‘It’s doing what it’s supposed to’: Stickybuds talks growth, AI in electronic music

From his first gigs with Liquidbeat in 2005, Stickybuds has taken his funky, reggae, drum & bass beats to over 25 countries around the globe.

Recently returning from Paraguay to start a family, the long-time DJ and producer from Kelowna said he is refuelled and ready to make the music he's always wanted to.

He played a Saturday set at AltiTunes Music Festival at Big White Ski Resort, eager to perform at the uncommon venue, plunked at the base of a hill he skied as a kid.

With a Saturday lineup stacked with prominent names in the electronic music world, like Rumpus, Kytami, and Moontricks, headlined by Felix Cartel, Stickybuds was jubilant to see a growing local appreciation for the genre.

“I’m glad it is doing what it does, and it should, because what we do, the music that we make, brings a lot of happiness, and people together, and that’s the point of it, at least for me,” he told Kelowna10. “It’s doing just what it’s supposed to.”

Fewer clubs but community still strong

Growing up, he said Kelowna had a vibrant underground electronic dance music scene, recalling gigs at former venues like Higher Ground, Grateful Fed, or simpler events in the forest, a Knights of Columbus Hall, or even climbing gyms.

But as the city has grown and changed over the past 20 years, the number of consistent gigs has suffered as the club count has dropped due to redevelopment.

“No one can afford any building space,” he said. “But as much as things change, they stay the same; we have these amazing parties and communities and friends, and it is about the music and expressing ourselves through whatever we want to do and bringing good music to the people.”

On an industry scale, Stickybuds said the rapid adoption of technology has maintained the most monumental impact on electronic music, calling it both a blessing and curse.

In his early days, prospective DJs turned to higher education or slogged it out for years to produce records.

Now, with the advent of online learning, he said its not uncommon to find highly skilled teenaged talent “because they became producers in this age of complete abundant information that is available at the click of a mouse.”

“When you learn at such a young age, and have so many amazing tools, there are so many people who can level up at such a high pace.”

Where DJs now turn to Amazon for digital boards, Stickybuds was scrounging together every dollar he made washing dishes to spend $200 on ten records, hoping they would be useful.

AI and the music scene

Stickybuds – who has already been experimenting with it – predicts artificial intelligence (AI) will be the next advancement to make massive waves in the industry.

“I was just asking ChatGPT to write me chord progressions and analyze James Brown songs,” he explained.

And while it shaved off hours of work, he struggles to believe AI will ever fully capture what is at the heart of music.

“The song I am making right now - I just had my first child four months ago, and the song is about becoming a father and family man - I don’t think the AI could quite grasp that concept and really put it into a song, yet. Maybe it is going to model my experience and put it out, but who knows.”

With a newborn son, and deciding to resettle in the Okanagan, Stickybuds said he has a new passion for his craft and has never felt more invigorated to make music.

His short-term goals: start a farm, grow his family, and “just put the best things into the world that I can.”