Canadia... what is wrong with you people?

[Sick Boy]

Where have you been living, Rosedale? Did you ride the TTC?

I'd say Toronto, London and Vancouver are all pretty similar when it comes to the ease and degree to which people mix (though my experience of London is limited). They're certainly much more comparable to one another than to, say, NYC.

I really can't see where you are coming from on this. I lived in the downtown core - in Little Portugal (Dufferin and College) and then down College to College and Bathurst.

Rode to TTC to college at Queen and Sherbourne every day.

Haven't been to Vancouver, but maybe I need to go somewhere less multicultural than Toronto to understand how it's multicultural?

 

[nomos]

maybe I need to go somewhere less multicultural than Toronto to understand how it's multicultural?

That could be. I've been living in the middle of Ottawa the last 8 years and it'svery homogenous compared to Toronto. I just always notice the difference when I'm in TO and London seemed comparable when I was there. Maybe I'm mistaken but I've noticed others making the comparison.

 

[sodiumnightlife]

been in bits of vancouver when i'm the only non-asian face. Really like vancouver and vancouver island, but never been to toronto unfortunately.

 

[nomos]

been in bits of vancouver when i'm the only non-asian face. Really like vancouver and vancouver island, but never been to toronto unfortunately.

i'm just back from vancouver and convinced that no human being should be denied the opportunity to live there

 

[mistersloane]

i'm just back from vancouver and convinced that no human being should be denied the opportunity to live there

really? what makes you say that? geuinely interested as it's kinda next on my list to visit

 

[sodiumnightlife]

vancouver is fucking sweet as anything. Good downtown area, good public transport, and you've got all this amazing countryside within an hour or two. Everyone seems so biased against candada, but I think it's a great place and could quite happily live there.

 

[nomos]

for me it's the ocean + climate (which is a total anomaly compared to rest the of the country) and the sort of urban culture they seem to encourage. after getting off the plane i'm always struck by how clean and fresh the air is there. it smells alive. i feel more alive breathing it. it's a huge difference from smoggy ontario and the sweaty, claustrophobic mugginess of the ottawa valley especially. i like being down at the water - clambering on rocks, checking out tidal pools and sea life. the beach culture is amazing. all types of people seem to mix easily and just do their thing - drawn to it at all times of day. generally the city is a lot more relaxed than toronto which often seems to have something up its butt. there are the ancient trees, the nearby rainforest and the mountains looming over north van. the temperature stays within a civilized range. it rains a lot but there's rarely snow. i'm much happier with a wet, green west coast winter than a depressive, snowbound, -40C, sunset-at-4pm, ottawa one.

on the downside, it's really expensive and most people don't get to live near its nicest natural features. there's an ongoing plague of condo construction taking over all of the best parts of town. and i'm not sure it's the most active place musically, but if i could spend that much time outside i probably wouldn't worry about it too much.

good food too. and of course vancouver island is just a 2 hour ferry ride away with places like victoria, clayoquot sound and long beach to visit.

 

[nomos]

 

[sodiumnightlife]

the ocean is amazing. i've seen so much amazing wildlife there. this is making me sad now cos i'm not going back for ages.

 

[DigitalDjigit]

and i'm not sure it's the most active place musically, but if i could spend that much time outside i probably wouldn't worry about it too much.

If you are into electronic music then vancouver has more to offer than nearly any city in North America (except the obvious centers). And I don't even live there, just going but what's on the surface. Wagon Repair label for one.

 

[adruu]

moving to vancouver at the end of the year! i cant fucking wait to get out =)

 

[nomos]

you bastard!

(nice one )

 

[turtles]

Well, firstly, thanks for all the kind words about my fine city! I'm definitely in agreement with nomos above, it's all about getting out and going to the beach/forest/mountains/ocean etc. I think the abundance of greenery (both the nature and the weed kind) and the never-too-hot never-too-cold weather really mean it's pretty hard not be relaxed and chilled out living here....

If you are into electronic music then vancouver has more to offer than nearly any city in North America (except the obvious centers). And I don't even live there, just going but what's on the surface. Wagon Repair label for one.

As for this, I have to disagree, unfortunately. At least in Wagon Repair's case, they don't really have too much of a local presence, I think it's been about two years since mathew jonson played here last (maybe i missed a show but...). There are a handful of decent clubnights though, but I've never really felt there was a "strong" electronic music scene here, at least compared to toronto and montreal, which are the inevitable comparison points for vancouver. S'alright though.

