Canadian DJ Tyler “T-Bone” Stadius is pretty well known within the dance scene in his own country. The break came though when Fabric chose him to mix the sixth CD in their now well established compilation series. At the time the mix was a deep and trippy ride through fresh house tunes, and it quickly gained Tyler a new bunch of fans around the globe. This summer Tyler will be making the long trip south and down under to play several gigs around Australia and New Zealand

While growing up in Toronto, Canada, with a strong love of music, the DJ thing didn’t start to evolve until Tyler moved to, Tyler moved to Vancouver, British Columbia in 1991. While the local scene was pop techno and early rave, Tyler was one of the first DJ's to introduce house music to Vancouver, where he played warehouse parties and raves. In 1992, Tyler started "Romper Room", his first residency. The club found it’s niche as the only place to hear proper house by artists like Murk, Todd Terry, Kerri Chandler, and Masters at Work. Tyler quickly earnt his place in the Vancouver scene, becoming recognized as the city’s top house DJ.

In 1994, Tyler and a partner, opened "Bassix" in Vancouver, soon recognized as one of the best record shops in Canada. If that’s not enough he then decided it was time to take the music a step further. In 1997, with partners he opened "Sonar" nightclub, the first club in Vancouver dedicated soley to dance music. Sonar was even voted one of "Ministry of Sounds" top 20 Clubs in the world.

A natural progression has lead Tyler to the studio, rounding out his passion for music. His first release "Treat Me Right" with the flipside "Be Willing" came out on Vancouver’s Stylus Recordings way back in 1994. More recently though, Tyler has been making music with Jay Tripwire, who had plenty tracks featured on Fabric 06. It’s obviously a meeting of minds and methods, with their EP The Spirit released in 2002.

At the moment though, Tyler’s focus is on DJing with a busy schedule crammed full of gigs both at home with his residency "Deepen"at The Lotus, he but also abroad. We spoke to Tyler on the eve of his tour to get some idea of what to expect at his gigs.

RA: Starting with that milestone, the Fabric CD, did it have much of an impact on your international profile?
Definitely. It is a very well respected club and the CD was distributed worldwide.

RA: So which of your compilation mixes would you be most proud of?
Tough question, I've made so many. Lots of people tell me their favorite is a promo mix called "Absorb".

RA: Getting down to the nitty gritty, how do you mix your cds - 100% live, post editing, or using software?
100% live. I don't even know how to use that software. (purists around the world sigh in relief-RA)

RA: It’s been a while since the Fabric release in mid 2002, have you got any new mixes coming out soon?
Nothing right away but I do have a new single with Jay Tripwire called “Dub”.

RA: Necessary Pieces 1 and 2 were compilation CDs mixed by yourself and released on Nordic Tracks in 1999 and 2000. The compilations covered deep house and dubby techno by underground Canadian producers. How much of an effect did the Necessary Pieces CDs have on showcasing Canadian producers?
They did give the artists some exposure but possibly more importantly, they gave some of the artists encouragement.

RA: Would you ever do another mix to showcase Canadian producers?
Certainly, but, I'd rather not be limited to where the music's from.

RA: When you were coming up through the ranks, what did you do to set yourself apart from others?
Never anything contrived or planned, I've always just played what I love.

RA: Does the music you write differ at all from the music you play?
No, not at all, although I haven't exactly been prolific in the producing department.

RA: In your opinion, who are the djs and producers to watch at the moment?
DJs - Ali, Vern, Marijan, Fedja, Ralph Lawson
Producers - Swag, Jay Tripwire, Ali, Deetron, Tyler Lewis

RA: What have you heard about Australia’s music scene?
From what I've heard it's similar to many cities in the sense there's what the big clubs & parties play, who they cater to, then there's the smaller, more intimate "underground".

RA: Do you play different sets for different locations?
I always bring a bag of tricks & decide when I get there.

RA: What have you got in store for NYE in Melbourne?
A mix of funky, trippy, acid, vibey grooves.