Montreal-born, Haitian-Canadian artist based in Amsterdam. Making jazzy-house with Brazilian spices so you can make out with your crush. Highly influenced by the LA beat scene of 2007-2018 and the broken break / bruk movement in West London. Gayance (real name Aïsha Vertus) takes her alias from the Haitian creole word for joyfulness. She’s been DJing since the past decade and has been tearing down sold out venues in London, Montreal Amsterdam, Brussels, Lisbon, Sao Paulo and more. She performed at Montreux Jazz Festival, Down the Rabbit Hole, Lowlands Festival, Panorama Bar in Berlin, Jazz Cafe in London and many more. Collecting many accolades over the past decade, her next embodiment of personal musings and growth is a debut album entitled, Mascarade. It drops on Bradley Zeros’s London based, internationally renowned label Rhythm Section, on March 3rd 2023. Her project was short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize. [Press Release on Page 2] Collaborating with Amsterdam-native Soulection DJ-producer Jarreau Vandal for a 80’s Haitian Kompa sample-like touch into ‘’No More’’ a song featured in Vandal’s latest EP. This alliance symbolized a reunion of the Afro-Latinx diaspora between Surinamese rhythms and Haitian cadence that blends electronic with authenticity. A feelings based DJ who categorically doesn’t give a fuck about much, but the music and the energy that it transmits. Gayance’s sets are a journey through Black history; she collects vinyl from afro-Latin jazz, the Caribbean, West-Africa and electronic music & Hip Hop from both sides of the Atlantic and delivers them with unforgettable energy by singing on her favorite song or on her own production while doing hybrid DJ sets. With a desire to create beyond boundaries, her debut EP, No Toning Down, came out as an independent release, Sirens feat. KALLITECHNIS came on Sherelle’s label, Beautiful Music and Kinda Strange (2021) was an ode to underground UKG, accompanied by choral backing vocals which honours her upbringing.

G L O W Z I (they/them), born gloria-sherryl françois, is an archivist and interdisciplinary artist whose work reaches through time and space. Born in Tiotià:ke/Mooniyang (Montreal) to Ayisyen immigrants, G L O W Z I has spent their life immersed in Ayiti’s diasporic culture as they developed an imaginative language and archival practice – a space for multi-media explorations of kindred sounds, scenes and textures.

An ancestor in training, the kinships and Black feminist ethos that shape their daily life are evident in all that they create. From art direction to painting to graphic design to vinyl mixing to original music production, to witness G L O W Z I’s work is to be transported to a place of connection, finding yourself held by the lineage that holds them.

G L O W Z I’s funky, spicy and well-seasoned sonic voyages have been featured at Boiler Room, Osheaga, Piknic Electronik, Unsound Festival, MUTEK, Pop Montreal, Café Kitsuné’s Super Naturel, Puchuncahuin Festival, AMAPROBLEMM, 24 Hours of Vinyl, PY1, Francofolies, Slut Island and Domesicle.

G L O W Z I has spun full-flavoured soundscapes at Soho House and Ace Hotel. They also regularly mix at hometown hotspots SAT, Casa Del Popolo, Sans Soleil, Francesco’s, Système and Datcha. Their zestful mixes have been broadcasted by NTS, Lot Radio, Radio-Canada, n.10.as, Shift Radio and Summer School Radio. While under the collaborative banner of Zandoli II, G L O W Z I also produced an official remix of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard’s “Blue Morpho”.

G L O W Z I has opened for salute, Sister Nancy, Jacques Greene, bbymutha and Yuksek. They hold their experiences with Sister Nancy and bbymutha near and dear to their heart as they allowed them to reach into Black femme futurity to receive mentorship and catch a glimpse of the trajectories their musical practice might take.

As an interdisciplinary artist, the rallying quality of  G L O W Z I’s music can be found in all other artforms they bring their particular brand of seasoning to. Their visual work explores themes of selfhood and communion through graphic design, video and collage-based interventions. Their collages have also been exhibited alongside the works of Stanley Février and Stefani Saintonge in the context of This is What Compels Me to Compel Them, a group show on dislocation, displacement, identity and kinship curated by Joséphine Denis.

IAMNOTMYHISTORY is a multi-hyphenate from Montréal using sights and sounds to convey messages and moods. Hard to pin down sonically, her taste and genre-blending DJ sets stem from her background in fashion, creative communities and Trinidadian roots.

DJ Kookum is an Indigenous-renowned DJ and producer from the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation
and based in Vancouver, BC. Known for her versatile skills and ability to transcend genres,
Kookum is always cooking, keeping the atmosphere alive, fresh, and electrifying. Blending
EDM, hip hop, bass music, and global sounds, Kookum creates high-energy performances that
resonate with music lovers of all backgrounds. With an extensive music library, Kookum ensures
each performance is tailored to the crowd, igniting a shared sense of connection through the power of music.

