Label Profile – Gunns Road Music (Canada)
Frankie Gunns has been a mainstay on the Toronto DNB scene for 3 decades. He has been involved with many events in and around the city both past and present, and now runs his own imprint, Gunns Road Music, as well as streaming regularly on Twitch.
With so much experience behind him and a new label focused on the deeper drumfunk end of the scene, we managed to get him to put a few moments aside to speak to us about his career, his label and the Toronto DNB scene.
Frankie! Welcome IN!!
You started DJ’ing way back in 1991. The UK hardcore scene was really coming into its own in that year, but you started off playing hip hop and that wonderful but short lived hybrid, hip house right? I’ve not seen this discussed in many places, but surely hip house was definitely a catalyst for early breakbeat hardcore?
Thanks very much for getting in touch with me and taking the time to talk about the music. Yeah, early on I was a skater kid listening to a lot of different music, but when I heard hip hop and house (as well as hip house) I was hooked. I remember trying to figure out where to actually get the records, as I was at that time in high school and living in a small town an hour west of Toronto.
But yeah, the cool thing about hardcore and jungle is that there were a lot of influences. Hip house, house, techno, reggae, hip hop, sound system culture etc. All wrapped up in it. Black music is a massive driving force or influence within pretty much all the music we listen to if we were to trace it back to the roots. So the lineage isn’t really far off, and you can hear the melting pot of musical influences in the genre itself.
Even from the early days of breakbeat hardcore. So I’m sure there were UK artists who were heavily influenced by their US counterparts making underground music. They just went ahead and did something completely different and revolutionary that now we call jungle and DNB. It’s really cool stuff when you think about the evolution of the music.
Like many, many people in those days, you discovered hardcore via the FM dial back in 1992. What can you tell us about the radio scene in Toronto back then?
The community radio scene was really the only way to hear underground music on a platform at that time, aside from finding parties to go to. It was the front line for a few amazing pioneers in our city who fearlessly presented this new music from the UK, and it was completely alien to us. That’s why I fell in love with it.
I might add that we didn’t have the whole pirate radio thing like the UK had. Instead there were college and university campus radio stations with certain DJ’s or broadcasters playing the music live. The main ones being CIUT 89.5fm which was the university of Toronto station. And CKLN 88.1 FM was Ryerson University’s station.
And there were only a few broadcasters and DJ’s playing underground dance music. They would sneak in some hardcore that was making waves. There was also a larger FM station that was slowly getting into having certain DJ’s play dance music over the night hours. Deadly Headly and Chris Sheppard being two people who really ushered in the UK sounds. Medicine Muffin was also hugely influential during that period. He did a show called the rinse out show on CKLN 88.1 FM and was the first person to order jungle and hardcore into the city.
The cool thing about Toronto is that we had close ties with the UK community and also a large Caribbean community which overlapped in some cases. So at a point early on we were being exposed to music that was very fresh, and the main record shops at the time actually got most of the UK releases pretty quickly.
Also there were some guys actually calling up the labels and having them send the records direct. Some with direct UK roots or family there. So the seeds were already planted. We were really spoiled due to the fact that a few heads that were really into the music, made the effort to get it and then expose others to it.
It became a very solid movement from the early days. I was lucky to have those influences, and I was either religiously taping radio shows, or working after school at the local gas station and financing the first trips into Toronto with a like-minded friend, Kevin Moon (aka Moonstarr) to actually buy the records we were hearing.
Kevin was actually responsible for getting me into hardcore. I was a big house music lover when I started raving. So when he gave me a tape mixed by a local legend Dr. No (a British import to Toronto actually) I was hooked. There was no turning back.
Also, there was another legendary DJ James St.Bass playing early house music on Sunday evenings on CIUT, and he would sneak in some new hardcore tunes that just came into the shop at Play De Record. So we would call up and ask for tune ID’s if possible, but finding out tunes wasn’t easy then. No internet!!! James was a major influence and would bring on other DJ’s from the community to play. And that was the first proper taste of hardcore.
Hardcore was at the peak of its creative streak back then. What were the stand out tracks of ’92 for you, and what did you make of these brand new sounds coming in from the UK and Europe?
I remember hearing tunes like ‘Life And Crimes Of A Roughneck’ by Acen and then the darker sounds of Doc Scott on Reinforced Records ‘Here Comes The Drumz’ and ‘Let’s Go’. It was like a universe I had never ever thought I would ever experience. The music was raw, experimental and it felt like there were no rules at that time. That’s why I fell in love with it. It was madness, yet beautiful and chaotic and thoughtful.
