It’s the afternoon and the struggle is real. You’ve got it all—the blunts, the bitches, the snacks, but something’s missing. Your iPod is as barren and desolate as a dubstep weekly at a college bar, and you start to panic. With only a few minutes left, you turn your browser to THUMP and are rewarded with the perfect playlist to smoke, toke, and lay out to. Here are my top 10 Vancouver artists to get high to:
1. Cyril Hahn
I’m starting this list off with the big daddy of chill, Cyril Hahn. First breaking into the forefront of electronic music with his slowed remix of “Say My Name“, Cyril is a necessary component of any high times playlist.
Videos by VICE
2. Kline
My first in real life encounter with Kline was in a dimly lit Gastown Lounge, I immediately got in an argument with him for distributing his music via email and not SoundCloud. A couple of rounds later, cooler heads prevailed and he went on to release a phenomenal debut EP through Low Indigo, “Mirror“.
3. Sabota
Sabota first popped up on my radar when I saw them open for Nosaj Thing at Venue mid-way through 2013. Since then, they’ve put out several stunning tracks through Hybridity and Scion Sessions that are welcome companions at any evening session.
4. Pat Lok
Pat Lok is the only solo Asian disco house producer that I know of. If you can think of another, you should tweet me their links, but for now his SoundCloud offers more than enough gems to keep me satiated.
5. Evy Jane
Evy Jane is a three-piece outfit led by front-woman Evelyn Mason, and their tunes are simply sublime. My favourite track of theirs, “Sayso”, is unfortunately un-embeddable, but if you click here you can listen to it just as easily.
6. Rook Milo
When the description of a track is simply “thanks to my drug dealer for making this all possible,” you know you’ve found the right song. Pitched in vocoding and in a supreme low-end, make this unassuming Drake remix a must-have.
7. Bobby Draino
Bobby Draino is one of Vancouver’s more elusive producers, and his house tunes are best absorbed laying flat on your back in complete tranquility. His latest EP, Brain Drain, on 100% Silk is a must-listen.
8. wmnstudies
Canadian duo wmnstudies produce a variety of styles of music, but they specialize in songs to make out to.
9. Aquarian Foundation
Mood Hut’s Aquarian Foundation piles layer upon layer in his rhythms, and it’s no wonder to hear that he’s getting nods from Four Tet. His tune “Mystery Track” was featured in Tet’s latest beast of an eloquently titled mixtape, 1234567890qwertyuiopasdfghjklz.
10. Michael Brock
Hybridity‘s Michael Brock produces the kind of music that makes you weep a single, glistening tear for. He’s about to release an EP and only has seven followers on SoundCloud for some reason.
