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Kelowna DJs organize own shows to fill gap in music scene

The DJs wanted to create somewhere people could enjoy their music safely
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Omi Haque photo: Facebook

Tired of being watched closely by bouncers, hearing about their friends being harassed and just wanting to listen to good music, Safe As F—k was born.

One of the founders, Omi Haque, has dedicated his time to creating space for local DJs to network and grow their fan base in a fun environment.

“A show in club has a certain vibe and it has a certain type of culture. People go there to get drunk or try to get laid, it’s not about the music,” said Haque.

“In a club, you have a bouncer staring you down and just being able to be in a space without those levels of authority is one of the reasons we need things like this.”

Since 2013 Haque along with Zane Commerford and Reid Betts have been organizing set lists, lining up venues and bringing local talent to the forefront of the electronic dance music scene in Kelowna. Events have been held in houses, at The Habitat, The Munkey’s Fist Grill and Bar and even an abandoned summer camp.

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Commerford has now moved to Toronto, Ont. and is looking to expand Safe As F—k even further by taking it bi-coastal and hosting events in the city.

“There was just nowhere we could go in Kelowna and just listen to music we wanted to listen to, we could go to a club but that’s also not very female friendly. I have had friends tell me pretty rough stories so we wanted to also offer a space that they could feel comfortable,” said Commerford.

Both DJs themselves, Haque and Commerford are regulars on their line-ups, hyping up the crowd before dropping the bass and sending the crowd into a frenzy. They slam the line-up so that it’s balanced between up and coming musicians and underground artists, some of whom it’s their first show.

Grayson Vanden Brink, also known as Depth will be playing at the next show March 23 at a location yet to be revealed. Vanden Brink says playing the Safe As F—k shows are like nothing he has experienced before and played his first show at one of their events at The Habitat.

“It’s just genuine music lovers that enjoy the niche that this music is,” said Vanden Brink.

Safe As F—k’s next show will be March 23 and will feature [bsd.u], Puar and Haque. To attend RSVP to the event’s Facebook page and message Haque for the location.

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@sydneyrmorton
sydney.morton@kelownacapnews.com

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