About his sounds…

Jamaican-born Canadian visual artist and lover of music, literature,
gastronomy, travel, style and culture, Courtney Forbes strives to sculpt the air with sounds that employ a blend of varied music genres. Among his favorites are bossanova, R&B, Trip Hop, Ambient beats, Chill House, Reggae, Jazz and more recently, Tango.

He selects tracks that are either a pure representation of these types or an eclectic combination thereof. The result is a smooth progression of vibes, energy and tempo aimed at harmonizing with and augmenting the general mood of the people and the social atmosphere they create within the space in which they are gathered.

Courtney supplies his crowds with a tasteful cross-section of fresh sound flavors they may not necessarily know but will inevitably find pleasing to the ear and stimulating to the soul! In terms of his venue preferences, he is principally lounge – bars, music cafes, private functions, and other such exclusive contexts.

About the artist…

Courtney immigrated to Canada from Jamaica at the age of 9. He studied media arts at Ryerson Poly Technical Institute in Toronto. After a brief sojourn in Montreal, he was inspired to move to Europe.

Courtney painted in Paris for a few months before going on to Barcelona, Spain, where he taught English as a foreign language and worked as an illustrator for a local fashion magazine. He was also the lead singer for the local live music act known as “On,” an eclectic electronic project headed by Paco Angel Lopez.

From Spain Courtney returned to Jamaica, where he rediscovered the rich musical heritage of the island and amassed an extensive collection of locally produced 45-inch vinyls. While working to produce crafts for a local gift shop, he ended up spending many of his weekends on the sound lawns and in the dance halls, absorbing the vibes.

From there he moved on to spend eleven years in Zurich, Switzerland selling his paintings, and putting in work as toaster, writer, and rapper respectively in three electro style music projects: “Leme and a Bunch of People,” “Guelle De Bois” and “Silent Work.” It was out of these experiences that Courtney became inspired to DJ. His first fixed gig was as the Wednesday night resident at Pur Pur, a very stylish restaurant/bar/lounge in downtown Zurich.

After that he moved to Cape Town, South Africa where he held down a Thursday night residency in the stylish locale, “Café de Sud” and a Friday night residency at “Tank,” a trendy sushi lounge. Meanwhile he engaged in work on a solo exhibition of paintings and later two private commissions, some of which appeared as print in the local lifestyle magazine, “One Small Seed.”

Recently Courtney has returned to his home base of Toronto, where he now resides, ready to share his international music experiences.

Please have a listen to Courtney selected tracks from Lounging 4: