Last Friday night, on quiet Montrose Ave. in downtown Abbotsford, a section of 2539 illuminated the street with its purple and pink lighting. The welcoming space was filled with a variety of The Record magazines, plants, and Teen Daze vinyl records. The electronic music by Nice, a local band, permeated the atmosphere, which gave a 1980s vibe. Hosted by Jamison Isaak, also known as Teen Daze, the FLORA Pop-up Shop promoted Teen Daze records and welcomed people who shared the same interests.
May we first start with FLORA and the purpose of the FLORA Pop-up Shop?
FLORA is a boutique-based label founded in 2016. We’ve released five official records so far. This pop-up is an opportunity for us to share all of our releases with friends and people who enjoy ambient/electronic music in general. I am very happy to welcome everybody and to see my friends DJing at my event.
I could see the theme here as soon as I walked in, the pink and purple lighting and vinyl records. Can you tell me a little bit about the theme of this event and how you came up with it?
I wanted to make this space feel as “homey” as possible, but also connected to nature. As you can see I have plants, magazines, and minimal interior design. Even the chairs that we are sitting on now have minimal patterns with leaves. The pink and purple lighting is definitely intentional — they are two of my favourite colours. They evoke a sense of nostalgia about vaporwave and ’80s retro feel. I incorporated these two vibrant colours into this event to make it feel as retro and dreamy as possible.
So why “Teen Daze,” and what are your main inspirations?
I listen to a lot of Brian Eno. I get a lot of organic feel from him. He’s just amazing. I started making my own music as Teen Daze in 2010. The name Teen Daze is drawn from the passion and innocence of youth. It’s kind of funny because now I’m already in my early 30s, but I still want to deliver that optimistic vibe about landscapes and nature of the Fraser Valley to a younger generation.
So why did you choose downtown Abbotsford as a location for this pop-up?
The room that we’re in right now is called Downtown Abby Pop-up. So they specifically rent out this place to people who want to hold pop-ups. The front and inside look cozy and minimal. People can just walk in, enjoy the music and have a casual chat with one another. I thought this would be an ideal place for me to hold the FLORA Pop-up Shop.
So what are your plans after this?
I’m working on releasing a new record next year. “Nice” and I will also be DJing in October at a weekly showcase in Highstreet Mall. More details regarding the showcase should be coming soon.
Image: Uyen Nguyen
