. Then again the following month a remix on Cimmerian's CR005 which has not been announced yet. As for all of 2022, definitely expect to hear lots from me!
Scryer:
Wicked cool, sounds like you'll be a busy man this year. We at the Sub Chakra mothership thank you for squeezing us in! On behalf of the crew I got just one more question for you... phở or ramen?
Kilbourne:
I really appreciate you guys having me on and I love everything you guys do. I love both phở and ramen and this is a tough pick haha. I’m gonna have to go with ramen!
Scryer:
At least one head honcho at the Sub Chakra HQ is gonna give that answer the stamp of approval. Thank you again for the killer mix full of dank dubs and for taking the time to shine some light on your music and your label. I got a feeling great things are on the horizon, and we're all excited to see how it evolves!