Trevor Walker, Princia Cirondeye, Chris Wong

This is the beat of Ottawa’s nightlife. 

On the official City of Ottawa Nightlife Office podcast, Ottawa At Night, get to know the stories of the people working on stage, behind the bar, in the kitchen, at the studio and into the night, bringing our city to life from sunset to sunrise.   

In the third episode of the Ottawa At Night podcast, we sit down with Trevor Walker, Princia Cirondeye and Chris Wong. While all three guests are prolific DJs, each brings their own flare to Ottawa’s nightlife as event and festival producers. Trevor Walker is a mainstay turntable maestro, Princia Cirondeye (DJ PC) is the notable founder of Amashi and Platains & Caviar, and Chris Wong (DJ Bagowji) the Co-Director/Founder of the Asinabka Film Festival.  

Filmed and recorded at Centretown hi-fi listening lounge, FONO. 

Theme music by The Lionyls - “Can’t Get Enough”  

Produced in collaboration with Baldwin Studios  

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Voici le rythme de la vie nocturne d’Ottawa. 

Dans le podcast officiel du Bureau de la vie nocturne de la Ville d’Ottawa, Ottawa la nuit, découvrez les histoires de celles et ceux qui travaillent sur scène, derrière le bar, en cuisine, en studio et après la tombée de la nuit—donnant vie à notre ville du coucher au lever du soleil.  

Dans le troisième épisode du podcast d’Ottawa la nuit, nous nous entretenons avec Trevor Walker, Princia Cirondeye et Chris Wong. Bien que les trois invité.e.s soient des DJ prolifiques, chacun apporte sa propre influence à la vie nocturne d’Ottawa en tant que producteurs.rices d’événements et de festivals. Trevor Walker est un maître incontournable des platines, Princia Cirondeye (DJ PC) est la fondatrice reconnue d’Amashi et de Plantains & Caviar, et Chris Wong (DJ Bagowji) est le co-directeur et fondateur du festival de film Asinabka. 

Tourné et enregistré au salon d’écoute hi-fi du centre-ville, FONO.

Musique par The Lionyls - « Can’t Get Enough » 

Produit en collaboration avec Baldwin Studios  

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:01

Keep up with the night owls making our city buzz from sunset to sunrise. Three night owls under some very bright lights. Welcome a bienvenue to Ottawa at Night. Trevor Walker, a living legend on the dance floor in more ways than one, ensuite Principles de Hyde, Osi Kang Yu come DJ PC. And last but not least, co-director and programmer of the Asanabka Film Festival. It's Chris Wong. I'm Zoe Argyropoulos Hunter, and this is Ottawa at Night. Let's get into it. Chris, how are things shaping up for the 2026 edition of the Asinabka Film Festival?

SPEAKER_05 0:39

Things are looking good, Zoe. We have over 100 submissions to Asinabka this year. We're looking at different um genres of indigenous music to program, including possibly punk music as well as um some new electronic indigenous musicians that are coming up. And uh in terms of our art show, we're doing a still call to submissions with our partner Gallery 101. Uh, but we are looking at a partnership with the National Gallery for their new international Inuit exposition that's opening up uh sometime this spring. So we'll be programming a film series for that. So looking forward to checking that out and promoting it through the festival. And um also on the DJ side, um I program a bi-monthly party, Neon Wigwam, which is an all-vinal party. And we're looking to do something either next month or early June.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Okay, great.

SPEAKER_05 1:25

So it's gonna be fun. Come check it out.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

And Trevor, how about you? Any upcoming gigs on the horizon?

SPEAKER_04 1:29

It's a couple of things happening with uh time code. There's a few in the coming months. Big gigs. Uh just my weekly residency I do as well at uh 27 Club radio show every second week, CKCU 93.1 on Fridays, 5 to 7. And also a monthly that I'm doing at uh cassette.

SPEAKER_01 1:48

Okay, great.

