Meet Hoss | DJ, Producer, Funktasy Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Hoss and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hoss, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Risk is pretty much part of every entrepreneur, dreamer and ambitious individual’s career and life journey. If you want to win, you have to take risks. As a musician, I risked it all by diving into an industry which is quite difficult to get into in the first place and also with our ever-changing world being impacted by the digital evolution it made it even more of an X-factor. I started my professional music career in 2010. The same year, I launched Funktasy Records and Magazine. Did I have an in depth knowledge of the music industry? No! Was I the best producer or DJ? Far from it! But I believed in my beliefs, worked hard and learned from my mistakes. The great thing about the internet is we can easily watch the growth and movement of our partners and competitors and from time to time reverse engineer those tactics and apply it to our career and company.

In my opinion, we can minimize risk by certain factors. For example, knowledge, education, confidence, timing and networking can all reduce the weight of the risk and give us an edge over our competitors.

It has definitely been a bumpy ride for me on this boat of risks. If I could, would I go back and change it? No! Living without risks is not living.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Music is in my blood. My family is quite musical at heart. I pretty much devoted myself to music since my early teens. I spent countless hours learning various instruments; drums, percussion, bass, guitars, piano & keys. Since my teenage years I knew that I wanted to make a career out of music. I got involved with everything and anything music – concerts, DJing, radio, podcasts, throwing parties. However, it took me years to understand what I really wanted to do and eventually I had to figure out how I would turn my passion into a career. I was lost. I took a break for a couple of years and worked on my music portfolio to understand myself better. Even once I made a career out of music, I went through a re-branding phase a couple of times. The thing that I am most proud of is that through all hardships, turn downs, rejections and failures, I never gave up. Every failure made me stronger and I pushed even harder. The music industry is one of the most challenging careers one can choose; especially if you are in the frontline, such as an artist or a performer. You constantly have to do your best to succeed and make ends meet. Also, you have to always look your best and be presentable, given today’s social media precedence. Basically, you have to be a sunshine everyday. That’s where I think it takes a toll and the majority end up quitting the industry. Part of the deal for this career is have a big ego. There could be a lot of negativity thrown your way at any level of your career. You just have to believe, push and work hard! Today, I have created some buzz with my music and my Record Label & Magazine. I started with producing underground music and now I am more on the commercial level. I have developed as a person, as an artist and as an entrepreneur. We still have many bumpy roads ahead but we smile and push forward 🙂

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in Montreal. It’s a beautiful wonderful city. It’s the perfect balance of North America and Europe. Plenty to see and explore here. But definitely each day would start with a breakfast of champions. Then go for a hike on Mont-Royal and for lunch a big fat juicy poutine (Google it if you don’t know what is). Sunsets are gorgeous in Montreal and the nightlife is just WOW! Old Montreal is breath-taking. So many shops, restaurants and unique bars to explore. A road trip on the countryside of Quebec, Vermont and upstate New York is a definite must. So many small towns to visit. If you enjoy spas there are a number of awesome spas to relax and enjoy for a whole day. Damn, I feel like I am doing a tour promotion now 🙂 But seriously, Montreal is gorgeous.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As a musician so many factors in life have contributed to my success. Every experience and event, whether in life or at work, has inspired me to a degree. Growing up in Canada, I was exposed to multiple cultures, languages and lifestyles. All of this diversification helped to form the person that I am today. I love the Canadian and American diversity… it makes me feel like I am a world citizen. Hence, all of this is evident and portrayed in the way I write & deliver my music and run the operations at Funktasy. Apart from the above mentioned, I have so many people to be thankful and grateful for; family, friends, teachers and much more. Each person in my life has inspired me with their own unique being. I am a firm believer that everything in life happens for for a reason. So every person that I cross paths with in life is dear and an inspiration to me.

Website: https://www.hossmusic.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hossfx

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hossfx/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hossfx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hossfx

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/hossfx

Other: Funktasy – Record Label, Magazine, Studios https://www.funktasy.com