A group of DJs are bringing a classic style to Fernie on Mar. 5 as part of the 7 Inches of Pleasure tour.
Sponsored by Monster Energy, the tour features DJs Vinyl Ritchie, Mat the Alien, DJ Pump and DJ Illo on classic turntables, as no laptops are allowed to be used to play music.
A seven inch vinyl record was the only way to play music and sets between 1950 and 1975. These DJs are hoping to bring back some of the nostalgia by playing new and old music.
“We are all friends and we have all known each other for a long, long time. We were approached by Monster Energy to do a DJ tour but see if we could do it all playing 45s because nobody was doing that sort of thing,” said Scott Arkwell, aka Vinyl Ritchie. “We wanted to do something different than what the average DJ is doing.”
Forty-five refers to the rotations per minute, meaning all of the DJs will be playing seven inch records at 45 spins a minute. Arkwell says all shows are impromtu, allowing for the DJs to cater to the specific crowd.
“We play on four turntables and we just kind of jam out. Nothing is pre-planned or rehearsed. We kind of just start jamming and see what happens – see what the crowd is into.”
The tour features stops across B.C. and Alberta, including ski towns such as Fernie, Revelstoke and Golden. This is the fourth year of the tour and Arkwell says he has fond memories of Fernie.
“I love to play anywhere that people are excited about music and want to hear something different,” he said. “I’ve had some really sweet times in Fernie, I have to say.”
Because the DJs are independent of one another, their inspirations vary, and all genres of music are used in most shows.
“We play everything from heavy metal to old school rap to new trap stuff. We try to cover all of the bases. Pretty much every genre gets played when we do a set,” said Arkwell. The 7 Inches of Pleasure tour takes over the Northern Bar and Stage on Mar. 5.