While waiting for Sister Nancy to take the stage, I found myself in the basement of the Rialto to check out Honeydrip, a prominent figure in Montreal’s underground electronic scene. When I arrived, this DJ—who’s been in the business for about ten years—was mixing dub and reggae with bass lines that were blowing our eardrums away. And as the set went on, the tempo picked up, making more and more room for electro while retaining the dreamy, atmospheric quality of reggae. Deeply focused on her turntables, she didn’t interact much with her audience, who seemed captivated and danced throughout the entire set.
Honeydrip is also a respected bass music producer and speaker builder, in addition to pursuing her DJ career both nationally and internationally. She has toured Europe, South America, and Canada and is gaining more and more attention.
She wrapped up her set with some dancehall and chose the track “Nobody Moves, Nobody Gets Hurt,” much to the delight of the audience, who broke into applause.
When Honeydrip isn’t behind the turntables, she leads workshops for women and the LGBTQ+ community to empower them and include them in sound system culture. She’s a trailblazer in her choice of labels and has already released music on labels such as Banofee Pies Records, among others, and continues to contribute to the development of sound system culture in Montreal. A name to watch!
