Brian Asha’s story kicks off on Queen Street West in 1980s Toronto, a scene that launched acts like Cowboy Junkies, Blue Rodeo, Barenaked Ladies and more recently Broken Social Scene and Metric.

 

At 18, he dived into the city’s alt music venues, sharpening his sound in local bands and moonlighting as a club DJ. Leaning on his international upbringing, he blagged his way onto college radio with the Magic Carpet Show showcasing roots music from around the world. Before long, he was producing indie music videos for MuchMusic.

Walking past a music-store window, Brian spotted a Teac 4-track and an 808 drum machine. He snapped them up, started tinkering, and two weeks later, he released his first cassette single, "MX Missiles Under Attack". It went top twenty on local college radio.

Brian’s roots wind through the Caribbean, East Africa and the UK, so it was only natural that his sound fused rock, reggae, and dance music. Roll the tape on “Liquid Soul Explosion,” his 1986 single on YouTube, if you want a taste of his early boundary-pushing sound.

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In the 90's, Brian Asha helped pioneer Canada's underground rave scene in Toronto and Montreal, one of the biggest in North America. His DJ cooperative, House of Euphoria, was profiled in Canadian media and on CNN as part of the emerging cyberpunk movement.