The Pulse: July 31, 2023

A DJ-and-video collective that began by hosting casual events at an apartment has found its latest home at a new nightclub in Edmonton.

Residents.tv is the brainchild of Michael Ng, Joel Vaillancourt, and Nathan Panousis. It's grown from a hangout inspired by nightlife streamer Boiler Room into an event series where DJs (and occasionally other musical acts) perform in real life for recordings later posted online.

"Why not just invite some local producers, local DJs and kind of have a bi-weekly hangout at the apartment?" co-founder Michael Ng remembered thinking in 2016. "Just talk about music, and showcase what they have to offer and what kind of music they've been doing."

Streaming those home gatherings caught the attention of the team behind 9910, The Common, and Fu's Repair Shop.

"All the guys from The Common/9910 were seeing this content that was really similar to where they were at (with programming)," Ng told Taproot. "They approached us, and we weren't sure if it was going to translate very well. But it worked incredibly well — loads of folks came out."

From then on, Residents held most of its events at 9910. Then when the restaurant group opened Double Dragon next to the new location of Fu's Repair Shop on Jasper Avenue, Residents was on hand to help christen the new nightclub at its grand opening.

"We thought it was super cool that they would ask us something so big. We were very honoured to do that with them," Ng said of the June 9 event. "A lot is different about Double Dragon. It's a way bigger space. I think there's a lot that we had to put forth to elevate what content would look like when we're shooting in there."

Residents will be back at Double Dragon on Sept. 3 after playing a set aboard the Edmonton Riverboat to celebrate The Common's 14th birthday.

• The Edmonton Elks have lost 21 consecutive home games and now hold the record for the worst run of home losses in North American professional sports history after a 27-0 loss to the B.C. Lions on July 29. Several fans booed during the game, while others mocked the losing streak with signs. Some even hid their faces behind paper bags. "They have every right to be upset," said lineman Jake Ceresna. "If I was them, I'd be upset too. We've got to be better."
• The Edmonton Corn Maze, which last week unveiled a design that commemorates the RCMP's 150th anniversary, has since issued a statement expressing regret for any pain the design may have caused marginalized communities. "We recognize that our approach did not adequately take into account the hurt and harm that the RCMP's history has caused various communities, including Indigenous Peoples and people of colour," the statement said.
• Spectrum Drug Testing, a free and confidential service offered by the Queer and Trans Health Collective, has been granted an exemption from federal drug laws to allow the testing of illegal substances including methamphetamines, cocaine, fentanyl, and carfentanil. "We want to make sure that when people are using — which they will, whether we like it or not — they'll be able to get their drugs tested and know what's in it," said program development manager Jess Murray.
• The city said the 2021 Economic Incentive Construction Grant, which is providing funding over five years to 10 successful applicants, will create 4,050 jobs and 2,341 residential units in and around downtown. One of the recipients, a seven-storey residential building called SYNC11, is now open at 10312 111 Street NW.
• CBC News published a short feature on how to find free fruit to harvest in the city. The city's edible fruit tree map currently lists more than 49,000 trees, the oldest of which is a bur oak tree in Westmount that was planted more than 34 years ago. It produces acorns, but you can also find trees bearing cherries, crabapples, pears, plums, and much more.
• The new federal electoral map for Alberta, which should become official in September and will likely be used in the next federal election, makes Edmonton's nine electoral districts fully within city limits. The commission's final report, released on July 20, also heeds the concerns of municipalities in the Edmonton region in the way it groups them.
• The city's community property safety team, which allows fire crews to proactively enter problem properties to reduce the likelihood of fire, has secured 205 properties so far in 2023, up from 103 in 2022.
• Canada's 3×3 basketball team finished first at the Edmonton stop of the FIBA 3×3 women's series on July 30, defeating China 16-14 in overtime.

This week offers a three-course beer dinner, an evening of poetry and music, a way to up your entrepreneurial skills, a beading workshop, and an art walk.

• July 31, 6pm: New Level Brewing Beer Dinner at Woodshed Burgers
• Aug. 1, 7pm: Sounds from the Valley: Music and Poetry, with Téa G at Rainbow Valley
• Aug. 2, 12pm: Entrepreneurial Skills: Why do they matter in today's world?, presented by Technology Alberta
• Aug. 3, 5pm: Pockets of Eden: "What is in Your Pocket?" Beading Workshop with Latitude 53 at the Islamic Family Hub
• Aug. 3, 6pm: ArtWalk St. Albert

Find even more things to do in Taproot's weekly roundups.

Photo: Pop and R&B singer Téa G will perform at Rainbow Valley with poets Robert Tate, Shanna Mumm, and Isabelle Suenat at the Edmonton Public Library's Sounds from the Valley concert. (Téa G)