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DJ 4Korners, the official DJ for the Toronto Raptors and one half of house duo 401 WST swung by the SMACK House to talk music and basketball.
The DJ and producer has made a local name for himself and internationally through his appearances at Raptors home games, spinning at events abroad many of which include celebrities, and fresh off the release of his second EP Our House II as one half of 401 WST. The EP is a response to the marginalization of coloured people in genres whose origins are indebted to them.
“In dance music, it’s kind of like rock music in that people don’t really know, at some point along in history there’s been a detachment from the actual people who created it who are black,” 4Korners explains, referencing house music’s origins to Chicago and Detroit. “I don’t want to say [other people are] completely co-opting it [...] it’s just so looked at as European, people in the dance music scene don’t know that it started in Chicago, spread through Detroit and New York, and then went over to London and then exploded around the world.”
Between Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, and Carl Cox, and insurmountable others who aren’t nearly as famous (which is to say really really not famous), the true pioneers of electronic music have yet to receive their flowers.
“We fell in love with dance music growing up and as we got older and got into the night life and the club culture […] I personally fell in love with the fact that house music and dance is all about inclusion.”
It’s this inclusion that led 4Korners to areas of extreme exclusivity – events that have included Kanye West, Drake, Puff Daddy, Bieber and a scroll of others.
When asked for the best celebrity event story that he is allowed to tell, he gave us two from one night.
I was playing Chris Chelios, the hockey legend’s Hall of Fame party. He was having his Hockey Hall of Fame induction party and I DJ’d. It was at Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant.
Chelios is an NHL legend: a twelve time all-star, a three time Stanley Cup champion, he’s owned restaurants in Detroit, property in Malibu, and is a friend to many notable celebrities.
It was a private party, and the guest list was like nothing I’ve ever seen or done in my life. Everyone was an A-lister Cindy Crawford, Cuba Gooding Jr, Kid Rock, a whole bunch.
The ceremony itself was held one day after the night 4Korners is describing on November 11, 2013 and had an onslaught of high profile guests in attendance including Ted Lindsay and former coach Scotty Bowman, tennis legend John McEnroe, character actors John C. McGinley and D.B. Sweeney, John Cusack, and Wayne Gretzky of course among those mentioned.
An article posted by Yahoo Life! envisioned the party on the eve of the induction: “if only we could have seen the party Sunday night in Toronto […] the one that was going strong long after 2:00 AM.”
Chris Tucker was trying to get my attention. He ran across the room like he was literally in a scene in Rush Hour, basically slid under the bar, popped up in front of me and he was like, “Yo can you play that song?” And he sang “Royals” by Lorde, like he sang it. He didn't remember the name.
Lorde’s “Royals” had come out just under five months before on June 5, 2013. It had replaced previous number one Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” just one month before the party.
I was like this is exactly who I thought you would be.
About ten minutes later Kid Rock is performing. He just gets up and says he wants to do some songs, so he starts performing.
Kid Rock in 2013 was less of the right wing icon that he is today. Mind you, this was two years before Charleston after which he refused to denounce the Confederate flag. Oddly enough, he also DJs.
I see a little huddle to my right and they look like they’re fanboying around somebody and I’m like…who could they possibly be so excited to see?
The crowd clears a little bit…it’s Michael-Fucking-Jordan. They’re all like Michael! Michael!
And I’m kind of just like…”that’s MJ right there, one meter away.” He was in full MJ form: rocking a suit, a big hoop earring, super chill, smoking a cigar. Everything you hoped he would be, he was and they were all so excited.
For a second I thought how do they know each other but then I realized like, “oh yeah, he played for the Bulls when Chelios was on the Blackhawks, so it makes sense they’re friends.”
It goes beyond proximity. When Chelios returned to United Center as a Red Wing after a marquee trade, former fans were not pleased and booed hard. After being permitted to sit out after being unnervingly transformed into a traitor by an arena that once saw him as their hero, coach Scotty Bowman called in His Royal Airness to console him. The two watched the game together from Chelios’ suite.
“Jordan had my back, telling everyone ‘I’m not here for the Blackhawks, I’m here for Chris Chelios. I don’t like how they treated him.’”
Check out our whole interview with 4Korners on Zebra and check out Our House II by 401 WST here.
