For more than two decades, Vancouver’s D-Rec has quietly built a reputation as one of Canada’s most dependable and deeply rooted hip-hop DJs. Active since the late ’90s, his foundation was shaped as much by classic rock, soul and ’80s pop as it was by golden-era hip-hop — a musical upbringing that still informs his versatility today. From early turntable experiments on hand-me-down Gemini decks to becoming a trusted presence behind the scenes of live shows and studio sessions, D-Rec’s path has always been guided by a genuine respect for the craft rather than trends or shortcuts.
In this conversation, D-Rec (aka The Crate Crusader) opens up about the philosophies that have defined his career: reading rooms instead of pre-planning sets, letting technique speak louder than mic chatter, and prioritizing professionalism. He reflects on the realities of modern performance technology, the shift in crowd energy within Canada’s hip-hop scene, and why rapping over vocal tracks at concerts is something he believes needs to disappear altogether.
The interview also dives into the lesser-known sides of D-Rec — from his love of blue-eyed soul and yacht rock to the action-figure collection that helps fuel his creativity in the studio — while tracing his long-standing collaborations, standout performances, and his role as both a live performance DJ and a go-to scratch specialist.
Looking ahead, he hints at a long-gestating solo project that marks a new chapter in his career. What follows is a candid, unfiltered look at an artist who’s stayed true to his lane, sharpened his skills, and continues to push forward on his own terms.
D-Rec (Photo supplied)
D-Rec Interview
HipHopCanada: How long have you been involved in hip-hop and what kind of music influences your style?
D-Rec: I’ve been listening to hip-hop for pretty much as long as I can remember, and I’ve been an active participant since 1998. That’s when I got my first pair of turntables, some janky Gemini belt-drives that were passed down to every member of my DJ crew before we all moved on to the coveted Technics 1200s.
In terms of my musical influences, my parents were the main catalysts. My mom’s side included artists like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Talking Heads, The Eurythmics, David Bowie and The Supremes to name a few. My dad’s influence on me included the likes of Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Sly & The Family Stone, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Colin James, Steely Dan and so much more. The first music that I adopted as my own without any external influence included Hall & Oates, Prince, Michael Jackson, Brian Adams, Glass Tiger, Men Without Hats, and other assorted “80s retro” acts. The Seattle grunge movement was a very big deal to me, and was my primary source of listening material for a few years.
My early hip-hop influences include LL Cool J, EPMD, Eazy-E and NWA, Maestro Fresh Wes, A Tribe Called Quest, Run-DMC, Slick Rick, Geto Boys and countless others. As I got older, I got into a lot of underground New York stuff like Nas, Smif-n-Wessun, Gang Starr and my all time favourite rap group, the mighty Wu-Tang Clan. Some of the individual artists that have had the biggest effect on me, in regards to the music I create, are DJ Premier, RZA, Pete Rock, Buckwild, The Invisibl Skratch Piklz and The Beat Junkies. I could go on and on for days so I think I’ll just leave it at that.
HipHopCanada: What is your approach to creating or curating a set?
DR: It depends on what kind of set I’m doing. If I’m rocking with a rapper, I’ll typically sit down with them, go through the songs and collaboratively structure the set. If I’m doing a DJ set in a nightclub, or any other type of environment, where it’s just me rocking solo, I usually don’t plan anything ahead of time and prefer to improvise by reading the room. That being said, if I’m the warm up DJ for a show, I’ll have a basic idea of what kind of stuff I want to play. For example, I opened for Method Man & Redman in July of 2024, and in that scenario I knew I wanted to play a lot of classic New York / east coast stuff, a few west coast bangers and a healthy mix of weed inspired jams, so I had a basic plan of attack before getting started. The number one rule of DJing at a show is to never play anything from the artists that will be performing.
HipHopCanada: What can fans expect when they come to see a D-Rec performance?
DR: Long story short, fans can expect a lot of energy, genuine enthusiasm and love for the craft. There will be a lot of clean mixing, tasteful scratching, and depending on the performance, a diverse blend of musical flavours. Unless I’m DJing for an artist where I’ll be providing backup vocals, like what a hypeman would do, I don’t typically do a lot of mic work and prefer to speak with my hands.
HipHopCanada: Known to be versatile in many genres, which is your favourite that steps outside of the hip-hop element that might take us by surprise?
DR: A lot of my close friends know, but one genre some might be surprised by is blue-eyed soul. Some artists that fall into this category include Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, Phil Collins and Gino Vanelli. I also have an affinity for 70s classic rock, classic soul and yacht rock as well.
HipHopCanada: Outside of music, what are some of your favourite hobbies or interests?
DR: I love swimming. I often go to aquatic centres and get busy in the steam room, sauna, hot tub and pool. That’s my favourite form of physical activity. I thoroughly enjoy movies, video games, listening to podcasts, going for walks, hanging out with my cat and golf. In the last few years I have taken a keen interest in collecting action figures including GI Joe, Transformers, Marvel / DC characters, a few Masters of the Universe guys here and there, and the occasional Lego set. One of my favourite stress relieving activities is to crack open a new GI Joe, get him fully equipped with all the weapons / accessories, articulate him into a bad-ass pose and place him in with the rest of the squad. I keep my toy gallery in the same area as my home studio and draw inspiration from it regularly. I consider it to be a form of art, and every figure is a little sculpture I can admire at any time.
HipHopCanada: What are some of your most notable collaborations and / or performances?