SPEAKER_04 1:49

And uh hopefully a monthly here at Phono too. Uh I did my first phono just uh this past Friday, actually when this was being filmed, but uh hopefully it'll be happening uh on a monthly basis and it was it was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_01 2:02

Okay, excellent. We'll have to catch you around town for sure.

SPEAKER_00 2:12

For the moment, the gentleman on my radar, Nikki Ghost, Trills, uh DJ like DJ K, DJ Maz, uh two DJs who have joined for my event Planted Caviar. Um, okay, super.

SPEAKER_01 2:29

So thank you so much, you three, for being here. I'd like to warm up the mics tonight with a little bit of um healthy competition. So I hope you've uh brought your trivia skills to the show. Um, are you ready for the night quiz? Question number one the first edition of the Hallucinations Electric Powow, a now iconic event that celebrates the intersection of indigenous and club culture, was held at which former Ottawa venue? Was it A, Babylon? B, Zapods, or C, the Mercury Lounge?

SPEAKER_05 3:02

I like to say Babylon? Yeah, that's right. Um I'm really impressed and proud of Lucination and formerly a tribe called Red, and how far they've taken their music around the world and the influence it's had on not only indigenous music, but cinema and popular culture and the way like um contemporary Indigenous people are seen in the media and in pop culture. So kudos to them for putting that out there. But I I also think that we need more of that here in the city, more electric powwows and more like nightlife events geared to like indigenous people and and people of color, more of that underground contemporary sound.

SPEAKER_01 3:43

Yeah, absolutely. And we're gonna get into that a little bit later on the importance of building community through nightlife. Question number two. This one is uh also probably familiar to some of the heads in the room. So CED Festival, founded in 1975, is considered the plus ancient and the plus important de son genre in America, attirant plus of 25 miles a shaken. B the Ottawa International Film Festival, or C City Folk?

SPEAKER_04 4:14

I would I would say city folk, je pense que c'est city folk.

SPEAKER_01 4:18

No, c'est pas city folk. No, punk. Um it's the Ottawa International Film Festival. Yeah, 25,000 people come out for it year after year, which is pretty amazing. That's a statistic I didn't know. All right, moving on to question number three. Which Ottawa bookstore previously hosted DIY punk shows and dance parties in between its shelves? Was it a book bazaar, B, all books, or C, Black Squirrel books?

SPEAKER_05 4:47

A black squirrel books.

SPEAKER_01 4:48

Yeah, that's right. I know that you and I probably cross paths at some of those dance parties at that bookstore. And a fun fact, the previous booker of black squirrel books is now the owner of Mona, where we are today. Question number four Quel etablissement de la vie nocturne avec un thematique d'animo n'est pas situé à Ottawa. Est-ce que c'est a rabbit hole? B, the black dog pub, ou se the black sheep inn.

SPEAKER_04 5:13

Black sheep inn? No? Okay.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

Yep, that's right. It's the black sheep inn. Have you ever been before?

SPEAKER_04 5:17

I have. I have. Yeah. I've I actually DJed there once as well. Yeah. And I know the uh the previous owner guy used to used to bartend at my first DJ gig at uh Club Zinc back in the 80s and early 90s.

SPEAKER_01 5:31

Ah, okay. Club Zinc. Very cool. You probably hung out with my mom back in the day then. Going now to question number five: which Ottawa drag queen won season two of Canada's drag race? Was it A, Kiki Ko, B, ISIS Couture, or C?

SPEAKER_05 5:47

Oh it was uh ISIS Couture.

SPEAKER_01 5:50

Yeah, that's right. Are you a fan?

SPEAKER_05 5:51

I am. Yeah, I remember ISIS before they were a drag queen.

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Okay, well, thank you three for entertaining the night quiz. Um, in preparation for today's show, I asked uh some of our guests to embark on a little bit of a challenge and get outside of their nightlife comfort zone. So uh Princia, vous avez apporté Trevor at votre série Plantain a caviar, uh Yaswa, uh City at night, probably new de votre experience.

