Cratery

I first met Mr. Attic at York University’s 105.5 FM in ’95. It was my first year attending York and my favourite pastime had quickly become loitering around the campus/community radio station before, between and after classes. One of my favourite shows was called “Soul by the Pound” – a program dedicated to playing the […]

David Axelrod would have probably scoffed at this tribute. He would have likely criticized the theme. Pointed out why these selections weren’t worthy of spotlighting. Reminded us why certain sessions were nightmares. Questioned the order of the track list. Told us which songs he got fucked on royalties for. And likely chastised us for over […]

One of the simple pleasures of being a rap fan is the passionate level of debate and analysis you can engage in with a fellow nerd at any given moment around any given album – old or new. I definitely don’t have the same debates around Brazilian music. I rarely subject my favourite vintage records […]

It’s funny to think I wouldn’t be typing these words right now if Kaewonder hadn’t asked me the question “Do you follow that dude @mastersihn on Instagram”? We’ve met a lot of good people online, and with a common love for good records and good smoke, Philly’s Mastersihn is definitely one of the good ones. […]

My first real glimpse of Supreme La Rock was not in person. It was through a wantlist of records given to my friend Moss, via our mutual homie Jake One around ’95. Supreme had instructed Jake to tell his new Canadian counterparts to be on the lookout for some titles and send them his way […]

Toronto-based collector Dan Zacks pops his Cratery cherry on this month’s episode. I first came to know of Dan through the two Cuban funk compilations he released between 2006 and 2009: Si, Para Usted, volumes 1 and 2 (Both very well put together). Soon after, I realized he shared mutual friends like the hommies Kaewonder […]

CONTRIBUTOR: Big Jacks (GGBRFM) ARTIST: Promise SONG: I’m not ready for love LABEL: New Directions YEAR: 1974 God bless the Internets for allowing me to track this one down after I first heard it on the radio. It was playing on the Stolen Souls radio show (on 105.5 FM) here in Toronto. The whole set was […] The post The 7th: I’m Not Ready For Love appeared first on CRATERY.

L.A. raised DJ and label owner Randy “Hotthobo” Ellis was in town guesting at Toronto’s Modern Funk Fest, and our hommie Famous Lee of Love Handle fame thought he’d be perfect for a Cratery episode. It’s always a pleasure to connect with real music lovers. And like many real music lovers, Hotthobo has dedicated his […]

Much of the black cultural experience in Toronto is rooted in the Caribbean. The food. The slang. The style. And of course, the music. The American rap accents in our favourite songs had an impact on us – but never enough to drown out our overwhelmingly homegrown West Indian influence. Hip-hop and island culture have […]

I sit here listening to Eddie Warner’s “Eccentric Trick” on loop (a track from his Progressive Percussions No.2 record), pondering why I love library music so much and it’s a no-brainer. I’m a hip-hop dude. And this shit sounds LIKE FUCKING HIP-HOP. Instrumental compositions laced with heavy 4/4 drums, thick basslines, fuzz guitar and musique […]

Seems like everyone is celebrating the vinyl resurgence. Except those of us who were around before the comeback. Record store openings here in Toronto seem to be at an all-time high since widespread closures back in the mid-2000’s. And yet, not all of us vinyl nerds are happy about it. I find myself torn between […]

Life comes before blogs. Life comes before records and writing and shopping and hanging and smoking. We want to take a moment to thank everyone who’s been asking for more stuff. Everyone who’s been waiting patiently. And everyone who’s been riding with us from the jump. Thank you for continuing to rock with us. Without […]

We lost our dear friend Masimba “Son of S.O.U.L.” Kadzirange recently. Needless to say, it’s been pretty rough around Cratery headquarters. We all had our own individual relationships with Masimba. And they could all be described as equal parts meaningful and funny. “Sims” was a one of a kind dude. An old school philosopher that […]

His name is Itsmattlangille. Not Matt Langille. Itsmattlangille. He’s the homie. And we’ve been trying to get him on Cratery for a minute. Matt really fucking loves soul 45’s. And he’s acquired some great ones over the years. He’s also managed to acquire a roster of musicians like Bad Bad Not Good, Ryan Hemsworth, Tommy […]

Vancouver, 2013. I’m enjoying a brief stint out west as a copywriter for ad agency TAXI’s western outpost. Most of my downtime is spent digging with the hommie Sipreano, smoking on Van City’s finest and hitting up the hometown hangouts, including The Stuntman’s 45 Throwdown at Save-On Meats. It was the sort of low key […]

It’s ok to be jealous of J-Rocc. He founded the World Famous Beat Junkies. He’s easily one of the funkiest DJ’s on the planet. He’s lucky enough to have had friendships with two of the greatest producers of all time. And from what little I’ve seen, he’s got a pretty crazy record collection. A collection, […]

November 1993. I walked past Yonge-Dundas station sporting baggy jeans and a newly acquired pair of white Adidas Torsions with splashes of fluorescent green and navy blue. I remember cause I had a fluorescent green sweat top and a navy corduroy Gatsby to match. I used to sport the hat backwards when I was going […]

John Kong loves those little Coffee Crisp bites. It’s just that he insists they be stored in the refrigerator. “What is this? Amateur’s hour?” he laughed, taking the bag off the counter and placing it in the fridge. Lesson learned, John. Cold storage makes chocolate taste better. Plus, you avoid covering your rares in brown […]

I’ve messed with Mayer Hawthorne from the first time I heard his cover of the New Holidays’ overlooked soul classic Maybe so, maybe no. Some might have tried to pigeon hole him as a Motown revivalist after his first album. But Mayer has always been influenced by more than just soul music. The DJ/Producer had […]

The first time I went record shopping with Lord Finesse I had an epiphany. I realized that I was diggin’ in the crates with an actual member of Diggin’ in the Crates. How is that not a trip? I’m a kid from the suburbs of Toronto who used to blast “Keep the crowd listening” on […]