The Rundown

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February 21, 2024

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes kissing the Vince Lombardi Trophy. — PHOTO: Courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs' Instagram

By: Kaja Antic, Sports Writer

February 1: Lewis Hamilton to leave Mercedes, joining Ferrari in 2025

Seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton will be joining the Scuderia Ferrari racing team in 2025. Hamilton will be taking over for Carlos Sainz, whose contract with Ferrari is up at the end of the 2024 season. Hamilton has won six of his seven titles (2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020) with Mercedes since joining the team in 2013.

February 1: BC Hockey League (BCHL) welcomes Alberta teams effective immediately

On January 20th, the BCHL announced mid-season that five teams from the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) would be joining the league for the 2024–25 season. In response, the AJHL cancelled the remaining games of the five defecting teams, prompting the BCHL to extend their membership to the AJHL teams earlier than expected. The five Alberta teams will continue to play each other for the remainder of the 2023–24 season, with a winner being crowned to take on the BC league champion in a “year-end competition.” Following the season, the BCHL will be restructured, and possibly renamed, to account for the cross-province addition.

February 4: Vancouver to host seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Vancouver will host seven of Canada’s 13 World Cup matches. This includes five group stage matches and the first two knockout rounds (round of 32 and round of 16). Team Canada will be playing in two of the five group stage matches taking place on June 18 and June 24. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being hosted across cities in Canada, the US, and Mexico, making it the first time three nations have hosted the tournament simultaneously.

February 5: Surrey’s Arshdeep Bains named Most Valuable Player (MVP)

23-year-old Arshdeep Bains was named MVP at the American Hockey League’s (AHL) All-Star Challenge in San Jose. Bains — a member of the Vancouver Canucks’ development team, the Abbotsford Canucks — scored two goals and three assists in the tournament, including the game-winning goal with 12.9 seconds left in the final game. Bains currently has 39 points in 42 games for Abbotsford this season.

February 11: Canada women’s basketball team qualifies for 2024 Paris Olympics

After losing 86–82 to Japan in the FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Canada’s advancement to the 2024 Paris Olympics was dependent on Spain defeating Hungary. In a dramatic comeback 73–72 win for Spain, Team Canada advanced to their fourth consecutive Olympic Games.

February 11: Canada wins Rivalry Series in reverse sweep against US

For the second year in a row, the Canadian women’s hockey team completed a reverse sweep against team USA. After losing the first three games in the seven-game series, the Canadians stormed back to win four straight and take the 2023–24 Rivalry Series title.

February 11: Abbotsford’s Nick Taylor wins Phoenix Open

After his historic Canadian Open victory last year, Nick Taylor won his fourth Professional Golfers’ Association title at the Phoenix Open. Taylor forced a playoff round against American Charley Hoffman after scoring three birdies on the 18th hole. He scored two more birdies in the sudden-death two-hole playoff round to earn his title.

February 11: Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII

The Kansas City Chiefs became the first team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since the New England Patriots in 2004. This was Kansas City’s third title in five years, earning conversations about a first-ever Super Bowl three-peat for the modern-day dynasty. 28-year-old quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named MVP for the third time after throwing the game-winning touchdown in overtime to give the Chiefs a 25–22 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Nutritious Nibbles: Gochujang soy curls

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Peak Web

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February 21, 2024

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A plate with rice and soy curls with red sauce. — PHOTO: Petra Chase / The Peak

By: Petra Chase, Arts & Culture Editor

This recipe features two pantry staples you can throw into a pan or wok with vegetables anytime you’re craving a quick and tasty meal. Soy curls, which you can store for up to a year, are made of one minimally processed ingredient: non-genetically modified soybeans, which pose fewer potential concerns related to health and environmentally-friendly sourcing. A serving has 10 grams of protein. The crispy strips soften when soaked in a marinade and absorb flavours like a sponge, so they’re a versatile fresh palate for flavour. Gochujang is my go-to marinade since it’s sweet, umami, and spicy. The rich Korean paste consists of fermented soybean, chili pepper flakes, salt, and sticky rice. Together with rice, these two make a reliable and delicious meal on their own. I’ve also included optional ingredients if you’re in the mood to elevate your cooking.

