DJ Lowdown: John Cougar

Onetime Straight music critic John McFarland is a man of many hats, heading up publicity for Vancouver's premier house label, Nordic Trax, coordinating marketing and booking opportunities for several of the city's best producers and DJs, and promoting concerts under the guise of his 2guerilla venture. On Fridays, he becomes John Cougar, hosting Library Square's Casbah!, a weekly event showcasing local bands and sets from a who's who of rock-and-dance mashup DJs. The Straight recently caught up with Cougar to find out what's rocking his world right now.

FIRST GIG

"It was in 1993 at a warehouse rave–I was in the chillout room playing Brian Eno ambient records, KLF's Chill Out , the Orb, Mixmaster Morris, and Pink Floyd to a bunch of candy ravers chewing their faces off."

CRAZIEST GIG

"In 2003 at the Pic Pub for the Casbah! and Vice Party with Stink Mitt and Black Rice. The place was packed to the rafters with kids wanting to destroy everything that came before them and doing it beautifully–that and watching a bunch of scenester rockers taste the raunch of Stink Mitt. That was ground zero for today's scene."

CURRENT TOP 5 CHART

Johnny Jones & the King Casuals "Purple Haze"

Black Lips "Good Bad Not Evil"

Cajun Dance Party "The Next Untouchable"

Matt & Kim "Yeah Yeah (Ocelot remix)"

Pharoah Monch "Body Baby (Optimo Espacio Dub)"

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT CASBAH!?

"It's a dance-punk mishmash that seems to attract an eclectic crowd that's always up for it no matter what we may have in store for them. And it is the only night locally that features both bands and DJs on a weekly basis."

WHAT'S THE STATE OF VANCOUVER NIGHTLIFE?

"It needs to be a lot less hipster/scenester and have a lot more fuckin' soul."