Hearing it for the first time in that context was life changing for me. I didn’t want to DJ anything else once I was exposed to hardcore. It was a world of so many sounds thrown together and the energy was unparalleled. It was like punk for our generation I guess, if I could place it on it’s importance to me and so many of us. It was exciting, fun, moody and most of all it was still dance music. It was really pushing boundaries, which I loved.
I remember the exact buzz you’re describing! Please tell us a bit about the Toronto scene during those days then. What were the peak spots to rave at?
Toronto had some DJ’s and promoters that were either of British roots or had recently come from the UK to live here, as Canada was connected to the Crown because of colonial ties. They were accessing the music and we were being exposed to it in an up to date fashion or as close as possible, since the records and music would have to be shipped over the ocean. But we were hearing the music in a very fresh form and the parties were small at first.
The venues would range from a community hall that was rented out, to a warehouse that could be rented by the night, or at small underground spaces that were slowly popping up in the downtown area. A really special place was this place called The Rise or 318 Richmond.
It was the first real place that I experienced and was a weekly and sometimes weeknight thing for a few years. I later found out it was an abandoned printing house from the information that I gathered later on. But every week you could go there and hear house, techno and hardcore even ska and punk on some weeknights from what I remember. It was a real experience.
The DJ’s were playing in a booth with a hole basically smashed out of the cinder blocks so you could see a glimpse of them. It consisted of 2 quite small rooms. The front room was usually a more chill environment with house or more mellow vibes and the main floor usually had the heavier sound system and DJ’s. It wasn’t pretty. The washrooms were almost out of the film Trainspotting, but it was the place to go on a regular basis to hear the music. Small raves were starting to be a regular thing every weekend.
There was also a clothing and mixtape shop that was huge for us as well called X-static. We would buy tapes shipped in from the UK by the likes of Bukem, Fabio, and other DJ’s as well as our local DJ’s. It was a main hub to buy tapes, tickets for events and clothing that was the cool thing then. It was a great time to experience the sound and there was a small community that was built around that weekly ritual. It was our only way to get more of the music and there was a fun mystery to the whole process. There was no internet, so we were dedicated to constantly trying to get more of the music we craved. It was a real experience. And a mission at that.
Early rave promoters were Exodus, Chemistry, Nitrous, Pleasure Force, Delirium and Destiny to name a few. They built a scene that grew exponentially in the early years but it started completely at grassroots. Another important spot was Gunns Road, which I actually pay homage to with my DJ name and the record label. There was also a place called E Space and lots of cool parties were thrown there.
How fascinating! Play De Record is still a Canadian institution for purveyors of vinyl media on Toronto. You worked there fora decade. Getting first dibs on all of those imports must have been good! That’s a DJ’s dream job if ever I saw one!
Yeah those were special years. From around 2001 to 2011 I was the main DNB buyer, but later on I also helped out with house, techno and many other genres, so I learned a lot about all the music. And the industry too. It was a main hub for the local DJ’s to come and get their music and also to talk shop and connect on a real level.
That was the beauty of that job. Meeting so many awesome people that were connected by their massive love and passion for music. I was lucky to have the opportunity to get sent promotional material from distributors and suppliers as well as labels, but I never got carried away. I was always focused on what type of jungle and DNB I wanted to present and play.
I obviously ordered all styles, because my job was not to be a music snob and discriminate others for their tastes. I understood that I was there to sell all kinds of music and it was a great experience. I came away with a better understanding of the music industry in general, some good, some bad. It was also a great place to get behind certain artists or labels and use my own influence to make the deeper sounds more known to people in the city. I always challenged myself to be true to myself and to play only the music I one hundred percent believed in.
I wasn’t into playing the hits or playing it safe or down the middle. I always strived to present what I thought was upfront and cutting edge jungle and DNB. It wasn’t easy because most ravers would want the big tunes all the time, but myself and some other like-minded individuals stood firm and played what we wanted people to hear. Luckily we also had a decent following. One of those like-minded people was DJ C64.
So what’s the story behind Threshold Productions and DJ C64 then?
Threshold Productions was an outlet that I started up, basically a promotional thing for DNB and jungle parties. The focus was on the deeper and more breakbeat centric styles of the music. I met C64 working at the record shop. He would come in on a regular. As well as another friend of his Mercy AKA Vox. They were already throwing really cool parties that would feature anything from breakcore to hardcore.