Buy in-store or order soy curls online from Vegan Supply’s Vancouver and Surrey locations for $7.49 a bag, which yields up to eight servings. Most grocery stores carry gochujang in the international section, and Korean and Asian-owned grocery stores tend to carry a wider selection of brands.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15–20 minutes (until crispy)

Ingredients (per serving)
Core Ingredients
1 cup Butler soy curls (dry)
3 tbsp gochujang
½–1 cup bok choy and/or vegetable(s) of your choice
A small bowl of warm water
1 tbsp cooking oil of choice
Serving of rice

Optional:
A generous sprinkle of sesame seeds
1–2 green onion stems (AKA scallions)
1 clove of garlic (or as much as desired)
Kimchi (to serve)

Equipment:
Frying pan or wok, knife, cutting board, strainer

Directions

Dissolve a tablespoon of gochujang in a bowl of warm water and add soy curls. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
While the soy curls soak, wash and cut bok choy into bite-sized strips. You can also cut other vegetables, such as broccoli, broccolini, bell pepper, or brussels sprouts for added protein.
1. Optional: you can save the base of the bok choy stem (pictured) and submerge in shallow water by a window to propagate new leaves in a few weeks.
If applicable, chop garlic and green onion into small pieces. Separate white and light-green part of the green onion stalk from the darker green, which is more pungent when fresh and will be used for a garnish. For a more intense flavour, be sure to crush your garlic under the flat side of your knife before cutting.
After the soy curls have soaked, drain water from the bowl with a strainer. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of gochujang and mix to coat the soy curls.
Heat oil on high for 3 minutes, then bring heat to low.
1. Optional: add sesame seeds, garlic, and green onion to the frying pan. The sesame seeds release a toasty aroma and the onion and garlic aromatics enhance flavour.
Add soy curls and bok choy to the pan and fry on medium to low heat. Be sure to stay nearby and toss occasionally or adjust temperature, until the soy curls reach a desired crispness.
Serve with rice.
1. Optional: Garnish with green onion and eat with chilled kimchi, a tangy probiotic and Korean staple which promotes gut health.

The Storygraph: a revolutionary era of book cataloguing

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Peak Web

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February 21, 2024

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A person reading a book with the title Entangled Life — PHOTO: Aria Amirmoini / The Peak

By: Saije Rusimovici, Staff Writer

The StoryGraph is a free book cataloguing app that caters to every book-lover’s needs. If you’re new to using book apps to track your reading habits, this is a user-friendly space to start. True to its name, the StoryGraph creates graphs and charts that illustrate a plethora of data-based variables, including linking books to your moods, likes and dislikes, and reading pace. It allows you to shelve and review books you’ve read, compile a digital to-read list, and browse books through a tailored algorithm. The visualizations of how your reading changes over time is useful for better understanding your reading habits and meeting reading goals.

Making the switch to the Storygraph also provides an Amazon-free alternative to Goodreads. It’s also as simple as importing your Goodreads data to the StoryGraph (yes, you can do this!) and setting your reading preferences. The app’s AI technology weeds out themes or tropes you dislike, while honing in on all the characteristics you love in a book to provide custom recommendations.

Founder and CEO Nadia Odunayo created the StoryGraph as a side project back in 2019. The software engineer said her favourite feature is the “Up Next Suggestions” feature, which provides “personalized recommendations for what to read next from [users’] to-read list based on a range of factors.” Recommendations are not just based on your previous books, but also your current mood.

There are numerous other features, including joining reading challenges, and even customizing your own. You also have the ability to scan barcodes of books you find while at the bookstore or library and automatically save them to your library. The built-in “did not finish” shelf is perfect for those books you just don’t know what to do with after getting only halfway through. Even more, the StoryGraph allows you to round to half and even quarter stars when rating your reads, which lets you rate more precisely. Had I switched to StoryGraph sooner, I would have been able to avoid so much triggering subject matter thanks to upfront content warnings ranked from minor and moderate to graphic.