SPEAKER_04 6:19

It was uh refreshing, like fresh sound seeing what the youth were into. Like it's like people my my kids' age basically was was the crowd. So it was uh school, it was banging, bumping, and then got into some R B and stuff as well. Um it was like a fresh scene, and it was it took me out of Ottawa, actually. I was like, oh, where is this? Where am I right now?

SPEAKER_01 6:42

That's very high praise. Uh Prince Yeah, could you tell the produce that events? It's what the focus musical?

SPEAKER_00 6:55

Normally I joined in. I joined from 10 hours to 11 hours, and I listen the rest of the day on the DJ that I've applied this. The music is central on the future of the diaspora african. Shocking weekend has a song different. But this weekend, for example, um we have a lot of dance hall, a lot of batida, a lot of RB. But in general, our day is really focused on the future of the diaspora.

SPEAKER_02 7:35

And is that it's just the young DJs who are in Ottawa or they are?

SPEAKER_00 7:41

Don't depend. Um, this weekend we have two DJs who are from Montreal and another DJ who went to New York. So I think that now, and also during the day, we will say to inviting people who are in other parts. But after September there has always been a DJs that are in Ottawa.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

Why is the public reach to see the age of their parents?

SPEAKER_00 8:10

I think people are shocked. I think we have told a big message of people who are never.

SPEAKER_04 8:22

I mean I shaved, so I look a little bit younger than I normally do. But uh I I didn't feel like I stood out particularly. I mean, there was another gentleman there who was probably my age, maybe a bit older even. Um, so I wasn't the only uh geriatric, so to speak.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

And at the same time though, what can you say about how people closer to age to French and I hit the dance floor? Comparable to your heyday, better, worse?

SPEAKER_04 8:50

No, people had moves, you know. There I felt like I was taken back to when I was a kid, you know, doing going out to the clubs and stuff. I felt I didn't really feel out of place, and I felt like people were, you know, they're vibing. Like it was uh it was a nice vibe. It was a great party.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

And speaking of when you were a kid, Trevor, um I've found this photo of you from the archives that's around from the time when you would have gotten your start, which I think is when you were close to Prince's age. So can you tell us a little bit about first of all what's going on in this picture here? And also what nightlife in Ottawa was like when you were our age.

SPEAKER_04 9:25

So that I was actually a teenager. I was too young to be going out at that point, but we did go, and that's we started going to zinc uh back in those days. So I think I was 18 or 17, even maybe in that picture. The nightlife scene was uh school dances. Um at one point, there was really nothing for youth, I would say. Not really a nightlife scene. Like it was, I mean, there was these party arnie dances that would happen. There was another spot called Astrolight, which is like kind of an after hours, um, but it wasn't an after hours in in what we think of after hours now. It's like you stayed out late and you had to wait for the buses to start in the morning again. So they just kept it open for all the kids. So you know, everyone's just sitting around.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

Um, and what did trading places tell you about Ottawa's nightlife? Um, par exemple, Princia Esqueta en Vie de Umet Assiste en Perfo de Trevor et Apon d'Ajouet ou um Trevor. Do you want to hang out with more Gen Z DJs?

SPEAKER_04 10:29

I mean, I think it would be a riot to uh to play that night. I mean, I I I might have something to offer. I don't know. I mean, I'm I think I'm pretty up sometimes. So but the the Afrofuturism for sure is something that I've always kind of pushed. So it's it was cool to see it at another level and not from my perspective. So it was uh yeah, it's very cool. Yeah, very cool night.

SPEAKER_00 10:52

I feel the same. Uh I think that the joy on vinyl uh it's a lot that does rest in view. Um, certainly because the genre of music that you can do is a bit limited, but it's an art that demands a lot of patience, a lot of research. Um I think that all the new DJs would be that experience.