They almost had a kinda punk rock approach to things that was raw and energetic. It was also very refreshing. I think they ended up booking me for one of their Splinter parties, and after that we just started hanging out, and before long we were collaborating on parties. Some of my favourite party experiences were a part of was doing with Splinter. We brought names like Klute, Blame, Chris Inperspective, Breakage, and a bunch of other cool acts to the city.
Sounds like so much fun! What about make:shift? That was a label you were involved with?
Make:shift was a label started by C64 that became a collective effort with Vox, Dodz, Karol and a couple of other people. I was a part of it as well and we put out music by ASC, Dodz, Fanu, Polska and various other artists. There were two vinyl releases and I was also involved with the ‘On the Lam’ CD compilation and Polska’s ‘Skeptic’ CD album (more of Polska coming up on the site soon. Keep ’em peeled). C64 carried on with the label on his own at a certain point with a few other quality projects. It was mainly the brainchild of C64 and Karol Dubsta and it was a great experience going through some of the amazing music that was coming out at the time.
And this all led to you starting Legacy, then? Tell us more about it.
Legacy was a promotional company that a long time DJ in the Toronto scene Prime, my friend Gremlinz and I started up. It was again, very much a focus on deeper and heavy jungle and DNB. We brought in Equinox, Paradox and Amit to name a few. It was a great team and we really made sure that we had local DJ’s that were representing that sound also on the line up. It was a focus on quality music and unique artists and music that you wouldn’t hear at a regular DNB party.
So how did you find the transition from vinyl to digital, especially as you were working at the record shop?
To be honest, it took me a little bit because I didn’t want to be that guy working at the record shop and just playing digital, but I quickly learned my way around CDJ’s and incorporated that into my sets. Just before I left the record shop I ended up purchasing Traktor scratch pro and was hooked on it. I was still buying records but I was never really against playing music digitally, so I’ve made a point of also trying out a bunch of other set ups.
At home I run off of Serato and I’m currently in the market for a full size controller. It’s fun and portable and it allows you to play music for people in lots of settings. What’s not to like about that? And showing up with 2 or 3 USB drives full of music is way easier than lugging records around!
You’re not wrong there! You’ve been involved with bringing some pretty big names over to Toronto. Who would you say went down the best, and would you say the city has a particular style? I mean, is there an obvious sub-genre that you would say runs through the city’s undercurrent?
Two artists that I was involved with bringing to Toronto that made huge impressions on people were Paradox doing his live PA, and Breakage. They both came a couple times for us and they were incredible and the crowds were having it.
Toronto has been known for many sounds. But currently we have some extremely talented artists such as Gremlinz, Rumbleton, Jesta, Dodz, Marcus Visionary, Glassbox, David Louis and Imran Graffiti. They are paving the way right now and getting recognition worldwide, as well as many of them having music coming out on proper UK labels.
I first found you through Twitch. It was during an Etown Junglist stream actually, who has opened his audience up to so many new, hidden and up and coming acts. How did you discover the platform?
I discovered Twitch through a friend Will. He was doing a New Years Eve raid train and he asked me if I wanted to do it, so I signed up to Twitch and he basically showed me how to set everything up. It was extremely basic, but that New Years morning I had my first taste and I was pretty much hooked. So much so that I ended up buying a new gaming laptop that was built to do it. I was using an old beater laptop and it was struggling with anything extra. I basically told myself that if I don’t do Twitch and really give it a go then I’m a bloody dinosaur and I might as well pack it in.
Would you say that Twitch has helped you much in gaining an on-line presence?
Yeah, to be honest it’s been an amazing experience. I’ve been able to connect with so many awesome people, for example Clint EtownJunglists and so many others, and the support has been really overwhelming. Plus it’s been a great outlet for me to just play whatever I want.
Yeah, Clint is an absolute G and Twitch is literally rammed with amazing people. I love it. Away from the internet, are you managing to get out and about playing DJ sets again?
I’m not playing a lot of gigs at the moment. I wanted to kinda sit back and watch what would happen after everything opened back up again. I’m at the stage now where I’m not about playing all the time. I’m more interested in being involved in something different and I’m focused mainly on the music. I’m going to be working with Drumcraft which consists of Karen Soulpride, Rumbleton, Gremlinz and Jesta at some really intimate events which are on the horizon, with a focus mainly on the music and sound. More about creating a great environment to hear cutting edge music.
How strong would you say the scene is in Toronto right now?
