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This
Toronto Dj is a lover of Soul music, Hip-hop & R
n' B and its many rewards. A very well rounded music producer and
radio personality and more, i give you............Mr. Dj......
Tricky Moreira
1. What attracted you to music?
As a child I was around parents who were both very musically
inclined: they both sang very well, and were amazing dancers
(ballroom, jive, etc). Music was always playing in the house
- all types: Boney M, ABBA, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Neil
Diamond, Jim Reeves, The Carpenters, Olivia Newton John... whatever
was hot at the moment. My dad had a banging stereo system & a
great record collection that I used to sift through almost daily.
I too got into the dancing first cuz breakdancing and doing "The
Michael Jackson" was hot!
2. What does being a DJ mean to you?
Well to me Dj'ing is an artform, the same as illustration in
many ways. It's an expression though sound. Vinyl is the pallette
that holds the many different vibrant colours of music, or tracks.
The art of Dj'ing is having the talent to not only choose good
songs (cuz your iPod can do that for you now-a-days) but break
new songs and be fully capable of calculating and combining vibes
technically - so as to transition from one track to another using
sheer timing, however, somewhere in the midst of that mix be able
to create an original song on it's own. Dj'ing is not a pre-meditated
artform for me - I don't walk into any venue or radio show knowing
what I'll be spinning next, but I know that I've searched for days
to pick out certain songs that move me... so hopefully they'll
move the listener.
How long have you been DJ'ing?
If you include family parties when I was nine and ten years
old, then practically my whole lifetime. I think my first "public
appearance" was at nightclubs and high school dances when
I was still a minor.
Is there a music scene in Canada?
Definitely! There are many talented artists in this city but
the industry is smaller than some other markets (Europe, Amercian).
Population is a major factor that affects markets in general & unfortunately
(and fortunately) we don't compare in populations to those countries
who's one major city mirrors the entire population of our country.
With my record label Blue Elephant Recordings my vision was global,
therefore I took the extra step to search for international distributors
- without considering Canada until I made leeway globally. I knew
that Canadians also tend to "follow" what's good, so
when my tracks were breaking in the USA, U.K., Budapest, Japan,
etc. it was then that I felt it was ready to be released to them...
cuz they would take it in totally different. I didn't want to say
this but in music Toronto is most definitely screwface capital.
Describe House Music to me and how it affects you.
House Music is a sound that broke ground in Chicago in the early
80's after the disco era. It was a music that introduced sampling,
by taking certain break downs and drum patterns and looping them
so that the crowds in the nightclubs had the opportunity to dance
longer to songs they liked. This created the "extended mix".
House music is a soulful type of music who's melodies have euphoric
likelinesses, and incorporate smooth rolling basslines, powerful
vocals, many different types of instrumentation, but who's base
is electronic.
How long have you been a radio personality?
I've been on radio & television for many years on and off
- but I've really just had the opportunity to cultivate a show
that surrounds everything I want to do; from music down to the
commentary it's been 5 1/2 years on my own at FLOW 93.5FM in Toronto.
How is your podcast?
My podcasts are mind-blowing. My podcast listener subscriptions
sit somwhere within the five-figure range! Go to trickymoreira.com
and click on Podcast for more information.
You recently received the 2008 Radio Personality of the Year
Award in Toronto, how did that make you feel?
It was a trip! I went to school for broadcasting but I've always
had a career that weighed more on the DJ/Producer side of things.
When I received the award it was just another reinforcement that
I was doing something right. As long as I make people feel good
about what they're hearing & am given to opportunity to showcase
that piece of me that I put on blast as "Dj Tricky Moreira",
and it works, I'm more than happy and accepted the award with some
decent pride.
Are you working with any artists in Canada?
At the moment I'm in the midst of releasing a cross-over track
with local rapper Famous. It's a fusion idea that consists of two
of my favourite musics: house & hip hop. It's called, "Tonight".
