Natalie Chiasson is a journalist and visual artist based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She moved to the East Coast from western Canada in 2019, and has established strong roots here in Mi’kma’ki.

She is passionate about storytelling through writing, photography, videography, and illustration, and strives to document stories that amplify underrepresented voices that bring attention to environmental, cultural, and social issues that help people better understand the world around them.

Find out more @nataliechiassonmedia

What happens when you don’t choose music, but music chooses you? In this electrifying episode, the magnetic Nigerian artist Oluzy traces his journey from freestyling on street benches in Lagos to sharing stages with Afrobeats giants like Ruger and Joeboy in Canada.

Oluzy pulls back the curtain on his unique creative process, revealing how a chance airport encounter inspired his viral hit “Bamidele Logba Logba” and why he believes the universe, not him, curates the loyal team that surrounds him. He gets real about the pressure to constantly outdo himself, the hustle mentality forged in a Lagos neighbourhood where “nobody did a nine-to-five,” and why he sees his upcoming project as a genre-defying “movement” never before heard in Afrobeats.

Oluzy is a Halifax-based afrobeat artist blending Nigerian roots with global vibes. Producing hits like 'Love Me' & 'Bamidele Logba Logba', he's breaking bounds with infectious rhythms

Check him out @oluzy_

Blackout Podcast Episode 349: Double A - DJ / Founder, Modus Music Group

Double A first made his mark as a pioneering drum and bass DJ in Montreal’s underground scene in the early 1990s. Over the next decade, he toured extensively across North America and around the globe—from Cape Town to Tokyo, Los Angeles to Toronto. Alongside longtime DJ partner Twist, he co-founded Dune and Nude Recordings, two influential Montreal-based labels that helped shape the city's electronic music landscape.

With a string of releases and remixes to his name, Double A shifted gears in the early 2000s, stepping away from drum and bass to embrace open-format DJing. On Canada’s East Coast, he became known for producing some of the region’s longest-running monthly events, earning a reputation for his genre-spanning sets and dynamic crowd connection.

After several years in the U.S., Double A is now based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he continues to push musical boundaries with his digital sets while also staying rooted in his love of vinyl. He’s deep into collecting 45s and runs his own 7" imprint, Mountain 45s. His productions have landed on respected labels like Private Stock Records, Heat Rock, Fridays Funky 45s, and Eastside Edits.

Known for his eclectic and high-energy sets, Double A seamlessly blends genres whether playing digitally or all-vinyl. He’s not chasing rare collectibles or trying to impress crate-diggers—just delivering pure dance floor fire. All fun. All the time.

Check him out @modusmusicgroup

Born and raised in Ottawa, Canada, Caleb Latreille has spent most of his adult life wandering across both the planet and creative disciplines. As a youth, he was a prolific writer, writing and directing for the theatre and becoming deeply involved in the North American zine scene of the late 1990s and early aughts.

After a move to Halifax, Nova Scotia, his work with paper shifted towards music: creating posters, fliers, and cassette booklets as a DJ/organizer and selling handmade mixtapes at local craft and record fairs; and to mail art, keeping ties with friends made through zines or while travelling across North America as a record collector, a hitchhiking banjo player, and an occasional roadie and tour manager.

A growing focus on DJing led to moves to Melbourne, Montreal, and Negril, and to music production and audio engineering. Eventually, buying a camera to document life at a volunteer-run recording studio in Halifax, he fell in love with photography and has since concentrated his efforts on portraiture. Owing to his past, youth culture and nostalgia are prominent themes in his work. He is currently in the process of immigrating to Lusaka, Zambia.

Check his work out @caleblatreille

Courtney Baker is a self-love coach who helps women reconnect with their worth and remember they are the love of their own lives. Her approach is rooted in softness, honesty, and a deep belief that self-love is a radical, necessary act of reclamation. Not a luxury masked in bubble baths and overpriced coffee, but in fact, your birthright.

She works through 1:1 coaching, creating space for body neutrality, emotional healing, and those beautifully imperfect moments of growth. Her work gently guides people back to themselves, one breath, one boundary, and one brave step at a time.

Courtney is here for the messy middles, the quiet wins, and the magic that happens when we stop trying to be perfect and start learning to be present. She believes healing doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful, and that you definitely don’t have to do it alone.

Ken Oguzie is a dynamic and results-driven international trade and investment professional. He is the President/ Founder of Africa Canada Trade and Investment Venture based out of Nova Scotia, Canada, with partner offices across Africa. ACTIV is a boutique consulting firm specialising in trade and investment solutions, with a focus on promoting and facilitating Trade and Investment between Canada and Africa, across diverse sectors.

With over a decade of experience in the global trade industry spanning 4 different continents, 5 countries, Ken has a proven track record of driving sustainable growth, fostering international partnerships and bringing Economic development to the regions of his focus in sectors ranging from Energy, Agriculture, Infrastructure, Real Estate to professional services.

Under his leadership, ACTIV has expanded its global footprint, navigated complex market dynamics and delivered innovative trade and investment strategies that meet the evolving needs of businesses in Africa, Canada and worldwide. Ken is known for combining deep industry expertise with a forward-thinking approach to create long-term value for stakeholders. A skilled negotiator and visionary, Ken has successfully facilitated numerous large-scale Trade and Investment deals across various continents, making them a trusted leader in the sector. He is also a strong DEI advocate and provides advisory support to senior leadership of private and public sector organisations on inclusive leadership and workplace culture.

Learn more @activafr

www.activafr.com

Hailing from Kjipuktuk/Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Jupiter V (they/them) is a queer artist, musician and creative crackerjack with a career spanning over a decade. Making a name with award-winning gig posters, they've gone on to illustrate for film, graphic fiction, children's literature and more.

Most recently, they worked with EVERYSEEKER Music and Arts Festival (2025 & 2026) and Nocturne: Art at Night Festival (2024), and is looking forward to publishing their second comic with Duck Prints Press in 2026. Jupiter also composed the original soundtrack for the hit PC game Bopl Battle, and has most recently released the album Last Dance with their synthrock band Minus World.

Find out more @jupiterv99

jupiterv.net

theminusworld.com

C Stone-Léon, a rapper/producer/curator residing in Halifax, NS.

He draws inspiration from underground and old-school sounds, citing influences like Westside Gunn, Roc Marciano, MF Doom, and The Alchemist. Collaborating with long-time friend French, they released Léon’s debut mixtape “Burning Bushes on Marble Floors” in January 2021. The lead single “Matilda” received recognition from Ghostface Killah, Redman, and Busta Rhymes.

Léon is the founder of DIRECTOR, a brand spanning music, film, art, and fashion, and has released 9 projects and various singles. His newest collaboration effort with Luke French & Ghostboyrj “Tokyo, Sayonara!” Is out now everywhere.

Check him out @cstoneleon