DR: I’m most proud of the body of work I have amassed with my close friend and longtime musical collaborator, Snak the Ripper. I’ve been right there alongside him since day one of his hip-hop journey, and I’m largely responsible for discovering him and putting him on in the Vancouver rap scene. I fully produced his debut album, did all the scratching and with the exception of a few tracks, provided every beat on it. Since then, I’ve had involvement in every project he’s put out, from co-executive producing what many consider to be his breakthrough album, White Dynamite, with Stylust, to only doing cuts on one song on Let it Rip, for example. I’ve had the honour of doing scratch and / or production work for legends like RA the Rugged Man, Onyx, Sadat X and El da Sensei, Shabaam Sadheeq, Planet Asia, Swollen Members, Junk, Stu Bangas, C-Lance, and many others.
As far as performances go, Onyx, RA the Rugged Man, Snak, Junk, Planet Asia, Son Doobie and Evil Ebenezer are some of my favourite artists I’ve had the honour of rocking with. Opening for DJ Premier and watching him perform classic Gang Starr scratch routines while using my equipment was a major career highlight.
D-Rec (Photo supplied)
HipHopCanada: Dream collaboration, dead or alive?
DR: Hmmm. That’s a tough one. This could change at any given time depending on my mood. For now, I’ll pick three for each off the top of my head…
Dead: ODB, Guru, Prodigy.
Alive: Nas, any member of the Wu-Tang Clan, Smif-n-Wessun.
HipHopCanada: Being involved with so many shows and events, how do you handle technical issues on the fly?
DR: The best way to handle technical issues is to have a lot of experience dealing with them, and given the amount of shows and length of time I’ve been doing this for, I have a ton of experience. As far as DJ issues go, back in the pre-Serato days it was a lot more straightforward. For live shows I would typically run a discman with the beats through one channel of the mixer, and have a scratch vinyl on the other side. And for solo DJ sets it would obviously be all vinyl. Not a lot of variables in terms of what can go wrong. The introduction of Serato ushered in a whole new set of potential problems, the main one being software / hardware compatibility. So, you have to be aware about which mixer or controller you’re using and if your software will work with it. The key is to know what you’re using ahead of time, and the best ways to do that is to ensure your tech-rider is up to date with the gear you need… and to go to soundcheck. Always go to soundcheck, it’s the number one best way to avoid issues.
HipHopCanada: What is something you would like to see or be advocated for in Canada’s evolving music industry?
DR: I would really like to see people appreciate independent and “underground” hip-hop more. Of course, there’s always a niche market for everything, but I feel like the energy at shows has been dwindling over the years. I know the pandemic played a part in this, and it’s also a regional thing, so this mainly applies to Canada. Go to Europe and it’s a whole other world in terms of energy reciprocation. I operate primarily in Canada and want nothing more than to feel that real genuine love and enthusiasm here. I would also like to see artists tour with their own DJ, and not use whoever is there in whichever city they’re in. This is so important to me, because not only does it make your performances tighter, it shows a level of professionalism that to some might not seem significant, but to those who truly know the culture is extremely significant. The last thing I’ll address is artists rapping over their own vocal tracks. This needs to stop with the quickness. I don’t think I need to explain why.
HipHopCanada: As a DJ, how do you stay on top of the latest hip-hop trends and styles?
DR: I’ll keep this one nice and short… I don’t. I just do my thing. I’ve never been a trend-hopper, bandwagon jumper or biter, and don’t ever foresee myself becoming this way. I stay true to who I am and what I like. Simple as that.
HipHopCanada: What really sets you apart from other DJs in the industry?
DR: I think that what really sets me apart from other DJs is the niche lanes I have managed to navigate and become quite prominent in. The two that best define me are being a go-to live performance DJ and studio scratch-work DJ. Over the years leading up to now I made a conscious choice to pivot into these areas. Don’t get me wrong, I love party rocking and getting a crowd dancing but I wanted to have some more specific specialties under my belt. I feel like I definitely have manifested this, as the majority of my work comes through these avenues.
HipHopCanada: As a west coast veteran with many years in the game, are there any artists you think are super slept-on? And are there any new artists that we should be on the lookout for?
DR: That’s a great question. If we’re talking strictly west coast artists, the slept-on category might include Jaykin, Reflectionz, Freelance Flint, Kapok, Kid Lithium & Rozmo, Hardbody Dreams and Eng… there’s many more but this is a good solid group of artists that more people should be checking for. As far as new artists on the come-up, I’d say the Icon Crew is at the top of this category. They’re a large crew with lots of members, and they encompass so many different styles, sounds and personalities. You can catch them at Fortune Sound Club where they throw their Icon Cypher once or twice a month. This night is quickly becoming Vancouver’s number one outlet for raw and authentic underground hip-hop culture.
HipHopCanada: What can we expect from D-Rec in the near future?
DR: Well, you can expect a lot more of what I’ve been out here doing for years and years… rocking shows and scratching records. The only difference is that now it’s all at a higher level. Bigger and better shows and more banging tracks with doper artists.
And I got a little something else on the go that I’ve been working on for quite some time… I’ve been very low-key about it, just getting it ready, fine-tuning it and taking my time to ensure the quality is impeccable. It will be my very first solo release where I’m not working freelance for another artist. One could say it’s a producer album or compilation, where it’s all my beats and cuts with a variety of artists adding their vocal contributions to it. I won’t get into any specific details, but I will say this… it’s going to be insane, and I cannot wait to unleash it into the world. I’ve been chipping away at it for what seems like an eternity, and I’m hoping to start the rollout early in the coming new year. Stay tuned!
Interview conducted by Capital Wave for HipHopCanada
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