Download the Storygraph from the Android or Apple app store.

No, body hair is not unhygienic

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Peak Web

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February 21, 2024

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A woman with grown out armpit hair — PHOTO: Billie / Unsplash

By: Michelle Young, Opinions Editor

“Eww, you have more hair than me,” said multiple teenage boys during my high school years. While looking back, such an opinion is probably the least of my worries, but the reactions of disgust toward my body hair have been burned into my psyche for years. It was always something — the arm hair, the peach fuzz, the “unibrow.” This isn’t an uncommon experience for many women, who have reported “bushy unibrows, thick leg hair, upper lip fuzz and coarse locks made them feel othered — and ugly — when they were 12.”

An article by NBC News explained that “hairlessness, after it became common in the 20th century, was synonymous with purity and white femininity.” In addition, “there was a parallel effort to medicalize and demonize excessive body hair” as immigrant women from South Asia and Latin America had more body hair than white women, creating a beauty standard that was a “part of the anti-immigrant reaction.” It’s even more troubling then, that CNN reported “there have been countless examples of colonial powers enforcing hair removal as a means of control or punishment” and Charles Darwin himself suggested “that excessive body hair was primitive.” This has paved the way for the perceptions of disgust and cleanliness that surround body hair.

The thing is, body hair isn’t inherently dirty, and being hairless isn’t inherently clean. Most forms of hair removal “tend to introduce new opportunities for abrasion and infection.” Nature also reported that frequent hair removal with razors has a risk of skin irritation, allergic reactions, and ingrown hairs. We have body hair for a reason — primarily to protect skin and sensitive areas from sweat and bacteria.

When keeping up with regular hygiene, such as showering and washing your face, it doesn’t matter whether you have body hair or not. It’s important to note that while the removal of underarm hair can aid in suppressing body odour, it’s not the hair itself that causes the smell. Shaved or not, “the bacteria themselves remain” and “if you have no armpit hair but don’t wash your armpits, you’re still going to have odour.”

If you want to shave because that’s your preference, by all means do so. I’m not trying to argue that keeping your body hair is inherently better because it’s “more natural.” It’s truly up to personal preference. However, it’s time to let go of our preconceived notions around body hair — and especially question what these notions mean for women. The next time I hear someone claiming that being hairless is “cleaner” and more “hygienic,” I’ll be asking them whether they’ve committed to a full-body wax.

The erasure of Black narratives persists

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Peak Web

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February 21, 2024

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A civil rights protest calling for equality, housing, and integrated schools — PHOTO: Library of Congress / Unsplash

By: Michelle Young, Opinions Editor

Content warning: mentions of racism and enslavement.

Perhaps we know Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks — but what else is known about how Black people shaped history in Canada and the US? There are many “forgotten” histories that feature the intersectional work of Black people. The quotation marks around “forgotten” are meant to question — forgotten by whom? There is so much history not taught by our institutions, and many people don’t know more solely because it wasn’t taught to them, or they didn’t look. Canadian Viola Desmond, for example, challenged racial segregation by refusing to leave the “whites-only” section of a theatre. She is currently on our $10 bills, but wasn’t pardoned by the government until 2010.

One of the biggest movies of 2023, Oppenheimer, erases the Black contributions to the Manhattan Project by only having one minor Black role, despite there being “at least 19 Black scientists and technicians” who worked on the project. This historical erasure also extends to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. While “soldiers from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and elsewhere were key to delaying the German attack” — there is little to no representation of these soldiers in the film. This is especially troubling considering these films are supposed to showcase history.

Our education system loves to talk about the Underground Railroad, but it tends to ignore that Canada, too, enslaved Black people from 1629 to 1834. Yet, Canadian councillors are still arguing that they have no white privilege and calling for an end to Black History Month. This shows exactly why we must continue to bring awareness to this history, because with awareness comes a better understanding of how race shapes our institutions and the experiences of Black people today.

