Vinyl Ritchie

Vancouver, BC

Scott Arkwell, widely known as Vinyl Ritchie (or by his production moniker, Wicked Lester) made a name for himself as an inventive mash-up artist, long before the hipsters and Ableton/Serato remixers started hybridizing newer forms of electronica. In the early days of Vancouver’s embryonic 90s rave scene, Scott discovered new ways to play almost anything he found himself identifying with.

He would sensibly stack electronic releases with dusty and forgotten b-sides and solid gold hits…not neglecting any of his own personal tailgate favorites, all during a time when classifications and sub-genres were few and far between.

Vinyl Ritchie was one of the first club DJ’s in Western Canada to find such new ways to bring the most unassuming mixes to life.

Coined, “Canada’s King of the 45’s…” he’s better known for his near religious obsession with ‘vinyl only’ sets. He’s demonstrated lengthy 45 sets at festivals, and to this day, albeit much easier to travel these days with simply a laptop, he’ll still insist on playing a straight vinyl set whenever possible. Ask, and he’ll gladly carry 4 record bags onto a plane over 1 laptop case any day.

Vinyl Ritchie can and will command virtually any type of room. It’s all in the formula – a critical balancing act between his unpretentious approach to melody, and his dedication to all things enormously fun. Give him a solid couple of hours, and watch him throw down some big, bottom-heavy beats to conduct any crowd into a complete frenzy.

“Fads come and go, but Vinyl Ritchie weathers them all, ranking among the longest-standing and best-respected DJs in Vancouver’s clubbing history.” – Martin Turenne, Georgia Straight

Now a globally sought-out DJ and a regular fixture at various annual festivals, he continues to lay down his no-nonsense brand of music both on stage, and in the studio. A consistent party rocker for over two decades, and a true west coast favorite, between his travels he holds down solid residencies in both Vancouver and Whistler Resort. He is now the nation’s skate/snowboarding industry’s ‘go-to’ DJ for all big action-sports based events and competitions.

Vinyl Ritchie, by character, can be defined as one of Canada’s original eclectic electronic DJ’s. Deemed by multiple counter culture publications and by musicians and peers alike as the #1 underground party rocker to exist in Vancouver, he continues to test the cusp between Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi with his bold and bridging sets. Staying true to his wax obsession, he continues to lug his crates to anywhere that will allow him to.