I actually produced the track from top to bottom, sang the hooks,
and also came in with my "old skool style rap" on the
track as well. It'll probably be up on iTunes available for purchase
by the time ya'll are reading this!
You are known in many circles for that great remix of Jully
Black's "Sweat of your Brow" for Universal Music. You
won Song Of The Year at the Canadian Urban Music Awards. How did
that feel?
It was mind-blasting! I didn't think I could do anything with
that song when I heard it. I sat on it for about two days cuz I
wasn't coming up with anything to lay down over the acapella. I
actually got fed up and picked up the phone to call Click at Universal
to tell him I wasn't gonna remix it when something dawned on me...
don't know what or from where (most possibly Jully's powerful voice)
but I got into a groove with it kept riding that wave. I got no
sleep over the next days - literally working on it from morning
to night. When satisfied I sent it back to Universal and they loved
it. I bumped into Jully not too long after, she told me she met
with music execs, some friends and family to review the remixes
at a boardroom in Universal. Apparently when they dropped my remix
everyone in the boardroom, including the men in suits, got up and
busted a move to it. A little further down the road it proved to
be the most popular remix on iTunes out of the batch of remixes.
The award a few months later was the first award I received aknowledging
me as a music producer, so the rush was amazing for me.
What's Blue Elephant and what does it mean to you?
Blue Elephant Recordings is a record label that I put together
and found international distribution for that featured my self-produced
music. BE was basically a venue for me to get my stuff out withouth
having to go to a second party to review it. If I liked what I
was doing and was confident in I knew the music would get out to
the world via my label. Again, BE took on alot of time and research
but once the label was founded my track "Together" put
it over the top - gaining exposure with international DJs and radio
stations such as BBC's Essential Mix in the UK. It was yet another
launch in the direction I wanted to take my career.
How was your Canadian Idol experience?
Canadian Idol is a national show with millions of viewers...
I was hyped to be on it! I'm the shy shower singer type of guy,
so it was unreal... but I'm also a personality that thrives off
that stuff. Of course the segment was called Media Idol and I was
one of the competators from the media who was in this to raise
charity and awareness to a cause. Myself and Ahsley Greco took
the Toronto title, but when I got to the show my nerves got the
best of me and I forgot my lines! Now I knew what it felt like
to be on stage in front of 1200 people singing into a camera while
in the back of your mind you know there are apporximately 5 Million
people watching. I didn't do badly though. I'd do it all again.
What other styles of music are you into?
I listen to everything. I mean I listen to oldies, blues, rock,
hip hop, jazz, opera, alternative, drum and bass, pop, etc. Music
surrounds us, so it's hard to turn a deaf ear on it. I specialize
in house music but am so well versed in the general field of music
that they're influences all make for interesting choices in what
I do. I don't understand when people approach me and tell me they
like one type of music... I mean, OK you believe in what you like
but to turn a blind eye on other genres because you think you're
is cooler is just a waste of human emotion - cuz music moves you,
no matter what kind, in some way.
Are you going to vote in the next Canadian election?
A. I've been voting in the elections since I turned 18 years old.
Taking advantage of your right to vote is a (sometimes) rewarding
experience. I don't get into politics too much because it's a very
toucy subject for some, but yes I do vote - and you should too.
What does the American election mean to you?
America is the most powerful nation in the entire world. How
they run their country relfects every nation around them. At this
point anybody Bush needs to be replaced, and anybody other than
him has my vote... but I do have my favourite.
Tricky Moreira
Dj & On-Air Personality
Show/Music Producer
New FLOW 93.5FM
416.214.5000 x245
211 Yonge St., #400
Toronto, Ontario
M5B 1M4
www.flow935.com
*Award Winning DJ, 2008
*Award Winning Radio On-Air Personality, 2008
*The #1 House Music Show in Canada 5 Years Straight
*Syndicated on APEX FM in Russia, & Noganic FM in the UK
*Award Winning Music Producer 2006, CUMA's
www.trickymoreira.com
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