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The Musical Appetites of Local Doughnut Whisperer Aaron Surman

Definitive Records asks interesting Vancouverites to scour their sonic-led memories to pull out the three albums anchoring their musical tastes. Full archive here.

Photo by 49th // LunAzul Photography

Today we hear from Aaron Surman, Executive Chef at Lucky’s Doughnuts. Aaron recently took a few minutes off from filling up the display case with delicious doughnuts to fill us in on the albums that mean a lot to him….


Violent by Design – Jedi Mind Tricks | LISTEN

“I have always been into Hip Hop. The first cassette I got was the Beastie Boys and, from then on, I got into more underground artists. This album has been on my playlist for 18 years now and it never gets old to me.”


Creedence Clearwater Revival – Green River | LISTEN

“CCR are my favourite group to listen at work while I cook, or listen to when I road trip with my wife. All good tunes to sing along to.”


Esoteric – Esoteric vs Gary Numan | LISTEN

“The creativity ESO puts into making all his beats and lyrics is unmatched, in my opinion. The amount of nostalgia he reams into a track is mind-blowing to me. Always brings a smile.”

From ‘Jazzy Boombap’ to Adolescent Rebellion: Shotaro Jotatsu Names His Definitive Records

In anticipation of his next event on June 17th, the Vancouver-based DJ and host of the Japanese-run music and vintage pop-up, Ishinomonosashi, gives us the rundown of his most influential albums to date.

The Musical Tastes of Yu Su, In and Out of the Kitchen

On Wednesday, December 7th, Ubuntu Canteen will be hosting Yu Su for a sonically inspired collaborative dinner, featuring the personal sounds of her trip through mainland China.

What’s Pumping on the Speakers (and Headphones) of Patrick Hennessy

From pre-service pump-ups, to subway commutes and his current restaurant jams: these are the records that define Barbara restaurant's owner / chef.

From ‘The Hip’ to Hip Hop, Mike Jacobsen Names His Three ‘Definitive Records’

We take a short trip over to Salt Spring and head immediately to Cassette Cafe and Dive Bar - a former gas station where these days locals and visitors alike fuel up on food, drinks and a stellar playlist of tunes - to hear from its owner about the albums that 'define' him...