Bully Magazine - Innah Di Dance

Toronto-based DJ and Sound Curator Jordan Abdul (stage name Jordior) is trailblazing Caribbean youth through producing culturally relevant events within cities such as Toronto and New York City, with the primary goal of creating safe and inclusive spaces for youth to express themselves.

A Toronto native of Trinidadian and Guyanese roots, Jordan has made it his mission to curate authentic spaces for Caribbean youth. Caribbean culture is one that is often misunderstood. Others may perceive the culture to be “vulgar” or “inappropriate”, yet Jordan is making a conscious effort to confront and reframe these narratives but with his own modern twist. “We’re still carrying on our traditions through the music, the clothing, the dances. However, it’s either we stick to what we know, or change it in the way that we are changing it. It’s not about erasing the culture, but about us redefining it,” stated Jordan.

From Trinidad’s annual Carnival celebration which has translated into the Notting Hill Carnival in London and Toronto’s Caribbean Carnival (widely known as Caribana), to urban slang in cities like New York and London that stems from Jamaican Patois, the Caribbean islands have always had a strong global influence on nations around the world. “The new generations are finding new ways to engage the public in their culture through fashion, music, photography, and use their passions as a fuel to create,” said Jordan about his own practices as a Cultural Producer for the Caribbean diaspora’s youth.

What types of initiatives do you organize and who do you curate your events for?

I DJ, event produce, and sound curate. With the sound curating its playlists and updating people on new music through platforms. The event producing is a new thing now, where I’ve started to bring several different scenes from my community into one space. The girls, the guys, the straights, and the Queers all come to my parties. I feel like people of colour, especially Caribbean people of colour, should have spaces where we come together and celebrate our culture.

Why is Caribana & Caribbean culture so important to you?

I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. The sound and the culture have been pushed onto me by my parents since I was young. Caribana is our one chance during the year where our community is able to fully express ourselves; and for me, it’s the one day, the one weekend just full of sound, music, and people. It’s hard to explain because, if you don’t know you just don’t know. It’s one of those things that over time you start to realize why it’s important and why we liberate and go so hard for Caribana.

You have the Indo-Caribbeans and the Afro-Caribbeans coming together the day of to celebrate and seeing that happen is such a beautiful thing. Back in the day, our ancestors didn’t get along— and even today there’s still a divide. Caribana brings us together.

What stories are you trying to tell with this photoshoot?

My Creative Director Amera helped me really flush out the concept behind the photoshoot. We rallied anyone we could—some guys, some girls, and some gays—who fully embodied the story and vibe that we were trying to create. Then we instructed everyone to party as they would at any Dancehall party. We had all shapes, all sizes, and it just shows the inclusivity of the shoot and our culture. Our culture has evolved over the years, and this was a representation of that.

Who do you look up to? Who has inspired or influenced you?

A lot of the older DJs who have been in the game for a minute have played a role, especially with who I am as a DJ today. DJs like Nino Brown who produces Yes Yes Y'all and Bambii who produces Jerk, I’ve always been inspired by how they go so hard for their community and culture. For people my age we need someone who could do exactly that, and that’s the space I am fulfilling.

As a Cultural Producer, why are the spaces that you create so important, especially to Caribbean youth?

I’m now at a point where it's more than just playing music. It’s about everyone in our culture coming together and solidifying ourselves as youth. We’re young, and I know we could make a change to the stigma our culture has been carrying for all these years. Truth be told, it is changing. You see the gays dancing, you see the girls dancing, you see the guys and girls dancing together—my presence being in that space is about creating that environment. Don’t care about what the other person is doing, just be present.

What are your hopes and dreams for the Caribbean community 10-15 years from now?

I hope that the messages that myself and my peers are showcasing now through our creative efforts are received by the older generations, and eventually become the norm for the next generations to come.

I want to see people dancing from the start of when they walk into a party, to the end. No more waiting for people to start dancing midway through the party to feel comfortable doing the same. I want there to be respect and boundaries when it comes to people enjoying themselves—no more judgement, just fun. Lastly, I would love to see all gender expressions in the biggest concerts that take place in the Caribbean, such as Reggae SumFest, where they could attend and not feel judged for who they are.