From 1999 to 2006, I held a residency at Vancouver's Lotus Sound Lounge called Deepen. What started as a weekly night became something much bigger — an era in the city's underground story.
I started Deepen and later shared it with my musical brothers Jay Tripwire and Tyler Stadius. Between the three of us, we had a wide range of influences but a shared commitment to quality. We weren't interested in trends. We were interested in timeless music.
The Sound
Deepen was deep house at its core, but it was never narrow. On any given night you might hear stripped-back minimal alongside lush vocal house, or dubby techno flowing into classic Chicago jack tracks. The thread that connected everything was feel. If it moved the room, it belonged.
Lotus Sound Lounge was the perfect space for what we were doing. Intimate enough that you could feel the energy of every person on the floor, but with a sound system that could deliver the low end properly. The room had warmth to it — both acoustically and spiritually.
Bringing the World to Vancouver
We brought in incredible artists from around the world — many who are still touring today. DJs and producers who were pushing the boundaries of deep house, techno, and everything in between. These weren't just bookings; they were exchanges. Every guest artist who came through left something behind and took something with them.
Looking back, I really feel like we had our finger on the pulse of timeless music. The records we were playing then still sound right today. That's the test, isn't it? Not whether something sounds current, but whether it sounds eternal.
What Deepen Meant
Deepen wasn't just a weekly. It was a community. The same faces showing up week after week, not because of hype or marketing, but because they believed in what was happening in that room. There was trust between the DJs and the dancers. We respected their time and their ears, and they gave us the space to take risks.
Seven years is a long time for any residency, and every phase had its own character. But the constants were always the same: deep music, good people, and a shared understanding that we were all there for something real.
Those years shaped everything I do today — as a DJ, as a producer, and as the person behind Deepen Sound Records. The name carries forward because the spirit never left.