DJ 4Korners, the official DJ for the Toronto Raptors and one half of house duo 401 WST swung by the SMACK House to talk music and basketball.
The DJ and producer has made a local name for himself and internationally through his appearances at Raptors home games, spinning at events abroad many of which include celebrities, and fresh off the release of his second EP Our House II as one half of 401 WST. The EP is a response to the marginalization of coloured people in genres whose origins are indebted to them.
“In dance music, it’s kind of like rock music in that people don’t really know, at some point along in history there’s been a detachment from the actual people who created it who are black,” 4Korners explains, referencing house music’s origins to Chicago and Detroit. “I don’t want to say [other people are] completely co-opting it [...] it’s just so looked at as European, people in the dance music scene don’t know that it started in Chicago, spread through Detroit and New York, and then went over to London and then exploded around the world.”
Between Frankie Knuckles, Larry Levan, and Carl Cox, and insurmountable others who aren’t nearly as famous (which is to say really really not famous), the true pioneers of electronic music have yet to receive their flowers.
“We fell in love with dance music growing up and as we got older and got into the night life and the club culture […] I personally fell in love with the fact that house music and dance is all about inclusion.”
It’s this inclusion that led 4Korners to areas of extreme exclusivity – events that have included Kanye West, Drake, Puff Daddy, Bieber and a scroll of others.
When asked for the best celebrity event story that he is allowed to tell, he gave us two from one night.
I was playing Chris Chelios, the hockey legend’s Hall of Fame party. He was having his Hockey Hall of Fame induction party and I DJ’d. It was at Wayne Gretzky’s restaurant.
Chelios is an NHL legend: a twelve time all-star, a three time Stanley Cup champion, he’s owned restaurants in Detroit, property in Malibu, and is a friend to many notable celebrities.
It was a private party, and the guest list was like nothing I’ve ever seen or done in my life. Everyone was an A-lister Cindy Crawford, Cuba Gooding Jr, Kid Rock, a whole bunch.
The ceremony itself was held one day after the night 4Korners is describing on November 11, 2013 and had an onslaught of high profile guests in attendance including Ted Lindsay and former coach Scotty Bowman, tennis legend John McEnroe, character actors John C. McGinley and D.B. Sweeney, John Cusack, and Wayne Gretzky of course among those mentioned.
An article posted by Yahoo Life! envisioned the party on the eve of the induction: “if only we could have seen the party Sunday night in Toronto […] the one that was going strong long after 2:00 AM.”
Chris Tucker was trying to get my attention. He ran across the room like he was literally in a scene in Rush Hour, basically slid under the bar, popped up in front of me and he was like, “Yo can you play that song?” And he sang “Royals” by Lorde, like he sang it. He didn't remember the name.
Lorde’s “Royals” had come out just under five months before on June 5, 2013. It had replaced previous number one Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” just one month before the party.
I was like this is exactly who I thought you would be.
About ten minutes later Kid Rock is performing. He just gets up and says he wants to do some songs, so he starts performing.
Kid Rock in 2013 was less of the right wing icon that he is today. Mind you, this was two years before Charleston after which he refused to denounce the Confederate flag. Oddly enough, he also DJs.
I see a little huddle to my right and they look like they’re fanboying around somebody and I’m like…who could they possibly be so excited to see?
The crowd clears a little bit…it’s Michael-Fucking-Jordan. They’re all like Michael! Michael!
And I’m kind of just like…”that’s MJ right there, one meter away.” He was in full MJ form: rocking a suit, a big hoop earring, super chill, smoking a cigar. Everything you hoped he would be, he was and they were all so excited.
For a second I thought how do they know each other but then I realized like, “oh yeah, he played for the Bulls when Chelios was on the Blackhawks, so it makes sense they’re friends.”
It goes beyond proximity. When Chelios returned to United Center as a Red Wing after a marquee trade, former fans were not pleased and booed hard. After being permitted to sit out after being unnervingly transformed into a traitor by an arena that once saw him as their hero, coach Scotty Bowman called in His Royal Airness to console him. The two watched the game together from Chelios’ suite.
“Jordan had my back, telling everyone ‘I’m not here for the Blackhawks, I’m here for Chris Chelios. I don’t like how they treated him.’”
Check out our whole interview with 4Korners on Zebra and check out Our House II by 401 WST here.
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