SPEAKER_04 11:21

Doing Afro futurism right now with modern music is that vinyl is just so damn expensive that uh it's it's restrictive for for new DJs. So you understand why they would want to they would do a you know, so I mean that's why you get so many throwbacks, I find, in the culture right now, is because kids are going out, I mean, young vinyl DJs are going out and they're buying used records generally, and they're a lot cheaper. So it's all the revival of disco and the classic house now or whatever it is, techno or drum and bass, even now. I mean, music is 20 years old, and there was tons of the of those records. So now the new DJs, sure, they're buying new records, but new records are ridiculously expensive, like it's prohibitive. So they're buying used records, and the used records are you know the old records that the old DJs have gotten rid of. And they're out there and they're cheaper than the new records.

SPEAKER_01 12:11

So both of you DJ vinyl. So I'm curious to ask where do you find good records in Ottawa?

SPEAKER_05 12:16

I like to go to the record center on Wellington Street. Yeah, um I go to compact, um, baked goods. Actually, I think I've hitten hit most of the record stores in the city at this point.

SPEAKER_04 12:29

But yeah, record center. Um, I vertigo bake goods as well. And this wherever I can find, there's there's a place called the Groove Bunker. A friend of mine, he has uh has a uh shipping container out in uh out in the country. It's by appointment only, but he has the best prices and probably the best dance music around as well. His specialty is is you know classic house drum and bass electronic music. So yeah, if you're um if you're looking for records, but it's by appointment only, so it's it's got a little bit exclusive.

SPEAKER_05 13:03

Okay. Sometimes you find some treasures at um Value Village. Oh, yeah, that's the other uh Sally Ann. Yeah, and they um there's a flea market at Lansdown. Yes that they do every once in a while called the 613 Flea World Flea Market, I think. And eventually sometimes people come out and they have like crates of vinyls and you can find some really good ones for fairly cheap there. Or you can make a deal. You can hagel.

SPEAKER_01 13:28

Hey Princia, come and DJ exclusively the music electronic. Come on, do you decide the music on the internet?

SPEAKER_00 13:41

I think it could be nervous enough DJ to have a lot of options. We can have access to all the music that has exist, all the music that has exist in our time. Um artists that I am a little and I keep those DJs. I think that at Ottawa we are and there are many spots that find that people don't eat the same music. And if I move to an event where you partake necessarily the same go in terms of music, um I decided to see how I can adapt to my style. There's also much to do.

SPEAKER_01 14:47

It sounds like you three have a lot to say about Ottawa's nightlife, so I'm wanting to dig a little bit deeper with a friendly night chat. So to start, I know that you've all spoken to this a little bit, but I want to know more about what your start in Ottawa's nightlife was like, whether it was, you know, maybe going to school dances in your case. What about you, Chris? How did you get the idea to start a film festival?

SPEAKER_05 15:10

It came actually from I was taking an indigenous language class, Nishnabuen class at Carlton University that was open to the public. And members of the community come in for free, you know, you take this class. Um, and it was aimed for the indigenous people of Ottawa to reconnect with their language because of ongoing the history of like language suppression in Canada and the Indian Act. Now there's gener there's a generation of people who don't know their language in their residential schools. Um, so this was a way of like giving back as part of the truth and reconciliation movement to encourage more people to learn the language. It was only for like a summer, and after the summer was over, I wanted to keep that class going. So I went down to a special place in the city called Victoria Island, and I would go and have a fire out there in this sort of indigenous ceremonial space. And I started like texting and inviting my friends to come out and hang out. And we just like we teach ourselves through the books and bring a lunch, you know, bring my family, and we just talk. And we we would talk in the language. And from there, one of my friends, uh Howard Adler, who's a filmmaker, we started chatting about films because we were both filmmakers. And um, next thing you knew, we were like going to an Indian Bollywood film festival that was happening because we got caught in a rainstorm on the way back. And we're like, well, there's there's no native film festivals in Ottawa, so why don't we why don't we just start one? And at the time I was working at the Ottawa Writers Festival, and um they gave a lot of encouragement to the idea. They they taught us how to like get the grants and and uh organize events, and that was like close to 20 years ago.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

But what do you think has been one of the most impactful experiences since you know following the dream of uh starting your own festival?