Black people have been instrumental in the progress of racial, women’s, 2SLBGTQIA+, and disability rights. In the 1977 504 sit-in, which aided “disability rights in America and helped pave the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act” — Brad Lomax, “a Black man with multiple sclerosis” was praised for connecting activists to The Black Panthers and their “commitment to feed each protester in the building one hot meal every day.” Despite being an activist in the ‘70s, The New York Times didn’t report on his story until 2020. Marsha P. Johnson was also integral to queer liberation and co-founded STAR, “a group committed to helping homeless transgender youth in New York City.” Unfortunately, her death remains a cold case, and her legacy didn’t come into the mainstream until 2017, when Netflix featured a documentary on her life. Though the research for the documentary was allegedly stolen, this was debunked by independent investigations, one of them being The Advocate, which covers 2SLGBTQIA+ rights. These are only two examples of the work that is necessary to remember historical Black figures.

As previously noted by C Icart, our current Humour Editor, Black history is history. It isn’t separate from American or Canadian history, yet is something that is frequently left behind in the collective consciousness of our governments and education. It is Black people — notably Olaudah Equiano, Toussaint L’Ouverture, Samuel Sharpe, and Frederick Douglass — who spearheaded the abolition of slavery. While we remember the white men in history who fought for the same, Black men are too often not given the same affordance. You can easily learn more about Black history if you look for it: the Government of Canada has a list of noteworthy Black Canadians on their website and the BC Black History Awareness Society features an online learning centre. Additionally, the Black Arts Society and the Vancouver Black Library have partnered to digitize and “present unrecorded histories of Black peoples’ participation in Surrey and Vancouver’s social, economic, political, and cultural spheres” this Black History Month. Black history should be taught alongside the history of Canada, and we must continue to be mindful of how much we owe to the Black activists before us.

Agritech in BC receives $2 million investment

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Peak Web

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February 21, 2024

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This is an aerial photo of farming land in BC. There are numerous properties and farming plots. — PHOTO: Sveta Fedarava / Unsplash

By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer

Agricultural innovation is taking root in British Columbia as 13 new projects to address food production challenges were announced at the Pacific Agriculture Show on January 26.

Agritech — shorthand for agriculture technology — is the industry focus on innovations and advancements to promote efficiency and sustainability within the agriculture sector. BC is a prominent province in the agriculture industry, leading the way in applying Agritech to local food production.

SFU is the host institution for the BC Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI), which gathers minds from various sectors like academia, government, and industry to research food production and security. The BCCAI is supported by Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), and the federal and provincial governments.

PacifiCan’s minister of emergency preparedness, Harjit S Sajjan, said to SFU News, “By partnering with the BC Centre for Agritech Innovation, the Government of Canada is helping local food producers develop innovative technological solutions to industry challenges and remain competitive for years to come.” This partnership will strengthen food industry relationships. A $288,000 grant from BW Global Structures Incorporated will launch research into greenhouses and outdoor field crops to increase the production of BC-grown food.

The 13 projects, backed by an investment of a combined $2 million, will focus on critical challenges including “soil health, pest and pathogen management, Indigenous food sovereignty, and training opportunities.” Existing projects that have received donations and support from the BCCAI include BW Global, Lucent bioSciences, Nourish Labs, SFU School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering, and others.

A significant component of the SFU Agritech initiation is learning from Indigenous communities to understand agriculture through traditional teachings. Indigenous food security and food systems include a wealth of knowledge to be applied to Agritech. Part of Indigenous teachings is that food security is achieved when all have access to “sufficient, safe, and nutritious foods,” tending to environmental needs and preserving biodiversity. Agritech incorporates Indigenous food security methods, shaping future mechanisms for food production. SFU Agritech has partnered with Agrotek Industries, an Indigenous-owned “fertilizer and biostimulant manufacturing company” that researches soil effects and amendments within the Okanagan.

“Today marks a significant leap as BCCAI launches 13 projects and training programs, guiding BC’s Agritech sector towards synergy with Indigenous practices and sustainable innovation to establish global leadership,” said SFU professor and BCCAI director, Woo Soo Kim.

