Montreal perks up to sounds of DJ Native

For those who’ve had enough of the whole club scene, who’d rather hurl than choke down one more cup of keep-me-awake coffee, and who are in the mood for something “new age”, then up-and-coming DJ Native has just what weary ears are searching for.
Twenty-two-year-old Luke Dandurand, a native Montrealer and former Concordia Poli Sci student, is making his presence known on the after-hour rave scene.
Sporting his best thug apparel – an Off The Hook vest with baggy khakis and a new pair of Lugs on his feet – Dandurand explained how he first began as a DJ. “I started spinning about three years ago with CDs at the radio station [at Champlain College]. I was more into hip hop then.”
Dandurand, also known as DJ Native due to his Native American roots, first began “feeling the house vibe” when he started going to SONA, an after-hours club, at age 20.
Working at disc shop Taboo Records has also helped his ever-blossoming DJ career. DJ Native owes much of his success to his entourage of numerous Montreal club promoters. “It would be more of a long and treacherous process. I’m just fortunate to be in these surroundings. Promoters come in and they hear my music and they like what they hear. Taboo has just been a great outlet for me to get my music heard by many different people.”
Inspired by such DJs as Max Graham and DJ Lafleche, Native has defined himself as a progressive house mixer. “It’s house that builds its beat up and then drops down to a lower bass. I guess I chose this style of house because that’s the music I was surrounded by and the one that caught my attention the most.”
DJ Native’s music has in turn caught the attention of others. He compiled a CD, Sounds from a Nation, which was released seven months ago, and has gotten nothing but rave (no pun intended) reviews.
“My boss let me play a few of my tracks in the store and people were coming in and asking if we had this album on the shelf. But because of copyright laws I couldn’t sell anything,” said Native.
His second release, Spiritual Healings, a title inspired by an article he read for a research project on the rave scene, called Spiritual Healing in the Western Subculture, has also rendered him famous among faithful SONA patrons.
“I was at SONA one night supporting my fellow DJs, and this girl came up to me and asked me, ‘Aren’t you DJ Native?’ I was really shocked and flattered.”
DJ Native is also getting recognized by people in the industry. His music is getting airplay on the Net at soulkool.com a promotional site in New York City, as well as on groove.ca a residency DJ site that has frequency in both Canada and the US.
Yet, it has not all been smooth sailing for the young star. He explained one occasion, where he was approached by a promoter to do a New Year’s Day show at L’After in Laval. “I said sure, you know every gig is one gig closer to me getting known. But the experience wasn’t that great. There were not a lot of people, and it was during the day so I was kind of disappointed with the outcome but you have to look at it in a positive light. You learn from each experience.”
With that not-so enlightening experience behind him, Native is now working on his third release, which should be compiled by mid-April.
Does Luke Dandurand, Mr. DJ Luke Native ever think he will make it to superstar status? “I hope so, but there are a lot of DJs out there who have a lot of talent, but who have huge egos and that’s not what I’m about.”
So, what exactly is DJ Native about? “I’m all about the music. As long as people can come and dance, that’s what it’s all about.”

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