Four men, all Kensington Market locals, crowded into a tiny studio on Monday afternoon and debated the best word to describe how their new radio station came together. “It’s magical,” said station manager Neil Asgarali. “It’s organic,” said audio engineer Mike Vit. “It’s orgasmic,” countered program coordinator Jarvis Emerald. Everyone agreed.
It’s Dub Hub, actually—a “conscious music” station cum production studio cum television channel, streaming online (at kensingtondubhub.ca) from Emerald’s HP computer, and mixed on his iPhone. “We see this as a cool art command-centre,” explained Asgarali, who took the space over in November from skate shop Longboard Living. (The shop’s Keith Haring–style ceiling mural remains; the rest of the walls have been painted in horizontal stripes of black, red, yellow and green.) “We want to foster creativity in our community,” Asgarali continued, “and channel the principles of truth, trust and love.”
Since Dub Hub went live on Christmas Eve, it has featured interviews with market fixture and Occupy Toronto protester Sunni Rainbow Justice, as well as musician Joanna Chapman-Smith. There have also been spoken-word performances, record reviews and health and wellness programming. “We’ve got the whole neighbourhood watching,” Emerald said.
But so far, Asgarali said, Dub Hub is mostly using “misfit pieces of equipment” to broadcast, with the budget coming “out of our back pockets.” (Asgarali is a part-time construction worker and entrepreneur, while Emerald is a food blogger.) That hasn’t inhibited their big dreams for the project. Neither has the minuscule space from which they’re working—even if the team can’t quite agree on how small the Hub’s single room is. Estimates ranged from 120 square feet, which seems about right, to 300. “Put it this way,” Asgarali said. “We’re at 86½ Nassau St., and we don’t have a bathroom.” Happily, neighbouring I Deal Coffee and Kos Restaurant have offered their facilities.