Free Periods Canada fights against period poverty

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Peak Web

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February 21, 2024

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This is a photo of pads and tampons on a pink background. The pads and tampons are laid out in a repeating pattern. — ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer

When Zeba Khan came across an online video detailing the obstacles that people who experience periods have to face, she aimed to provide a solution.

The former University of British Columbia student started a club on campus alongside other founding members, Niki Oveisi and Imad Ahmad. Together, they built a team to facilitate the collection and distribution of menstrual products to multiple bridge houses and shelters.

“It made me frustrated to see that something many of us experience as a biological process, that there are not easily accessible ways to manage periods,” said Khan. “Seeing something like [the YouTube video] made me want to do something about period poverty.”

Since the first days of Free Periods Canada, Khan and their team have reached out to shelters and transitional homes, including the Bloom Group, Nisa Homes, and Atira Society, to supply menstrual products for people with periods. “I remember the first time I decided to provide menstrual supplies; I went to Walmart, bought many menstrual products, went to the Bloom Group, and dropped them off. It felt great because it felt like I was doing something tangible and making a difference,” said Khan.

In 2023, Environics Research conducted a study that found one in six Canadians who experience periods have experienced period poverty at some point. Period poverty refers to a lack of access to menstruation products, as well as a lack of education around what menstruation is and how to combat stigma. The study identified that in homes which “earn less than $40,000 a year,” period poverty impacts one in four individuals.

“If you’re making minimum wage, there will be choices you have to make, and sometimes you don’t have enough money to purchase products,” expressed Khan. Khan added that some people “don’t have access to supplies” when they’re unexpected, such as in the middle of writing a test. “People who get periods, they often find themselves without the necessary supplies when they need them — you can’t always be prepared for it,” said Khan.

As of February 2024, the minimum wage is $16.75 an hour. The Canadian Centre of Policy Alternatives found one must make at least $32 an hour to rent a one-bedroom apartment in Vancouver. Money for essentials like menstruation products is often used to make payments for rent, groceries, and other high-demand necessities.

Shelters are not obligated to provide period supplies to their residents, which furthers barriers for unhoused or sheltering individuals trying to access bare essentials. Khan described how United Way, alongside Free Periods Canada, has been able to supply shelters and transitional homes for the last two years. With United Way’s resources, significantly more supplies are being delivered.

Before the first COVID-19 restrictions in 2020, the Free Periods Team was participating in “Map the System.” The competition tasked teams with facilitating research to “understand why menstrual inequity exists in Canada,” build solutions, and facilitate their plans. Through research, Khan and their team discovered a need for a more central space for individuals to gather and share resources for menstruation. An increase in equitable space would encourage further conversations on accessibility, community support, advocacy, and empowerment.

To further their goal of tackling the lack of equitable space, Free Periods Canada began a framework platform called CHARMS (Collaboration Hub, Advocacy for Research and Menstrual Services) to connect with individuals and collaborate on resource collection.

The launch of CHARMS has led to more education around periods. CHARMS’s success accelerated due to the pandemic, as they engaged in research and networking partnerships to encourage more conversations about menstrual supplies and period poverty.

In April 2023, the BC government declared that contraceptive prescriptions would be free in BC pharmacies. In May 2022, United Way BC received a provincial grant from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to focus on increasing the accessibility of needed supplies. “Maybe in the future there will be something more permanent that is implemented to address period poverty in British Columbia, but as of right now, we [have] not had any discussions with the government about something more permanent,” said Khan.

Free Periods Canada partnered with Foodbanks Canada to begin the discussion of period supplies across Canada and the initiation of educational workshops. Khan expressed that the workshop’s objective is to create necessary change by educating those who work with youth about period education.

This week at SFU

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Peak Web

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February 19, 2024

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crop (17) — PHOTO: Sebastian Brinkman / SFU Athletics

By: Isabella Urbani, Sports Editor

Home Games

Thursday, February 22: men’s basketball vs. Central Washington at West Gym at 7:00 p.m.

50% discount on admission
Recorded back-to-back wins, their longest win streak of the season, on February 1 and February 3

Saturday, February 24: men’s basketball vs. Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) at West Gym at 7:00 p.m.

