The 411 on Cam Maxwell
Plus Exclusive Interview!

If you have partied in Toronto’s afterhours scene at all in the past 10 to 15 years Cam
Maxwell is likely a name you are familiar with. He has a weekly residency at Toronto’s
infamous Comfort Zone and is regularly booked for appearances at Footwork, Film, and
Guvernment, as well as various other venues and parties throughout the city.

He is known for playing a mixture of House styles ranging from Techno to Electro to Tribal
and more, all depending on the venue and crowd he is playing for. I don’t know Cam quite
as well as some of the other DJ’s I’ve written about but I’d say this gives you a good intro
to who he is. I will let the following interview that I did with him tell you more about the
man they call Cam Maxwell.

 Here is my exclusive interview with Cam Maxwell.

A: Well I got into electronic dance music back in the early nineties when I started to attend the underground raves that were going on. As I started to become more and more involved in that scene, which is just my nature, I was naturally drawn to the idea of Djing myself. Watching my good friends who were DJ’s and of course seeing all the international talent perform was really something special for me. I absolutely love the energy and excitement that a DJ can bring to a party. So it wasn’t long until I bought a set of 1200’s and some records and started teaching myself the art.

Q: You’ve been in Toronto’s scene for quite a while, longer than many of the DJ’s around today at least. From your perspective how has the scene changed over the past 10 or 15 years?

A: It’s true that I’ve been around for quite some time in the scene, since the early nineties, although I did actually take a break for awhile. I was definitely lucky enough to be around when the RAVE culture started to evolve in Toronto and saw parties go from 500-600 people events to 14000-15000 mega parties. That was a really special time and I’m glad I was able to be a part of it. But as things started to change and the city began cracking down on the larger events, when you saw the scene move into the clubs, I decided to take a break and pursue some other avenues in my life. Although I maintained some friendships and still came out to the odd event every now and then, I was definitely busy with the other aspects of my life for awhile. But as things started to settle for me in terms of a career and a house and stuff like that, I always found myself drawn back to electronic dance music and especially the culture that surrounds it. So I inevitably decided to pick up another set of decks with the intent of just having some fun at home. Well, I literally had so much fun that first weekend I decided to get back into the swing of things right away...lol! So after throwing some smaller events for me and my friends I approached Film Lounge in the hopes of starting to play to some bigger crowds again. My friend Bruce is a bouncer there and he gladly put some CD’s in the right hands, and after not too long they gave me a shot to come play and I quickly got a residency there. I really do owe the whole Film crew (Charles, Lynda, JJ & Bruce) for giving me that exposure and letting me get my sound out again. As I’m sure you know I was at Film for quite awhile, and without that opportunity I wouldn’t have been able to grow the fan base that I have.

Now, what was second part of that question again? LOL!! Well, the scene has changed in many ways from what it was 10-15 years ago to today. Then scene started of small and was quite unique in the sense that everyone knew everyone, but then blew up very quickly and become quite large. In those days of the super 15000 people parties you had a large number of people who were out to just party and didn’t have very much knowledge of the music or even the DJ’s. The scene had become very “popular” or even “commercial” to a certain degree at its peak and I think it may have suffered from that. There were always the core people who did appreciate the music and knew who the DJ’s were of course, but overall a lot of people were just out because it was the cool thing to do at the time. Today the scene in Toronto, although smaller, is much more educated I think. I’ve always thought of our scene as much more than just a love for electronic dance music, but more of a culture or way of life and I think our scene reflects that now. People know exactly what kind of music they want to hear, and they know what clubs and what DJ’s will provide that sound for them. People are much more aware of the international scene as well and know what talent they want to see brought in to Toronto. I love our scene here, and I think we’re very lucky.

Q: What artists have most inspired you over the years? And is there one artist that really inspired you to get into DJ’ing?

A: Well back in the day I always loved watching Donald Gluade and DJ Dan play. They both were very funky as they mixed and it was definitely something to watch. But I think what has always inspired me more than anything is the connection the DJ has with the crowd and the energy that can build from that connection. I just love how the DJ and the crowd can feed off each other during a performance, it can be a real give and take relationship and I just love that.

Q: There are many variables/aspects that make up a great DJ, in your opinion what is most important?

A: Although many things can contribute to a great DJ as you mentioned, I think the most important thing has to be passion. As long as a DJ has a passion for what he’s doing then it will come out through his music, and the crowd will definitely pick up on that. You can always tell when someone is trying to be a DJ for the wrong reasons and they lack that passion in what they’re doing. It will come out in their music. As I think it is with most things in life, if you are doing something your passionate about it will show and you’ll be successful in the end.

Q: Favorite venue to play in Toronto and why?

