He was an active columnist for Tribe Magazine, a music and culture print publication based in Toronto from 1993 to 2005. Throughout the 90s, Babb was at the wheel of a five-year running radio show called Techno Prisoners on CFCR 90.5. On one hand, I was like ' are you out of your fucking mind?' and on the other I was like ' OOOHHH MY GOD! WOOHOOOO!'" (For the record, his imitation of that reaction was as if he had just heard the news all over again.)Īfter some practice and a few catastrophic sets, Babb began etching his high-energy sound and equally ambitious career path. "When he told me that, I had two different mindsets. But when Tom fell ill, he appointed a then 17-year-old Babb as the heir to Numbers' throne. "The manager let me in because she knew I was really there for the music." Numbers' then resident DJ, Techno Tom, was the city's topmost turntablist and Babb's personal idol. I would hear Prodigy, Madonna, and Pet Shop Boys all mixed to perfection," says Babb. "It was the only place playing a mix of techno, trance, new energy, industrial, and so on. By 16, to the ignorance of his parents, Babb was frequenting the only gay bar in Saskatoon, called Numbers. 'That guy with the music' has since matured, as has his title, now dubbed "Canada's Hardest Working DJ." Despite his apparent pre-pubescent potential, Babb's professional career kick-started in Saskatchewan, where his Trinidad and Barbados descended parents emigrated from England to when he was two-years-old. I was known as 'that guy with the music.'" My teacher would beg me to do my assignments, but I could never just play a whole tape. I would bring my dad's 45s, LPs and tapes, and sit at the record player, changing each individual track. "In art class, the teacher let us bring in music and play it for the class. "This is going to sound weird, but it really started for me in grade two," says Babb. "Even though we have The Village, nowadays you don't need to be labeled to a particular area of the city in order to have a good time."Īnyone who's privy to the beaming, shirtless, torso-thrashing display of a Deko-ze set surely knows a good time rousing good times is a focal part of Babb's ethos. Not only do you see people who are much a part of the community, you get friends, supporters, allies, and everyone in between," he says. "It used to be only a celebration of the gay community, now it's a complete mix. The festivities are far from over, but Babb's pride for Pride is already at its peak. His annual Dirty Disco South Stage block party, held in the heart of Toronto's gay district The Village, is the lifeblood to a weeks-long celebration. Babb, who is openly gay, has been a fundamental element not only in Toronto's fruitful house and techno music scene, but also in Toronto Pride Week. Michael Babb is Deko-ze, the indispensable Toronto-grounded DJ with a storied and triumphant history in Canada's dance music hub.
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