Black History Night and 50% discount on admission
Lost 69–51 earlier in the season to Northwest Nazarene

Sunday, February 25: men’s golf vs. Fraser Valley in Pitt Meadows

Day one of two
Second and last competition of the month

Away Games

Monday, February 19–Tuesday, February 20: track and field at the GNAC championships in Spokane, Washington

Women finished third and men finished fifth at the conference championships last year

Tuesday, February 20: softball vs. Stanislaus State (California) at 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Last played Stanislaus State in 2015 to an 8–1 loss
Sixth game the team is playing in four days (February 16–20)

Thursday, February 22: women’s basketball vs. Seattle Pacific at 7:00 p.m.

Final road trip of the season
Scored 83 points three times in their last five games

Friday, February 23: lacrosse vs. University of California (Berkeley) at 7:00 p.m.

First game of the season
SFU won their 10th Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League title last season

Friday, February 23–Saturday, February 24: track and field at the University of Washington for the Ken Shannon Last Chance Meet

Final meet of the season

Saturday, February 24: lacrosse at Santa Clara University at 12:00 p.m.

Beat Santa Clara 10–9 last season

Saturday, February 24: women’s basketball vs. Montana State Billings at 1:00 p.m.

Lost 74–60 earlier this season to Montana State
Montana State lost their first game to a conference opponent this season on January 27

Saturday, February 24: conference hockey team vs. Okanagan Lakers at 6:15 p.m.

Last game of the season
Beat Okanagan the last time they played, 4–3

Sunday, February 25: lacrosse vs. Nevada at 12:00 p.m.

Beat Nevada 24–4 last season

Dip into a real hell with Gadfly instead of imagining sham ones

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Peak Web

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February 19, 2024

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Black and White photo of Gadfly - band members posing — PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

By: Kimia Mansouri, SFU Student

A three-member punk rock band has been sending earthquakes throughout Vancouver’s metal scene, and they plan to release a new album this summer. Named after a book by Ethel L Voynich, Gadfly is an unlikely phenomenon that rose out of the smoke of resistance, spreading the ashes of doom metal, Persian metal, punk, and heavy rock onto the stage. Holding the Molotov, Homa Khoshnavas on lead vocals and guitar, along with Nigel Young on drums and vocals and Raine Menard on bass, have redefined the metal genre in the local scene.

While Young tended to laundry in the background of the Zoom call, I inquired about the band’s genre-defying music. Menard responded, “I really enjoy the instrument chemistry. I think the basslines are so much fun, and it changes a lot — the songs are very dynamic for the most part [ . . . ] a lot of the time, there’s a lot going on, so it’s kind of hard to put it in a box and say it’s one genre.”

Gadfly brings a unique sensuality to metal. I’ve attended multiple shows over the past year, but most recently saw them perform in October at the Green Auto Body. As usual, it was a versatile night of moshing, grooving, and headbanging that compelled bodies to move in unholy ways. The song “Spine Stabber” starts strong and heavy with its instrumental but then finds a sweet riff that seductively has you listening with your whole body. The stillness of the first verse and the drums captivate you. Then, all at once, you’re released into the darkness within. The band engulfs you in their flame, transforming the whole venue.

Granted they usually get likened to Black Sabbath, Khoshnavaz compared Gadfly’s sound to bands like Acid King, Jucifer, and Spoon Benders, and I would add Acid Mammoth, Windhand, and Hot Garbage to that list.

The origin of Gadfly goes back to Iran, where singing is forbidden for women. 16-year-old Khoshnavaz started an underground band with a different name, and her bandmates who were almost a decade older fired her over the age difference, eventually inspiring the song, “Rapture.” After moving to Canada with new bandmates, Khoshnavaz released the EP Gadfly in 2021. While it was going well for the band, Khoshnavaz admitted that meeting Young changed things; the band found its sound, improved its stage presence, and started getting more recognition upon releasing their iconic album, Apranik, in 2022.