A: Well I’ve been lucky enough to play most venues in Toronto and all of them have their pros and cons. I actually like to be playing different venues all the time because each one is unique in their own way. I love Comfort Zone because I can play a little darker and harder than other clubs, I love Footwork and Gallery because there so intimate with the crowd, I love Film because the crowd there is so different. Each club is different and challenging in its own certain way, and I love that.

  

Q: I’m sure you’ve had plenty over the years, but is there a most memorable event that you can peg down?

A: Well just recently Evan G and I played together in Gallery on four decks and two mixers. That was the first time I had ever done that with someone and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. We had played back2back together but this was completely different, we really had such an amazing time playing like that and it showed. Our energy levels were through the roof and the crowd really responded to that. That has got to be one of the most memorable nights I’ve had in some time. Of course I enjoy each and every time I play, but that was really a unique experience.

A: Well back in the RAVE days I remember playing a party at a big warehouse in the west end. As I was playing I saw two guys and a girl dancing quite close to each other in front of the booth. They were obviously having a great time and seemed to be oblivious to the crowd around them. Well, as time led on they got more and more in to each other and before you knew it clothes started coming off and certain “parts’ were getting exposed. I was in total awe at the fact that I was about to witness a full blown threesome on the dancefloor in front of me! But, security got there JUST in time of course and things were cooled off. I was so taken back by it I barely caught the record ending…..lol!!!!

Q: Dj’s get a lot of stupid/strange requests. What’s the biggest WTF request you’ve gotten (as in all you could think to yourself was WTF when the person asked you)?

A: lol......well that would have to be “do you want to come home and bang my wife?” or “can you turn it down I have a headache?”

Q: What do you like most about Toronto’s nightlife and afterhours scene?

A: What I like most about the nightlife and afterhours scene here in Toronto is the people. I’m a very open and friendly guy and I just love meeting new people all the time. I’ve really developed some great friendships with people that I never would have met outside of our scene. Not everyone is perfect mind you, but for the most part I think I think we’ve got a really good group of people here supporting electronic dance music. I also love that we’re lucky enough to have a lot of variety in this city. Not only do we have so many talented local DJ’s to listen to, but we get all the big international talent here almost every week as well. We’re very lucky are scene is what it is.

Q: What’s your biggest pet peeve with Toronto’s nightlife and afterhours scene?

A: Well, my biggest pet peeve would have to be the stigma that gets attached to our scene. Anyone who is not involved at all with electronic dance music will attached a certain stigma once they hear the words “house”, “techno” or “trance”. Some people just don’t understand why we would want to dance till the sun comes up listening to our favorite DJ’s. They think people are just looking for a reason to party all night and have no idea the draw this type of music has for us. And this is the type of stigma that’s played out in the media that eventually starts to impact our right to throw events by imposing more and more restrictions. Some people just don’t understand, and when some people don’t understand something they don’t accept it.

Q: Could you name your all time favorite track, if so what is it?

A: Well, an all time favorite track is hard to say as my tastes change over time. There is an older vocal track that I just can’t stop playing and that’s called “Malfunction” by Andrea Carnell (Chris Moody Mix) that is a few years old. It has a great uplifting vocal that always seems to get the crowd going if dropped at the right time.

Q: What’s your current favorite track?

A: I don’t really have one favorite track, as some tracks only fit certain situations, but I’m definitely feeling the tribal sound a lot lately. I have especially been into most of the tracks being released by D-Unity lately, they have that nice tribal-tech sound that I love.

Q: Aside from Dj’ing what do you like to do on your free time?

A: Well, since I work full time as well as DJ and don’t have that much free time. When I do get some time at home I try to spend as much time in the studio as I can working on production. I also love to travel and tend to do a lot of scuba diving when I can as well.
 

Q: What artists should we be looking out for this summer?

A: Well, in terms of music production I would definitely say Carlo Lio and D-Unity. They have really been producing some fantastic tracks lately and have been getting some international attention. I think they’re in the right position to blow up and start getting the acclaim they deserve.

As for local latent, we really do have so many talented DJ’s in this city that just don’t get enough exposure. That’s why I’m glad to see Ovi M finally getting the attention he deserves, I’ve always enjoyed watching him play and I love hearing his sets.

Q: Chocolate or Vanilla?

A:Chocolate

Q: Crab Juice or Mountain Dew?

A:Neither

Q: Mac or PC?

A:Mac for music, PC for work

Q: Any last words of wisdom?

A: Well I guess I hope everyone continues to support our scene here in Toronto. As I’ve already said, I think we have something very special here but it does take some hard work from the local clubs owners and promoters to make it all happen. So I just hope that everyone keeps coming out and supporting the clubs and DJ’s they love. If it wasn’t for all of you, none of us would be able to do what we love……..so thank you!

For more info as well as to contact Cam check out http://www.cammaxwell.com

Dont forget you can check Cam out at the PartyPm.com Houseboat Retrospect boat cruise July 26th 

Aaron

“Getting down to business, so you can get to the business of getting down”