The Toronto scene is actually starting to look busy and good for events again, after the pandemic slowed everything down to a halt pretty much. I’m seeing a lot of people coming out of the woodwork that are throwing jams again, and a lot of young talent doing their thing. Hopefully it keeps going and more diverse line ups and more challenging music can make it to more people because of those outlets.
I’ve heard you play some absolute belters recently. There seems to be a minor resurgence for the trance/acid DNB sound. I’ve even started a playlist. What is your take on this theory?
Everything in music is derivative and cyclical in nature, so it makes sense that trance and acid influences are noticeable within the music again. I think people are experimenting with lots of different sounds and it seems the ravier the better!
For sure. It is a proper melting pot out there again right now. Gunns Road Music is your latest venture. Tell us a bit about the idea behind the label and the music policy.
The label was pretty much a strange thing that happened. I was listening to my friends Rumbleton and Jesta on jungletrain.net – doing Rumbleton’s Stand Firm HiFi show (that he does every other Tuesday at 10PM EST), and they were playing lots of fresh beats. All of a sudden they played a tune and I had to know what it was. I messaged Rumbleton and he said it was this guy Krugah.
I ended up contacting Krugah that night and he sent me the tune that I was freaking out about ‘See the Sun’ along with some other bits. No one was putting his music out, so from that point onwards I made a decision to slowly put together a plan to start a label. With the guidance of my friends I put together a roster of several releases and I have been slowly getting each release out, with a big focus on attention to detail and making sure everything looks and sounds good.
You’re going to be making music available on digital and vinyl. Vinyl is a labour of love, so why did you decide to go down that route?
I wanted to put a real value on the artists work, putting out a tangible product for those interested in supporting such an effort, as well as focusing on some extremely amazing artists and music that I feel strongly about. The artists get paid, and they are a part of the creative process when deciding what colour artwork the label is and if they want coloured vinyl or not for their release. I feel that by doing something that is tangible as well as unique, people can connect with it and makes it a special thing that they can hopefully get behind.
Can you tell us a bit about some of the artists you have signed to the label please?
So the first release featured music from a local Toronto artist and amazingly talented friend named Dodz, he’s both a genius and a music teacher. He’s put out music on AKO beats run by Stretch in the UK as well. Next up is Krugah who is a once in a lifetime type artist, his music blows me away. Krugah’s first vinyl release came out on July 22nd and the response has been really overwhelming. I’ve signed three 12”s as well as a full length album worth of material which will be available in the next few months. The third release is from a really amazing artist from New Orleans, Greenleaf. He’s been around for a while and his music is deep and heavy. He’s got music on Rupture, AKO and Pinecone Moonshine to name a few.
I’m also proud to have my friend Rumbleton on a forthcoming 12”. He’s been very busy and has some amazing stuff forthcoming. He’s had releases on Rupture, AKO and Metalheadz. Another artist that I’m excited about is another talented friend named Glassbox. He’s got a really raw and unique sound and there will be a couple of releases from him down the road as well. All of those like-minded people make really creative breakbeat driven jungle and DNB and all have their own unique style and sound, but it all works well on the label.
Do you write and produce your own music as well? I see there is a Gremlinz track named Frankie Gunns on Paradox’s label. That is some heavy breakbeat pressure right there. Was this named after you? (not got a clue about this. Had to ask!)
That was quite an honour actually. My homie Gremlinz made it, and yeah it was named after me. Big up Gremlinz, he’s been a great friend and is an extremely talented individual. The tune originally came out on Renegade Hardware. Then a few years later Dev Paradox wanted to remix it which was honestly awesome.
What are your future aspirations for the label, and for your own career over the next few months or even years? Are you planning on maybe even some merchandise?
My main focus is to put out the music that I have signed by the artists I have been working with, and to keep it moving forward, and of course there’s a Krugah album in the works as well. As for merchandise, I’m looking at t shirts and stickers because people seem to like those, and I definitely want to get some more of the branding out there as it’s a very independent venture.
Sound amazing. I’m really looking forward to watching it grow. What a wicked interview this has been. Thanks for taking part! What are you parting words for the DNB producing community at large?
I’d say, don’t worry about what others are doing. Find your own sound or style and make sure you are all in on it. Also, if you like an artists music, support them by buying their music. It’s a small community but the support goes a long way. Whatever you do, do it with backbone and love for the culture and music.
FIND OUT MORE HERE:
Music | GUNNS ROAD MUSIC (bandcamp.com)
Franklin J Gunnark (@franklingunnark) • Instagram photos and videos
(1) Franklin J Gunnark | Facebook
