Advertise on podcast: This Broken Mixtape

I first met Jesse Ohtake when I was writing for The CyberKrib, reviewing records and interviewing hip-hop, R&B and soul artists. As the owner/founder of The Academy, Air Moves and other cultural initiatives, Jesse has spent decades building platforms for artists and bringing Toronto's music community together. Today, we're talking about the records that shaped him, the hustle behind building a scene, and what it takes to keep the culture moving.

Tara Kannangara is an indie-pop singer-songwriter, producer and trumpeter.  From jazz, pop, r&b and rock, Tara's music is driven by curiosity and a willingness to follow an idea wherever it leads.   We talk about her latest project, Extraordinary People, a longing to return to an age of musical enigmas, and all things Prince. in fact, we should probably rename this episode The Prince Show.

Toronto musician Victor Xu, better known as Vixu, is a pianist, composer, producer, vocalist and songwriter. Through his solo work and bands like Diskarte, he moves freely between jazz, R&B, hip-hop, indie, electronic and experimental. On this episode, Victor talks about his early piano training, how Toronto's early-2000s music scene and Broken Social Scene sparked his love of collaboration, and paying tribute to Frank Ocean's Blonde.

Liz uninvited is a Toronto-based indie singer-songwriter whose intimate, emotionally raw music draws influence from Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley and Fiona Apple. A devoted Elliott Smith fan, she developed a unique connection to his music and legacy after collaborating with members of his creative circle in Los Angeles. In the this episode, we talk to Liz as she traces the soundtrack of her childhood through her dad's favourite Afrobeat and highlife records, discusses embracing an OCD diagnosis and transforming that experience into music, and explores the lingering spirit of Elliott Smith in her own songwriting.

Lexxicon is a dancehall/Afropop artist from Toronto by way of Jamaica and the UK. On his new album, Tropicon Islands, he strays away from his dancehall roots and dives head-first into a rich Afrobeats sound. Guest co-host Amanie Illfated and I talked to Lexxicon about his new album and novel, the third season of Netflix's You, and why Canadian musicians often have to move to another country in order to make it.

Leila Dey is a Toronto R&B singer/songwriter who has shared the stage with Little Simz, K'Naan, and Melanie Fiona.   Her latest EP Detour explores the disintegration of a romantic relationship and its subsequent aftermath.   Guest co-host Amanie Illfated and I talked to Leila about the allegorical nature of her new EP, how the passing of her younger sister impacted her approach to making music, and her adoration for Ms. Lauryn Hill.

Zorana Sadiq wears a lot of hats, including multidisciplinary artist, soprano, actor, and music teacher.   Her latest project, MixTape, is a visceral one-person play that is "part memoir, part scientific inquiry, and part love song to listening."   I talk to Zorana about the art of making a great mixtape, her tenure at Regent Park School of Music where she taught Polaris Prize-nominated Mustafa, and the annoying popularity of Kidz Bop.

Amanie Illfated is a South Sudanese Canadian Afropop/R&B singer/songwriter and model.   By incorporating her past refugee experiences in her music, she touches on themes of empowerment, depression, and self-improvement.   I talk to Amanie about leaving her family in Saskatchewan at 16 to pursue music in Toronto, working through her PTSD and trauma to create meaningful music, and being a closeted Juggalo (an Insane Clown Posse fan).

At the beginning of the pandemic, roller skating culture experienced a resurgence on social media and beyond. However, the recreational activity is more than just another nostalgic phenomenon-gone-viral; there's a rich history of black and brown skating communities that date all the way back to the '70s. Jared and Deejah, aka Rollerouge and Deesh, are two rising talents from Toronto's jam rollerskating scene. I sat down with them to talk about the cultural significance of roller skating in the black community, their unfortunate reality of having to navigate safe spaces, and their preferred soundtrack to jam skating sessions.

Meagan De Lima is A Toronto-based r&b/pop artist that was recently awarded the Top Artist for Social Change in Canada. She has performed at "The Future Series: A Conversation with President Barack Obama, the Invictus Games, Canadian Music Week, and opened for Kehlani. I talked to Meagan about performing for President Obama last year, writing songs about coping with mental health issues, and working with famed rock producer, Bob Ezrin.

Comedians Big Norm and Keith Pedro are like the Filipino counterparts to Method Man and Redman.   As the hosts of the live cannabis comedy show Bare Jokes and members of the hip-hop comedy group Runnin' at the Mouth, their comedy offers hilarious observations about race relations, multiculturalism, and pop culture.   In the second part of our extremely blunted interview, we talk to Big Norm and Keith Pedro about when they first realized they were funny, classic Canadian PSAs ("People think I eat too Many Chocolate Bars"), and who they believed to be the funniest rappers in the game.

Comedians Big Norm and Keith Pedro are like the Filipino counterparts to Method Man and Redman.   As the hosts of the live cannabis comedy show Bare Jokes and members of the hip-hop comedy group Runnin' at the Mouth, their comedy offers hilarious observations about race relations, multiculturalism, and pop culture.   In the first of a two-part blunted interview, I talked to the homies about performing a PG set at a Jewish camp, Keith's trio of new albums, and how aspirations of becoming rappers eventually led them to comedy.

Vince Jamal is a Toronto-based Barbadian R&B/soul singer who is as much influenced by his ancestral island riddims as the classic American soul music he was raised on.   Somewhere in his complicated music DNA, you'll find soul legends like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers, classic neo-soul ala D'Angelo and Maxwell, the contemporary hip-hop sounds of Anderson Paak, and calypso and soca music.   I talked to Vince about recording an album during a pandemic, the misconceptions of performing on a cruise ship, and his many takeaways from Prince's unparalleled artistry.

Erika Iri5 is a Chicago-based multimedia artist that works with various audio media, such as audiotape, VHS reel, and vinyl.   Over the past 15 years, she's created a countless number of portraits of music icons like Prince, David Bowie, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, and Madonna.   I talked to Erika about her creative process, making mixtapes as a teenager, and working on a Bruno Mars music video.

Calgary R&B/pop artist Justine Tyrell was named one of Exclaim magazine's "Top 8 Emerging Canadian Artists You Need to Hear".   She recently released her debut EP entitled While You Were Sleeping.   I talk to Justine about Calgary's burgeoning R&B scene, how the music of Amy Winehouse inspired her to find her own voice, and how the title of her EP has more to do with insomnia than the Sandra Bullock rom-com.