Through CFRC’s Airwave YGK residency, Michael Boulos, otherwise known as DJTHIRDPLACE, is redefining what it means to make music.
CFRC’s Airwave YGK residency provides young and emerging musicians with studio space, technical , the opportunity to perform live on air, as well as payment for their work. The most recent resident, Michael Boulos, expressed gratitude for the space to work on their latest musical endeavour Kahraba: a collection of experimental noise music utilizing the technique of no input mixing.
Boulos entered the residency excited about gaining access to studio time and planning to upcycle old cassettes with new music.
“I liked how easy it was to work with the station [CFRC]” Boulos said in an interview with The Journal. They expressed gratitude to the tech director Chancelor Maracle and videographer Josh Koval, MSc ’26, at CFRC for seamlessly integrating their artistic vision into the interview and live performance.
“It was very easy to present ideas and work through the ideas and come to a product we were all happy with,” Boulos said.
Experimental noise music is made by exploring various music equipment such as amplifiers, mixing consoles, and effect pedals. Boulos’ project Kahraba, the Arabic word for electricity, is made with the technique of no input mixing. No input mixing loops the sound of a mixing board back into itself without external sources, and the sound oscillates creating its own synthesizer.
Boulos was drawn to the technique because of its uniqueness and accessibility, not requiring additional equipment aside from the music board. “Huge shoutout to CFRC for platforming stuff like this, which isn’t highlighted a lot,” Boulos said.
There’s also a live performance component to experimental noise music. Boulos expressed how the genre can be difficult to understand, but it all began to make sense to them when they saw it live. Seeing the performance aspect was what convinced them of the benefits of experimental music.
“Seeing the package as a whole makes it a lot more compelling to me,” Boulos shared.
Boulos spoke about the role of experimental music in fostering a diverse and inclusive community. They expressed how lucky we are to have the opportunity to come together and share art, a privilege that isn’t afforded to many around the world. This is a privilege Boulos takes seriously, and they appreciate the community surrounding experimental music.
“We need to do what we can to stand up for our community and the least well-off amongst us, including our minorities, trans folks, unhoused folks, Indigenous folks and anyone else who faces struggle, as well as those who struggle globally against fascism and imperialism. The freedoms we have to run and attend shows in safety were earned,” Boulos said.
Boulos expressed gratitude to campus and community radio for giving people a platform to experiment with music. Boulos themselves started their own radio show at CFRC a few years ago and was inspired by the station’s mandate to platform different genres of music, as well as thoughts and concepts. In of the residency, it offers the opportunity for artists to get involved in the Kingston musical community and hone their craft.
READ MORE: CFRC launches new residency program to kickstart music careers
“It allows people like me to cut their teeth, learn about music, be surrounded by music, get into DJing, event organization, and then become an artist in some capacity or another,” Boulos said.
Up next for Michael Boulos is to continue making physical tapes and facilitating experimental noise music locally. They plan on continuing to play shows and run events monthly.
Boulos wants to encourage those interested in music to pursue it, and not to worry about how it might be perceived. As students and of the Kingston community, there’s a plethora of resources available if you’re willing to utilize them.
“Don’t worry about how it might be received,” said Boulos. “Just worry about getting it off the ground.”
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