Also, one more thing about the multicultural/multiracial aspect of vancouver. So yes, it's a hugely mixed population (under half of vancouverites speak english as their first language), but there isn't that much actual social interaction between a lot of the different cultural groups. My high school growing up was about half and half white english speaking and half chinese, and aside from a handful of second generation chinese-canadians, there was very little interaction between the two halves. There was even the white people smoke pit and the chinese smoke pit in two different places just off school grounds.

And this has continued to be the case, especially living in the west side of vancouver, by the university. There are areas that are largely white, largely chinese or largely east indian, and you notice quite quickly when you move from one area to the other. There are also local chinese or punjabi newspapers and tv channels. So some of the outward "wow look how multicultural we are!" stuff really starts to fall apart when you look at the cultural makeup of all the different social groups. Which is not to say people in vancouver are totally racist or that there's lots of discrimination; it's just that the different cultures here tend to stay pretty separate and isolated from each other, for a multitude of different reasons. Maybe this is not anything specific to vancouver, and I do imagine it will change slowly as there start being more second and third generation children of recent immigrants. But that's certainly the state of things today...

 

[Sick Boy]

Well, firstly, thanks for all the kind words about my fine city! I'm definitely in agreement with nomos above, it's all about getting out and going to the beach/forest/mountains/ocean etc. I think the abundance of greenery (both the nature and the weed kind) and the never-too-hot never-too-cold weather really mean it's pretty hard not be relaxed and chilled out living here....


As for this, I have to disagree, unfortunately. At least in Wagon Repair's case, they don't really have too much of a local presence, I think it's been about two years since mathew jonson played here last (maybe i missed a show but...). There are a handful of decent clubnights though, but I've never really felt there was a "strong" electronic music scene here, at least compared to toronto and montreal, which are the inevitable comparison points for vancouver. S'alright though.

Also, one more thing about the multicultural/multiracial aspect of vancouver. So yes, it's a hugely mixed population (under half of vancouverites speak english as their first language), but there isn't that much actual social interaction between a lot of the different cultural groups. My high school growing up was about half and half white english speaking and half chinese, and aside from a handful of second generation chinese-canadians, there was very little interaction between the two halves. There was even the white people smoke pit and the chinese smoke pit in two different places just off school grounds.

And this has continued to be the case, especially living in the west side of vancouver, by the university. There are areas that are largely white, largely chinese or largely east indian, and you notice quite quickly when you move from one area to the other. There are also local chinese or punjabi newspapers and tv channels. So some of the outward "wow look how multicultural we are!" stuff really starts to fall apart when you look at the cultural makeup of all the different social groups. Which is not to say people in vancouver are totally racist or that there's lots of discrimination; it's just that the different cultures here tend to stay pretty separate and isolated from each other, for a multitude of different reasons. Maybe this is not anything specific to vancouver, and I do imagine it will change slowly as there start being more second and third generation children of recent immigrants. But that's certainly the state of things today...

There's a lot of junkies in vancouver too. Like a lot. They are like a race.

 

[sodiumnightlife]

There's a lot of junkies in vancouver too. Like a lot. They are like a race.

east hastings st is wayyy dodgy

 

[IdleRich]

I have to say that I have never ever been anywhere where I have seen so many homeless people as Vancouver (far more than London, New York, Mexico City etc). Every ten yards you walk down the street someone asks for money, every bin you see someone is digging around in it - very weird, I didn't expect Canada to be like that at all.

 

[Kuma]

I have to say that I have never ever been anywhere where I have seen so many homeless people as Vancouver (far more than London, New York, Mexico City etc). Every ten yards you walk down the street someone asks for money, every bin you see someone is digging around in it - very weird, I didn't expect Canada to be like that at all.

30 years of government ideology. Plus the shutdown of the mental hospital in the area, essentially letting loose far too many people that wouldve done much better under care.


If you are into electronic music then vancouver has more to offer than nearly any city in North America (except the obvious centers). And I don't even live there, just going but what's on the surface. Wagon Repair label for one.

Having spent the last seven years blasting this blighted landscape with shows ranging from Pieter K to Kode 9, I was reminded the other day that the only reason that I got back into promoting was to see the artists that would never have made it here otherwise. Wagon Repair functions out of here because its a great place to live but Matt Jonson is only performs here once every few years. Hes playing in like two weeks, before that, it was a good two plus years ago. Vancouver has wonderful pockets but its still got a ways to go..

 

[DigitalDjigit]

Ok, ok. I didn't know what I was talking about. But whenever I see some European (or even American) electronic act touring it's always NY, Chicago, Vancouver, Seattle and San Francisco.