BeatRoute Magazine Alberta print e-edition - October 2016

JUCY
SORROW
far from sombre – everchanging and effervescent
Sorrow is focusing on the chill.
It was 2012. Peak dubstep was right around the
corner, and every bedroom producer wanted a
piece of the pie. YouTube was replete with scores
of channels promoting all sorts of bare-bones
140bpm noise that blended into itself. SoundCloud
wasn’t much better. But amongst the chatter a few
names kept popping up, stubbornly refusing to go
quietly into this formulaic howling abyss.
THE LIBRARIAN
fostering community and honing her craft
Bass Coast festival has been making increasingly
far-reaching and eye-catching waves
in its past few years. This year they sold out
of tickets before the lineup dropped, and they
continually strive to cultivate an atmosphere of inclusivity
and acceptance in a setting teaming with
incredible art and stage installations with a world
class lineup of international and regional talent.
The festival was founded by two women: Liz
Thompson and Andrea Graham. Graham’s life largely
is dominated by two things: Bass Coast, and her
work as a DJ/producer under her alias The Librarian.
BeatRoute had the opportunity to catch up with her
during her long drive back to her home in Squamish,
B.C. from Symbiosis festival in California, which was
her last festival performance of a very busy summer.
“I’ve been away almost every week since June,”
Graham says. “I am looking forward to getting home
and spending some time getting creative and making
music. And we’re already well under way working
away on Bass Coast 2017 as well, so it’s kind of my
plan for the next two months – to stick a little closer
to home and work on music and Bass Coast.”
Graham has a multi-tiered past which includes
schooling for jazz piano, hotel management and a
nearly completed B-COMM which she left in order to
start a coffee shop, which is what she did right before
she started Bass Coast.
After returning home from California, Graham
says she will be taking two weeks off from shows in
JUCY
photo:Kasper Ploughman
Sorrow was one of the good ones. He spent years
building enough momentum to escape a purely online
presence, culminating in his first North American
appearance this past summer, as well as a headlining
slot at Shambhala.
Unwilling to confine himself to one genre, Sorrow’s
endlessly versatile and bold style translates into a
challenging but rewarding presence in the realm of
early October for some much needed down time,
that will however include a lot of work on Bass Coast
2017. Then, in November, she plans to dedicate the
whole month to making music.
“I feel like my creative process has changed a lot
over the years because as Bass Coast is demanding
more of my time it actually creates a lot less time for
making music,” Graham explains. “So only in the past
year have I been trying to dedicate more of my day or
my week towards that and also try to learn as much
from my friends and the people that are around me.”
That sense of community and channeling inspiration
from those around you is a huge component of
what makes Bass Coast so special. Everyone from the
artists and organizers to the volunteers and attendees
are encouraged to dive in headfirst.
“We want everyone to be able to participate
whether that is through an official way or even just
by participating in the theme or going to a workshop
or meeting your neighbours – it’s all about everyone
really getting involved in whatever way they can.”
Shambhala, (another festival Graham headlined
this summer) selling out in one day is yet another
indication that these types of festivals are only getting
more and more popular. Bass Coast tickets go on sale
mid October and Graham states they are “preparing
for a rush.” The unprecedented sellout of tickets for
2016’s festival presented one of the biggest hurdles
for Graham and the other organizers; they had to
work even harder to preserve the intimate, consistent
electronic music. “I think I’m known for spontaneously
switching up my style over the years now, for better
or worse. I’ve always found it very hard to stick to
one style and it’s almost as if I just get bored with my
sound palette.” he explains.
“I make electronic music which is predominantly
mellow [and] chilled out, but I dabble in all sorts
of sounds ranging from aggressive grime to purely
ambient pieces.”
This explorative attitude stems from a palette
of influences as broad as it is deep. Not only does
Sorrow draw ideas from acts such as Oxide & Neutrino,
Wiley, Loefah and Skream, but also from his surroundings.
“I actually grew up in Birmingham, which
played a huge role as a city during the Industrial
Revolution. It’s filled with old factories and buildings
from the late 19th and early 20th century, which isn’t
the nicest to look at day in day out, so it has a very
derelict and destitute vibe to it.”
Throw in a U.K. upbringing in the heyday of
garage, grime and dubstep, and it’s no small wonder
that the soundscapes he crafts elicit so much
emotion. His collaborations with Asa, Culprate and
KOAN Sound (born out of a charitable effort for
Movember) are an interesting exploration of blissful
melancholy, an elegant epitome of each artist’s
palette and commonalities.
Moving forward, Sorrow aims to continue blazing
that bold trail of genre-busting brilliance – a
mission motivated by the stream-once-and-forget
nature of music nowadays. “I have always thought
Bass Coast, making music, and something you may not know about The Librarian.
vibe and maintain a space that “fosters community.”
Listening to her speak about her craft or her festival,
the two primary things that demand the most of
her time and energy, or hearing one of her painstakingly
crafted – yet seemingly effortlessly executed
– live sets, her passion and dedication are unmistakable.
When asked what one thing about herself that
readers may not know might be, unrelated to her role
with Bass Coast or The Librarian, she responded:
“Outside of music and Bass Coast, I live in the
mountains and I love mountain biking, and that’s
by Max Foley
that it’s very important for music to be memorable,
especially in this day and age with the constant
stream of new music online, so I try to make uncomplicated
but catchy music with just the right
amount of variation throughout. I think humans
by their very nature are attracted to repetitive
music at least to an extent, so I try to incorporate
that into my music [too.]”
The man’s passion is palpable, matching his
knack for pumping out quality content. Sorrow
has a grime EP releasing soon; he’s also in the midst
of working on another EP that’s on the other end
of the spectrum – what he describes excitedly as,
paradoxically, “more chilled out music.” Surely,
attendees at his Calgary show will be regaled with
tasters from both.
What else does Sorrow have planned for the
future?
“I’m hoping to work with more singers and MCs
in the future, so you can expect some featured artists
on future tunes. I’m in a place now where I feel that
focusing on my chilled out music is the right thing for
me, so I’m getting back in touch with that emotional
side of my music.” he explains.
He closes with a promise: if you catch him on one
of his North American dates, you won’t regret it.
“Good music will be played across the spectrum!” he
declares. If the past is anything to go off of, it’s hard
not to believe him.
Sorrow plays Nite Owl in Calgary on October 14th.
by Paul Rodgers
photo: Third Eye Arts
why I call Squamish home… It’s close enough to the
city to be able to travel and have that sort of music
and urban fix, but I’m also in the mountains and I get
a lot of inspiration for music and Bass Coast as well
while I’m riding my mountain bike.”
These are the things she lives for, and her fans and
festival attendees remain forever grateful and in awe
of that fact.
Catch the Librarian at work on October 29th at the
Hifi Club.
BEATROUTE • OCTOBER 2016 | 39