“No one cared at first, and then all of a sudden, everyone is starting to care,” Koshnavaz commented on the experience. “Like our last show at Red Gate, we sold out, and we didn’t think we would sell out. And also, people started singing with us, and I was like, ‘What the fuck? Who do you think we are?’” The two met Menard at LaSalle College on “band recording day” through Michael Foster, Menard’s music engineering instructor who’s worked with Gadfly on multiple occasions. After a jam session, Menard quickly filled up the vacant spot as Gadfly’s new bass player.

According to Khoshnavaz, one of the reasons behind the “doomy” element of their music is the usage of Persian scales. “Phrygian is basically Shur in Iran, which is kind of like a mix of Persian and Arabic scales [ . . . ], but then you can also use Chahargah, which is another Persian scale you can use on western instruments, that I also use,” Khoshnavaz explained. We can expect some of these influences in the new album but not as prominent as before, and most songs, if not all, will be in English this time around. “It still has a bit of the Persian tone, but not as much as the last album. Cause I feel like the last album [Apranik] was kind of my redemption for getting out of Iran finally [ . . . ] I’ve seen people trying to mimic the sounds in Farsi, and try to sing it, but fail really hard.”

Despite facing sickness, financial restrictions, and delays, Khoshnavaz and Young have been integrating their different songwriting methods for the LP, with psychedelic rock and faster tempos suited for moshing and dancing. Along with Menard, the band is experimenting with different mastering techniques for variety. Overall, they’re excited for the upcoming shows, and performing at new venues for bigger crowds. They’ve just released a new high-reverb single, “Influencer,” along with a music video for when you’re fed up with the facade of the status quo. As for the album, it’s expected to be released in the summer, but before then you can catch them opening for DZ Deathrays at The Pearl on March 20. Buy tickets on their website.

The everlasting effect of brilliant sampling: J Dilla’s Donuts

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Peak Web

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February 19, 2024

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An illustration of J Dila — ILLUSTRATION: Aliya Nourlan / The Peak

By: Yildiz Subuk, SFU Student

Sampling in hip-hop had been around since the early days of the genre, but producer J Dilla took it a step further and composed an album entirely through the use of sampling. Donuts, released on Dilla’s 32nd birthday (February 2006), has become a staple in lofi hip-hop. The lofi hip-hop circuit has various live stations, filled with beats to relax and study to. There are a ton of artists who experiment with the genre today, but the pioneers of the genre include artists such as MF DOOM, Nujabes, and, of course, J Dilla.

J Dilla (James Yancy) was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1973. His parents were musicians, and by the time he turned 11, he began making his own beats. His parents brought gospel, jazz, and classical influence into his life, which he would later apply to his hip-hop production. Since his early years, Dilla’s production has become influential and in-demand, and he’s collaborated with artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, and Common.

Sampling in music refers to the process of taking a portion of one sound recording and reusing it as an element in a new recording or piece of music. Lofi hip-hop beats are sample-heavy, and are composed of vinyl crackles, laid-back drum patterns, ambient sounds, and minimalistic arrangements, creating a nostalgic and tranquil atmosphere. What’s special about Donuts is it’s made entirely from samples. All vocals, drums and melodies are rearranged, flipped, and fused together to comprise a wholly new track. On one of my favourite tracks, “Mash,” Dilla used three samples: “Golden Apples (Part II)” by Galt MacDermont, “Dance Contest” by Frank Zappa, and “Season of the Witch” by Lou Rawls. With just these three tracks, Dilla flipped, resequenced, altered, and fused the samples in a way no one else could. As a result, we get a track made up of a mellow piano sequence, minimalist drums that invoke ease, and chopped up vocals to add personality.

Dilla has handpicked various other tracks, ranging from neo-soul and jazz, to funk, hip-hop, and more, in his works. With the use of an MPC 3000 (a classic drum machine and sampler), Dilla made his most definitive album. Before Donuts, Dilla had produced various other iconic hip-hop tracks, most notably including “Didn’t cha know” by Erykah Badu, “Runnin” by The Pharcyde and “Love is…”by Common. Dilla sadly passed away three days after the release of Donuts, but his influence lives on through the souls of every loop, vinyl crack, and minimalist drum pattern we hear when we sit back and listen to something nostalgic and relaxing.

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