Feline Persuasion

When Cozmic Cat went to Toronto, all she left us was alone.

by Brian Howard

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Published: Jul 25, 2007

IF YOU LEAF: Coz started the From Philly with Love label/ collective with Philly DJs Lorne and Jon Gill after she moved to Toronto. (CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

For the better part of a decade, no one got Philly asses moving like DJ Cozmic Cat. Spinning intimate venues like 700 or the erstwhile Soma, Coz (aka Paula Burrows) dropped the old-school hip-hop and banging party jams with aplomb. You won't get much argument that she was the city's top female DJ — if such distinctions are even germane — starting in the mid-'90s, nor that she was one of Philly's top and most beloved spinners, period. About four years ago, Coz, born in London, Ontario, returned north of the border, burned out on music. But she just couldn't stay away from the decks. Not long after she got to Toronto she started the label/collective From Philly with Love, with Philly DJs Lorne and Jon Gill. She spins, promotes, books and heads up the nascent Jupiter Productions, which she envisions as a community where "music heads can come together and build" but at present serves as a means for "[taking] control of my own music without having to work for 'da Man.'" Coz is scheduled to spin two nights in Philly this week; we caught up with her via e-mail about her triumphant return to the Illadelph.

City Paper: We've missed you. What have you been up to?

Cozmic Cat: Well, I took a long and much-needed break from the music scene and reconnected with my family here, and different parts of my life that I hadn't been paying attention to. I eventually started spinning again for fun, which has led to a whole new side of my career in the music world. I have been making mash-ups for my DJ sets and promoting a monthly party called Cherry Bomb. Booking bands like Scream Club and different DJs and MCs for this monthly girl party is a lot of fun! I started a production company and a group called Commonwealth. I recently did some work on a remix for Universal records.

CP: So what brought you to Philly in the first place? And what brought you back to Canada?

CC: I say love for someone else brought me to Philly, love for Philly made me stay in Philly, and love for myself brought me back to Canada ... It's a 10-year saga but that's it in a nutshell. Apparently the movie is coming out shortly starring Halle Berry as Cozmic Cat. Ha ha!

CP: What's the club scene like up there?

CC:It dope! Like any large city, T-dot has a little of everything for everyone. I am older and I don't go out gratuitously so much these days. The last show I went to was Mr. Scruff — a four-hour DJ set. There is indie rock/electro everywhere and uber trendy of course, but look and you will find an outlet for just about every scene here, from deep house to baille funk. The only thing lacking is the super incredible warehouse parties because Toronto just does not have those kind of physical spaces. There are warehouse parties, but the ones in North Philly are hard to even describe to someone who hasn't been, and law enforcement is tighter here, so promoters can't just go for it. Those old Philly buildings are ill! Warehouses aside, the T-dot is an extremely diverse city. If you dare to push your limits you could end up drunk New Year's Eve partying with Sri Lankans in a damn near condemned apartment building listening to Cher remixes. Yes, it happened.

CP: Do people really say "eh?" a lot up there?

CC: Well, yeah, probably as much as people in Philly say "na'meen?"

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

CP: When you were spinning here, you could really drop the old-school hip-hop. Are you still spinning the same style?

CC: No, I am not. I was really burnt out on it, and I made a vow to spin only what I truly felt a passion for. At the time, in Philly I was rediscovering those classics right along with the crowd. I would go to Armand's and get all excited about finding the vinyl copy of Camp Lo's "Luchini" or something and get pumped to play it that night at 700 Club, or Soma. Those feelings went right into the set and made it live! After my break from spinning, I felt differently about a lot of music I had stopped listening to, and became more open to new sounds. I found that Canadian crowds on average were more diverse and that hip-hop in general is not such a mainstream thing in the clubs.

CP: How is a Coz set now different?

CC: I play more for myself, and less like a resident DJ, whose sound can become tied to a certain crowd or venue. I experiment more, and play more house, electro and mash-ups. I am always looking for fun new sounds. I try to stay away from the "safe" tracks I know will rock the party and try to rock the party differently every time. Sometimes you just gotta pull out the faves, but with less dance-floor pressure on me, I feel as though I have become more diverse and more daring in my DJ sets.

CP: Does Philly look different from a distance than it does from right in the middle?

CC: Ahhh yes. Philly is very close to my heart. The incredible energy that I felt being part of that music scene and all the people in it seems almost mythical at times, and yet we were all there. There's been lots of reminiscing and mad love for Philly. I always feel a certain kinda way when I see posters and hear of Philly peeps like Cosmo Baker, ?uestlove, Jazzy Jeff and Schoolly D playing in Toronto. Philly was my home for a decade, and I still get lost in Toronto! However, I also see that wherever you are, you are right in it, so I am making it happen in new ways here for myself, and I feel things bubbling and building around me in a global way here in Toronto.

CP: Who will you be spinning with in Philly?

CC: I am delighted to appear at Damage! at the Raven Lounge with Jon Gill and Maggy Thump as part of their "weekly electronic music experience"! I love playing and just being around my From Philly with Love boys, and we always have a blast. I am also gonna drop a few tunes aboard the Moshulu, alongside Lucas Rivera, the much-respected Latin house selecta! Knowing Tommy Up for years, I expect his party to be slammed. However, I am really here first and foremost to work on some tunes with Lorne and get our first single out and in people's ears ASAP. It called "Miss DJ" so keep your ears and eyes open!

(bhoward@citypaper.net)

 

DJ Cozmic Cat will perform Fri., July 27, 10 p.m., $5, at Damage! at the Raven Lounge, 1718 Sansom St., 215-840-3577, www.ravenlounge.com, and Sat., July 28, 9 p.m., $10 at Mojito aboard the Moshulu, Penn's Landing, 401 S. Columbus Blvd., 215-923-2500, www.paper-street.com/news.

 

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