SPEAKER_05 16:59

The relationships that I've made along the way, um some of the great art we've got to present and bring in artists from like around the world, from Maori, from Auto Yoda, New Zealand, people from Sami from like the Nordic countries have come. And also to travel too, and to present Indigenous films and art um in different places. Like I've I've been to New Zealand a few times, um went to different First Nations, presented films there, um, England, uh Rome. So it's been uh an honor. I don't make a lot of money doing it, so please give us money, but um it's been an honor to like travel and make relationships and have these great experiences, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 17:42

Hey Princia, could you elaborate on that branch Chris Touch the focus uh constructing a community along the way I think the nocturne is a little bit like what we do. But when you move in an expert and with the same person, it's like they've been the shape to familiar with not just what they are in the world, but their person. And I think with Plantin and Caviar, for example, it will create an experience for people who have a lot of life when we talk about music african. The music african could come with half-beats, but the music like the map piano or the batida, it's just what we think a little bit more, but that is.

SPEAKER_04 19:26

I guess one of the changes and one of the beautiful things about the scene now is since the whole evolution of technology and you know, apps and uh social media and stuff like that, people don't need to go out for cruising. It used to be going, you go out to cruise and party, but now people don't need to do that anymore. It's not so people are I think are more inclined to go out to actually enjoy the music. It's not a meeting kind of whatever place. So at least for for underground music for sure, more than more than it used to be. So that evolution is a beautiful thing to see because that's always what you're trying to aspire for. Like, really, I want people to come out and be there for the music, you know. You hear the whole movement of no cell phones on the dance floor, all this kind of thing. And yeah, that would be the ideal if you can get there.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

You know, on that note of going against the grain and also with technology becoming more accessible, whether you're a DJ or a filmmaker, what are all of your thoughts on just the accessibility of being able to create now being such a possibility, opening doors for so many people, especially in Ottawa, that's not known to be an industry city. I feel like we're all champions of DIY. So curious to hear your thoughts on that.

SPEAKER_05 20:37

I've been hanging out with this um DJ, Sizey, and um super gifted DJ. And I watched them take a sampler, one of those uh Roland visited 404, and they they plug in their turntable into it. They take a 10-second loop of a record, and then another record and different sounds, and then they're playing like a musical instrument. And they can I mean they can do it live. Like and it's kind of a throwback to like how the original like house music and kind of hip hop music was made. And that do-it-yourself is is still around if you just take the time and power through all the distractions that are out there um to focus. And you know, you can still make this music anywhere. So I I feel like the potential and the possibility is still there, and it's cool to see these bright lights uh still you know pushing the music forward.

SPEAKER_04 21:31

Yeah, it's everyone's a musician at heart. Um any you know, anyone can make music, whether it's good is another thing. Um but you have the gems that come out of all of that, like the saturation. But I mean, it's always kind of been like that, but now it's on another level. Like you go to SoundCloud and it's a black hole of endless music. If if you if you really dig for it, there's gonna be all kinds of stuff that's mediocre, of course, but then there's gonna be the gems. That are gonna come out. And you know, people who are talented, have an ear, or who've listened to a lot of music know what's up, as well as gifted musicians who are adopting or using the technology, it's uh it can be a beautiful thing.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

I think uh kind of like Trevor said, there's a lot of noise, um, especially on apps like SoundCloud. And um, when I think of a genre, for example, like Ama Piano, uh, it's a genre that's evolved so much since it's it's come out, and it's so easy for music to become popular and then you know, kind of lose its roots. Um, but places like SoundCloud is where you can find like older DJs from South Africa who were making music in their basement, and sometimes that's the best kind of music. Um so part of the the DIY aspect too is also just doing your research as a DJ and like finding what you love, but also just honing in on your craft and learning how to play it.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