This international star has taken her performances across the globe, captivating audiences in
Germany, Australia, Mexico, and America. Closer to home, Kookum has graced some of
Canada's most prestigious events and festivals including Basscoast, Bastid’s BBQ, Vancouver
Indigenous Fashion Week, Nuit Blanche Toronto, Ted Talks after party, and the Vancouver
Michelin awards, among many others. Aside from her reputable solo career, Kookum has been
DJing for the hip hop duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids for nearly a decade, performing and touring across North America.

Beyond her musical prowess, DJ Kookum is a facilitator, mentor, and motivator. By fearlessly
breaking boundaries and celebrating her identity, she sets an inspiring example for aspiring DJs
and producers around the world. Through her groundbreaking work and dedication, she leaves a
significant mark on the music industry, proving that women play a vital role in electronic music.

In 2017, Winnipeg-based Anishinaabe and settler folk-soul musician Ila Barker held a guitar on her lap as a friend confided in her the details of an abusive relationship. Barker sang her friend’s words back to her, softly strumming the strings and turning anguish into a serendipitous self-serenade. Eventually that song became the title track of Barker’s debut full-length album, Fool Under Water, a tough-but-tender testament to the possibility of survival, forged as she swam ashore herself.

To write Fool Under Water, Barker spent seven years reflecting on her own survival, alongside that of the women around her. The elegantly rugged candor at the heart of the album’s storytelling was amassed through experience.

“My first thought as I started packing my bags to leave was ‘what am I going to do?’” says Barker. “My second thought was ‘but damn, these are gonna be some good songs.’”

Barker’s astute observations and vulnerable introspection create a safe basin for those still swimming their way through rough waters.

“I want listeners to have a moment to grieve the things that they've gone through, but also to picture a future that is brighter,” she says.

On lead single “Intuition,” Barker sagely sings “Trust yourself, you know best,” reminding all of us to listen closely to our own truths when we feel we might be sinking.

After years of writing, Barker recorded Fool Under Water at Winnipeg’s No Fun Club studio alongside producers Sierra Noble and Rusty Matyas in August 2021.

“A lot of people think I took a break from music. The truth is I was in survival mode,” she says.

Barker has played the Regina Folk Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the sākihiwē festival, and opened for Jeremy Dutcher’s sold out performance at the Indian River Festival in PEI.

Through her work as founding curator with AIRsessions, a series of free music workshops for youth, Barker advocates for gender equity and Indigenous representation in music. “I have found a deeper connection with my community and the Indigenous music community through my music journey,” she says.

Listeners of Tinge are transported to the '90s through heartfelt grunge and emotion. Their songs fuse gritty guitar riffs and a dynamic vocal range to craft a sound that is unapologetically bold and deeply personal. Led by 2-spirit Anishinaabe artist Veronica Blackhawk, their themes explore loss of culture, reclamation, and healing. Their Debut EP “Big Deep Sigh” was released in 2023 to critical acclaim, including a highlight among “Five Indigenous Artists you Need to Know” by the Grammy Awards, and named one of the top 15 EPs of 2023 by EXCLAIM! Magazine.

“Blackhawk has described that debut, Big Deep Sigh, as an exhalation, releasing years of pent-up emotion with a cleansing breath. But while it may be the culmination of one part of their story, it’s also a start of a new path, a steadying breath before a much bigger journey. Blackhawk has found their voice, and they’ve found their people. It’s clearly just the beginning.”

-Calgary Folk Festival

Lana Winterhalt is a Recovering Theatre Kid–dramatic, emotional, charismatic, sparkly, larger than life–all fuelled by caffeine and Zoloft. As an introverted extrovert, Lana is chaotically balanced between a life on the stage as a performer and life as a hermited music producer, composer, and songwriter (High Priestess Publishing), crafting a sonic universe for listeners to walk around and get lost in. In 2024 alone, Lana released a full-length album, 2 remixes, 2 original songs, 1 cover, and 1 short film score (Ojichaag by Rachel Beaulieu of Can Dream Productions). Lana was also the proud loser of Producer of the Year at the 2024 Western Canadian Music Awards. Oh, and in the midst of all this she also had a baby. It’s been a wild year. 

Lana’s production style mixes dusty guitars and grandiose harmonies in an attempt to leave you feeling sparkly and weightless. All of this drama comes to life on her full-length album, Recovering Theatre Kid (March 23, 2024), which charted on the !earshot national Top 50 and was listed in Exclaim! magazine's "8 new artists you have to hear" in April 2024. The album was also listed in Exclaim’s end of the year wrap up article, “22 Great Canadian Albums You Might Have Missed in 2024”. 

In addition to her work as an artist, Lana is the founder and director of the non-profit organization, the Good + Plenty Arts Collective, and their subgroup, the Good + Plenty Producer's Club. This collective seeks to diversify the Manitoba arts scene by providing more opportunities and resources for women, 2Spirit, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals interested in music production and audio engineering. The Good + Plenty Arts Collective won the Rising Leader award at the Women in Music Canada Honours 2024, and was nominated two years in a row for Community Excellence at the Western Canadian Music Awards.