When it comes to the local music scene, Abbotsford doesn’t measure up. “It’s just mainly indie and blues,” says Gabe Martyn, a local music fan. “And even then, your shows are happening maybe once a month.”
Abby Underground, founded in May of this year, was formed by local youths to try and remedy Abbotsford’s lacking music scene. Started by William Kaplan, Elie Woodle and their fellow music enthusiasts, Abby Underground aims to help organize events for local artists and fans. In an interview with CIVL radio, Kaplan stated, “Deep down, Abby Underground exists because I wanted to mosh in my hometown.”
The night of June 17, Abby Underground hosted their first event: DJ Night, at a local church in Clearbrook. The event had four headliners, all ranging in style and experience. Each set lasted around thirty minutes in length, taking the show from 7:30 to around 10 p.m.
The first performance was by squ1dddddd, whose music was reminiscent of tracks from the early PlayStation’s breakcore style of video game soundtrack. The visuals for their set were a considerate choice from squ1dddddd, who “didn’t wanna cause issues for anyone with epilepsy.” Instead of the typical flashing rave visuals, squ1dddddd’s performance was backed by visuals of building demolitions.
Artist two was Himbo Scientist, whose music was based solely on what he felt was fun to listen to and play. His backing visuals were a spur of the moment decision, showing cute and funny cat videos that made for a unique audio-visual juxtaposition when paired with the fast paced mosh pit-worthy beats. You can listen to Himbo Scientist’s music on SoundCloud.
Following up the intermission was Lady Lindie’s set. Lindie’s theme was impeccable. Her music was of the electro swing variety and was paired with clips from vintage movies like Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Lady Lindie also streams on Twitch regularly, doing music every Wednesday.
The final set was from Joykey. Joykey’s songs were all his own original compositions. He also sang live vocals while he was mixing. His music was inspired by the likes of Madeon and Porter Robinson. Both light and techy, Joykey’s music is fun, and can be found on his YouTube channel if you have an interest in hearing it for yourself.
“Ultimately, what keeps live music scenes going is the kids that show up,” said Martyn. Abby Underground proves this to be true. The young people that put this event on are trying to breathe life into Abbotsford’s music scene for everybody to enjoy. If you are interested in supporting Abby Underground and the artists they highlight, consider getting involved in the events they put on. You can find them online on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook under the Abby Underground alias.
