Residents is an online video stream that showcases the musical landscapes of Edmonton from a variety of nooks and crannies around the city.
Think of it as a baby Boiler Room of best friends, with artists who are a lot more low key. Each 'episode' features 3 different DJs/producers, with genres varying from Hip Hop to House; Edmonton DJ Dan Pezim of the The Mood Machine crew broke the record with over 14 different genres in his 45 minute set!
"Something that has always been important to us is the relationship between performer and crowd. We believe that both should exist in the same space where they can interact and vibe from each other."
- Nathan Panousis
Residents consists of Joel Vallencourt, Michael Ng and Nathan Panousis. All three friends possess a shared passion and involvement in Edmonton's music scene, the desire to contribute and build up the community together was strong.
"I've been best friends with Nathan since high school and met Mike shortly after. Nathan and I moved in together after I returned from a year in Australia and I wanted to get back in the music scene and meet likeminded people."
- Joel Vallencourt
After Joel and Nathan moved in together, the three of them found the perfect way to combine their three areas of expertise; alongside their apartment, Residents was born. Mike handles the branding/promotion, Nathan, the audio, and Joel, the video.
Since its inception in late February of this year, Residents has managed to land a sponsorship with Aurora Beer to promote a local brand that supports the arts, not to mention a maxed out guest list every event. Between the three of them, the wheels are constantly turning with ideas to keep Residents fresh; it's safe to say these guys are onto something.
If you've been to a Residents event or tuned into their stream, you know it's special.
"It's intimate. We've found the performers get more nervous while preparing because it's such a close space and small crowd, plus a live stream that also gets released in full afterwards. We really just wanted a way to stay connected with fellow artists and provide a medium that focused on the music. By removing the performers from the typical club environment, they are able to play music that they normally wouldn't be able to. This has been one of our favourite things about the project and the artists have all agreed."
- Nathan Panousis
On June 11, Residents comes out of their home and into ours at 9910. The evening will run with the DJ in the middle of the dance floor - no stage, no hierarchy. Expect good tunes, all streamed/recorded via residents.tv
This special edition of Residents features three hometown heroes: Swim from The Mood Machine, NVS from Night Vision and Dane from 9910/Smiling Faces.
As this idea has quickly taken off and gained recognition and support from the community, what can we expect to see from Residents in the future?
"Higher quality and production with the same focus on music. We really want to keep evolving with the artist in mind. We're exploring new spaces and ideas for streams; we're also creating a hub for live streams and content to be featured. There's no shortage of local talent of all types/genres in Edmonton and we especially love continuing to find hidden gems through word of mouth from previous Residents' attendees."
- Michael Ng