Halifax / Kjipuktuk • Staff • 2026-07-13
Atlantic Canada has a new organization advocating for racialized queer DJs: FREEQ Atlantique is celebrating its debut on July 23 with, you guessed it: a DJ party.
FREEQ Atlantique is the brainchild of Patricia (Patti) Kibenge, a 2nd generation Ugandan-Canadian single mother living in Kjipuktuk. She has been working as a DJ in Halifax for nine years with breaks for school and the birth of her daughter.
Patti says: "Two of the many lessons my parents ingrained in me from a young age are 1) there's a solution to every problem and 2) you don't complain about any problem unless you're actively doing something to fix it." Patti says she has been complaining about the local DJ scene for years - specifically the lack of racialized, queer DJs doing regular gigs and throwing shows.
Finally, once her kid started school, she had the time and energy to do something about it. Earlier this year she decided to start FREEQ Atlantique, a DJ collective for racialized, queer DJs. Believing wholeheartedly in collaboration over competition and power in numbers she began reaching out to all the racialized, queer DJs she knew in the city to see if they were interested in taking part of a celebration. Two DJs: DJGOLDAZZ and @w@r both signed on immediately and together they have been going full tilt ever since.
Don't get it twisted. We love Pride, racialized and queer events, but we're professionals who can get the job done.
FREEQ Atlantique is a home for talent that has, in Patti's opinion, been overlooked for one reason or another for too long here in Kjipuktuk. "Racialized queer DJs are not just for Pride, racialized or queer events," she says, "Don't get it twisted. We love those events but we're professionals who can get the job done. Our coming out party is an invitation for venues, promoters, companies and individuals to look at who they are consistently booking and point them in the direction of diverse talent they are missing out on. The overall hope is that throwing successful shows will encourage others to book our DJs and work with us to put on events. We want to work with people who want to work with us."
"CT Thorne at Stillwell Brewery has been an early supporter of this venture, and the support from the community has been monumental," says Patti, "and solidified for us that this is needed and wanted here in Kjipuktuk. At the end of the day all we want to do is share our love of music and make people dance. With three queer bars in the city, what better time than now to make ourselves known. We're here, we're good at what we do, and we deserve a chance to do our thing just like every other DJ out there."
The Party
What better way to continue to celebrate Pride than dancing with local Black, queer DJs?! FREEQ Atlantique has some of the best and up and coming racialized queer DJs in the city, and three Black queer DJs will be spinning tunes all night long. Everyone is welcome, no bad vibes allowed, so come join what promises to be an unforgettable night!
Meet the collective
DJGOLDAZZ (aka Ryn Harris) is a Black mixed, queer n' trans being with Antiguan Barbudan roots. They mostly play Afro-diasporic music. They love to honour Queerness and Queer Icons in their sets. They enjoy mixing different genres you may not expect to hear blended together. DJGOLDAZZ loves to time travel musically and mix tracks from different decades together to challenge the idea that one specific point in time had "the best music"; there are gems to be found all throughout time! Their goal is always to make folx wanna bust a move!
@w@r is the DJ name of Awar Obob, a Black Nova Scotian-South Sudani multifaceted artist who, outside of acting/composing/writing/hosting, has produced and played over 100 shows in Halifax and Ottawa. They've been recognized for their over-a-decade long career in underground music by The JUNO Awards and also co-curated a listening party for them. Coming from a musical family, their multi-generational music knowledge leads to a rich and diverse listening experience that spans decades and transcends genres.
DJ Patti K is a 2nd generation Black, queer Ugandan-Candadian woman living and loving in Kjipuktuk on the ancestral and unceeded territory of the Mikmaq people. She loves everything old school and tries to incorporate Black musical ancestors and pioneers into her sets. She is a lover of all genres of music but preferentially spins R'n'B, rap, hip hop and Afrobeats with some surprises here and there. She loves a themed set and a deep cut. Past notable ones include #Femmes To TheFront - female rap & hip hop from 1985-2014 and Originals and their Samples (see highlight on her page for set lists). As the founding member of FREEQ Atlantique Patti K is deeply committed to creating more spaces and opportunities for diverse DJs to perform. Collaboration over competition always. Above all DJ Patti K believes in the transformative power of music and wants to dance with you!
Join them all on Thursday, July 23rd for the launch of FREEQ Atlantique at Stillwell Brewing! Doors at 9pm with fresh spins starting at 10pm. Tickets are available at Earlybird, General, and Pay It Forward prices and can be purchased here.
There are also a limited number of community tickets available for $5.00. Please email freeq.atl@gmail.com to request one.
