10 things you ought to know about Eric Downer

In this column we talk to musicians; sometimes about the music they make, sometimes about whatever tangent they happen to go off on. And once in a while we may talk to non-musicians as well, just to keep you on your toes.

In this installment, we talk to local DJ/producer Eric Downer about life, beats, camping and soul destruction (among other things).

1. Downer once worked in a record store that paid him exclusively in vinyl.
   
   


2. In the mid-90's, Downer and I were neighbours in the Church and Gloucester area. His apartment seemed to always have a dual-turntable spin session going on.
   
   


3. As a member of Fukhouse (along with Noah Pred, Ian Guthrie and Lee Osborne), he helped host 77 straight Friday nights at Toi Bar (577A College): "We went for over a year, a tear and a half. It was a great run, a really solid run."
   
   


4. Fukhouse often played host to big name travelling techno and house producers and DJs, like Dan Bell, David Sumner and Matthew Dear.
   
   


5. Downer's latest collaborative effort is called Thoughtless Music, a digital-only label that will also host a monthly event at Circa (126 John): "That's going to be a lot of fun; it's going to be nice to get to place back on a really nice sound system and stuff, you know?"
   
   


6. Downer's going to have some of his stuff remixed by J. Hunsberger, who has recorded for Cynosure, Revolver, Mutek_Rec and Logistic: "He's done a number of remixes that are all amazing; really talented guy."
   
   


7. To help pay the bills, Downer also works in Toronto's thriving film industry: "Nothing too exciting at this point, though, like it's more just a means to an end. I do a lot of set dressing and production assistant stuff which is really kind of soul destroying. But it's alright money and I don't have to work all the time, so I get a lot of down time to work on music, presumably."
   
   


8. While a big fan of the city, Downer hopes to get out of Toronto for a few days this summer: "I like going outdoors, I like it outside, I like canoe trips; it's just usually I can't afford them."
   
   


9. He's currently revamping his website: "I will be updating [it] very soon with a download link and the ability to download DJ mixes."
   
   


10. When asked if there's anything else people should know about his music, he replies: "Look for a collaboration with Jeff Milligan on Revolver in August, which is exciting."

While finishing up an EP for Thoughtless, Downer will be DJing Circa's SKYY Cinema Lounge (126 John) with Noah Pred, Karri O (live) and Myers Briggs (live) on Friday July 11.

Look for regular installments of "10 things you ought to know" every Thursday morning around 10-ish or so. If you'd like to have people know ten things about you, send Steve an email and he'll set you up proper.

Photo by Philip Lock