Starting off our interviews this month we have Toronto's very own djOpel.

For some his name first appeared on Deprivation Records, with a track intitled "Only One". For others his name as appeared on countless flyers, banners and websites for over 7 years! Having played all over Toronto and parts of the US, he has not only rocked the dancefloor with his kick ass mixing, but also with his kick ass tracks! With releases on labels such as Deprivation, Madcow and Nosebleed djOpel is set to take the world by Storm!

Now with out any further ado the Toronto King of Hard House.. djOpel

Welcome back to The Beat Ranch Tim. You are no stranger to us, as you interviewed JP & Juksey last year with Sebby Bozak, as well you played at our last birthday event.

Indeed, was a good birthday for you guys! And thank you for the "I <3 Hard House" shirt, I’ll be wearing it a fair bit the next while!

So lets start from the beginning, what got you into hard house. I faintly remember you use to spin hard techno, is that true?

I did, and still have a good shelf full of it. I still play techno the odd time at home with the lights dimmed, and shades drawn, but obviously isn’t my first choice. Even when I was collecting it, my heart was with hard house. I think between Hilary and I, we had close to 2000 records before I sold a bunch before moving a few years ago.

Do you remember the first record you bought?

I really don’t know to be honest, there’s been a lot of rave in between now and then hahaha…To get started, I bought a lot of multi-packs from E-bay and record stores, just to give me a good base to start learning how each genre was structured, and how to play it properly. But I got records from every genre, psytrance, progressive house, etc, and learned to pick my tastes.

Working at 2TheBeat for many years you had a huge influence of what "hard dance" records came in. How was it working for them, what was your most memorable moment there?

I hold the experience very dear to me. I met a lot of very cool people, a lot of crazy people, and gained some wonderful friends from the experience. Brian was one of the best bosses I have had for any job. Not just because of the situation, but as a man-manager, he was a real good man to work for. And having a comic book store in the front of the place was so fun. Punisher kicks ass!

Hard house was always a hard sell, but it had faithful customers. There were so many memorable moments, probably a lot of them unmentionable hahaha. But its something I miss for sure, damn this growing old.

Who have been some of your biggest influences over the years, locally and internationally?

Locally, dj Unabomber has done a lot for me. He gave me a lot of bookings with old Nightmare events, which I was later a resident. Played alongside some of the best djs in North America because of him, everyone from DAVE The Drummer, Chris Liberator, even hip-hop group 2 Live Crew. I owe a lot to him. Timmy and George from Nocturnal Commissions are right up there as well, they have both been so supportive, and we have all worked so hard to keep the harder side of electronic music in the Toronto scene

Internationally, JP and Jukesy have been very helpful and kind to me. They released my first record release with Mr Slippery, even changed my flat tire after Total Request Rave 2. Riggsy is another. He is an absolute machine when it comes to engineering. I love every minute of working with him. We had an instant connection when working tracks together, and his engineering knowledge is second to none.

Its easy to say that you have kept the Toronto Hard House scene alive bringing in such artists as Jp & Jukesy, Alex Calver, Riggsy, Garbo, and soon to be Jimmy Dean. Who are some of the artists that you would like to bring over in the future?

Ive wanted to bring Karl Davis for a while…ive heard nothing but good things about him, and know he is an animal on the decks. I also want to keep bringing Storm residents over. Garbo was fantastic when he was here, and Jimmy Dean has a great reputation as a dj. Daley is another great dj (great guy too, hung out with me in the booth at Storm), and I look forward to having him here as well.

Your first release "Only One' with WMD went straight on to Deprivation Records, as well as JP & Juksey's Tidy Weekender CD. Tell us a little bit about that track, how did it come to be?

It was during the 2nd time I brought Alex Calver to Canada, poor guy had a bit too much fun the night before and was kinda broken hahaha but its amazing what that man can do with just a few suggestions and us hovering overtop of him while he did it. I am very excited to see Alex Calver at Storm in March, I haven’t seen him since I put him on the plane back to England what seems like so many years ago!

Your second release was with the infamous Riggsy, untitled Keep Smilin'. What was your idea behind the track and how was it working with Riggsy?

Some unmentionable stuff, a few ripped off samples from a Tiga record and a case of Carling hahahaha I love Riggsy, wonderful person, and crazy. Hahaha We get along juuuust fine. And working together as friends makes things really go smoothly, you can draw off of each other’s vibe.

You have the honour of being on the very last Nosebleed vinyl, with 4 tracks to boot! What are the tracks and when can people expect them to be in the shops?

Dj Opel & Riggsy - Attack Of The Killer Carling – massive massive tune. Great peak time roller, huge breakdown and stomping kicks.

Dj Opel & Riggsy – Destruction – Evil track, biiiiig hoovers!

Dj Opel & Riggsy - I Dont Know – one of my favorite tracks to come out of Riggsy’s studio. Huge horn that gets people’s attention!

Dj Opel, LT1 & Riggsy - Bombay Badboy – fast and furious!!

On the DJing front you have played all over Toronto, and have even played New York, North Carolina, Minnesota, and Calgary to name a few, and the infamous Storm event in Coalville, England. Where has been your favorite place to travel to?

Playing at Candyball in NYC was a massive event, and Kelly (dj Smoke) is one of the best promoters I have worked with. However, I absolutely love the Birmingham area. I am a big Aston Villa fan, and hard house is a good time in this city. Storm is one of the best events I have ever been to in Coalville. The Tony De Vit memorial party had a huge lineup, Andy Farley played an amazing set, Paul Glazby blew me away, and set after set was a blast. I can’t wait to be back in November. Massive Tidy vs Storm event, and little ol’ me on the lineup!! The February Storm as well looks fantastic, Dom Sweeten is one of my hero’s, and 2 sets from him, one as Base Graffiti, and one as Freeflow45 is worth the price of admission alone!

The word on the streets is that you are goin to be back at Storm this year, is this true? If so what can people expect from your set that night?

Yeah, I’ll be back at Storm in March, which will be a massive event as it is a Tidy vs Storm, so many heavy hitters from the Tidy side will be there as well. The lineup hasn’t been released, so I gotta keep it under wraps for now, but WOW is all I gotta say!

With all these great events you have played whats been your worst DJing experience?

I think anytime I played on that old Rane rotary mixer at Madbar when I worked with D-Syfa of Impure. So many good, blurry times in that place, but GOD I hated that god damn thing so god damn much. I got used to it, but it was always the worst setup to play on. Horrid monitors, horrid mixer, and had to reach over the mixer to get at the turntables. The 2nd room was great though! Super loud and great setup, I always wanted to play in there! Even though it was the smoking room and I don’t smoke cigarettes, I would rather be up there! Hahaha Ahhhhhhh good times!

When you are not working or spinning what do you like to do for fun?

I follow soccer very closely, big Aston Villa fan. Have caught a few games at Villa Park, and look forward to a few more soon! I am a season’s ticket holder at Toronto FC, and will be at Wembley Stadium for 2 England games in March/April! Have 3 cats, who are like my kids. Enjoy traveling, and living beyond my means hahahaha

Any last words?

See you May 15th at 751 Queen St. W Toronto for an Embedded Credit Cruncher! UK headliner, local favorites with extended sets and it’s all FREE! Just come and drink your face off to get your May long weekend started right!!

Click here to buy djOpel's releases at HTFR

Click here to buy djOpel's releases at BangingTunes.com

Click here for djOpel's Exclusive Beat Ranch Mix
Click here for tracklisting.

Past Interviews