Bastid’s BBQ rides again

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This article was published 14/07/2023 (1182 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Turntables, aprons, barbecued delicacies and specialty cocktails: Bastid’s BBQ returns to Winnipeg this weekend for an outdoor dance party with all the fixins.

Nova Scotia-born, Toronto-based DJ and producer Skratch Bastid — given name Paul Murphy — launched the musical barbecue concept in 2010 as a way to bring DJ sets out of the darkness.

“As a DJ, a lot of times you’re playing at night in dark clubs — and that’s fun, but it’s only one side of this musical world,” Murphy says over the phone. “I had all this fun, sunny, chiller or more groovy music that I felt didn’t fit my nightclub gigs.”

Over the last 13 years, Bastid’s BBQ has toured across the world, sharing the sounds of summer with a wide audience. This Sunday will mark the fifth time that the event — held in an Exchange District parking lot at Main Street and McDermot Avenue — has been held in Winnipeg.

Ahead of each show, Murphy does his due diligence, researching what the locals are listening to and checking out the music scene in-person, when possible.

“Different cities have different vibes and energies, they have different scenes, they have different demographics, they have different avenues of hearing about music. It’s always fun to travel and find out what makes different cities tick … and sometimes it’s unexpected; you’ll be playing a set and a record that goes over really well in your own city will be unknown in another,” he says.

Murphy has been DJing for more than two decades. Improvisation is a necessary part of the gig.

“You’ve got to keep your head up, and you’ve got to believe in what you’re playing and believe that it’s going to land and connect and when it does, it’s a super-great feeling,” he says.

As for what he’s planning on playing in Winnipeg, Murphy is keeping the contents of his record crate close to his chest. Audiences can expect anything from hip-hop to funk to afrobeat to electronic to house music.

“I like to be as diverse as possible with my sets,” he says.

The DJ has spent a lot of time in town over the years, collaborating with local rappers Pip Skid and John Smith and hosting parties with DJs Hunnicutt and Co-op.

“I’ve had a lot of great nights in Winnipeg,” he says. “It’s a city with a lot of great characters and people that wear their heart on their sleeve.”

As an outsider, Murphy sees an influx of newcomers to the local scene — a trend that carries across the country. Showcasing up-and-coming DJs is a major part of the Bastid’s BBQ events.

This Sunday will feature sets by the Gaff and Fresh Cut de Mayor out of Ontario, as well as locals STVN TYLR — a.k.a. artists Steven (BBS) Teixeira and Tyler (Charlie Fettah) Rogers — Keesh, DJ Konjo, DJ Tec-G, Mav-One, Kilusan and JPQ.

Aside from reuniting with industry friends, Murphy is looking forward to hearing what Winnipeg’s relative newcomers have to offer.

“From every DJ you watch, you can learn something. There’s beauty and value in some DJ traditions. There’s also excitement and value in new approaches,” he says.

eva.wasney@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @evawasney