Yeah, say more about that because I feel like your really success story in terms of a younger DJ that you know is really gifted. You went through the Pass the Vibes program and now you've gone on to teach that program. Tell us more about that experience.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

Yeah, for sure. Um, Pass the Vibes. Um I was able to go to their open decks for a while. Um, and slowly but surely I was also building my own event series called Ameshi, which then turned into Plants Dancing Caviar. I think that from starting as as a mentee to then becoming a mentor has taught me so much and has also exposed me to so much more music, so many more people in the city that are doing uh what we all love. Um and yeah, I think it was it was very beneficial for me, not only to create my community of people who are coming to my events, um, but to ever evolving. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Yeah, it's really a full circle moment. Well, thank you, three, for speaking from the heart on this segment. It's always great to learn about how you've come full circle and are still growing in your different light life capacities. Um, tend off the show today. I want to turn things up a bit and now get some hot takes out of you. This next segment to close things off is called this or that. Which party technique from ancient history would you rather resurrect from the dead? Would it be dial for a party location or dial for a track ID?

SPEAKER_04 24:30

What you're saying about dial for the party. It takes me back to the rave days when people would have to call a number and then they would find out to go to a certain location to figure out where the event is happening, just to keep it away from, you know, the I guess the uh law enforcement or whoever the enforcers might be at the time. Um, and that was like a true underground thing. I mean, that was a beautiful thing back in the day. I would, you know, uh it makes me nostalgic for uh for that whole that whole vibe. It was it was special.

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Chris, did you ever have to dial for a party location?

SPEAKER_05 25:04

I did, and they used to have flyers downtown, and oddly enough, it was always the same location. You meet there at 11 o'clock and then there's a bus that would take you somewhere else.

SPEAKER_01 25:17

Would you rather have unlimited guest list or unlimited snacks in the green room?

SPEAKER_00 25:22

Good question.

SPEAKER_01 25:23

I'd say snacks.

SPEAKER_00 25:25

I feel like it'll be it's nice, it adds a little bit of I think even that sense of community can come with food.

SPEAKER_04 25:33

Back to the guest list. So my whole philosophy on guest list is come from an old Lil Lewis record, and there is no guest list tonight. Because if you're gonna come to the party, you need to support. I don't think there should be guest lists. I mean, that's kind of cold of me. I don't if I go to an event, I expect to pay. I you know, and guest listing is a slight thorn in my side sometimes. As somebody who maybe who who throws events as well, but of course I want to get people in for free and whatever. But I think also people should support. And especially the underground scene, because it's it's the hardest to make a living at.

SPEAKER_00 26:11

When you pay for a bill or an event, you're not just trying to support the person who does, but the important party we know that the nocturne continue to rules like it, we have a circulation of things also. Um, we want to be here and we know that rent gratuitely because we want the people that we know at our events. Um, but the support uh artists locally is really important also.

SPEAKER_01 26:54

Chris, to guest list or not to guest list?

SPEAKER_05 26:57

No guest list. I'd rather have the free food and the uh meeting room.

SPEAKER_01 27:01

It's a good trade-off. Yeah, I think that's all that I have for you three tonight. So thank you so much for joining me. And on that note, any parting words for our audience before we say goodnight?

SPEAKER_05 27:11

Come on out and enjoy the nightlife. Yeah, please please continue to support what uh we can make this grow together.

SPEAKER_00 27:16

I agree. I'd say there's something for everyone in Ottawa. Uh, and so don't limit yourself to certain venues or certain spaces. Check things out, and whether that's on social media or in person, talk to people about what's going on.

SPEAKER_01 27:30

Thank you, merci Princia, Trevor Ecresteur Asoir Vacmois Ottawa at night. Keep up with the Ottawa Night Life Office on our website at OttawaatNight.ca and on Instagram at OTTnight30.ca slash podcast.