DJ mentoring big part of Vibrant Sounds launch in Oshawa

Being a DJ can be a “lonely gig,” said 20-year veteran Lyndsey Pallister (‘DJ Lynz’), who began her career navigating male-dominated industries as a machinist and got her start DJ’ing at Club 717, Durham’s first (and only) LGBTQ+ social club.

The Oshawa-based entrepreneur has since turned her one-woman DJ brand, Lynz & Company, into a new vision, one that elevates local music culture and helps build a “new generation” of DJs.

Enter Vibrant Sounds, which just celebrated its new brand launch at the Biltmore Theatre in downtown Oshawa.

“Vibrant Sounds is more than a DJ company,” Pallister said. “It is a space where music, identity, and community come alive. Our goal is to model positive values, support emerging artists, and foster a professional and creative culture in the local DJ industry.”

“We want to create a culture around the DJ community and let people know what we do.”

The “lonely gig” Pallister used to describe the business is more than just words. Add to that the “high-stakes” pressures of weddings – a huge part of any successful DJ’s work, with Pallister and her partners doing 140 every year – and it’s easy to see why an integral of the vision of Vibrant Sounds is mentoring young DJs in the early days of their career.

Vibrant Sounds is collaborating with the folks on Bond|ST to create a DJ mentoring program, in fact, with events planned on the last Wednesday of each month.

The first date is May 27.

“They will be ‘Open Deck,’ like an Open Mic for aspiring DJs who can try new things and hone their craft.”

DJ Lynz of Vibrant Sounds

The mentorship program is aimed at helping emerging DJs gain not only technical skills but the creative confidence to make their mark in the industry. Through workshops and hands-on guidance, Vibrant Sounds is helping raise a community of artists and professionals who elevate every event they touch.

“The long-term goal is a school,” Pallister said.

Vibrant Sounds has two full-time DJs (including Pallister) and about 20 sub-contractors, with many just starting out in the business.

Each brings their own musical tastes, cultural backgrounds and voices (including voices from the LGBTQ+ community), creating a collective that reflects the vibrancy of the region itself.

Nearly all of them – along with corporate clients on hand to show their support – were at the company launch at Biltmore Theatre in downtown Oshawa.

“We wanted to create an event to showcase our talents and give the DJs a place to show them off.”

The idea, she said, is to create a space where music, creativity, and community can thrive, where music can help elevate local culture and where the company can “build a new generation” of DJs.

For more information about Vibrant Sounds’ services, mentorship program and upcoming workshops, visit www.vibrantsounds.ca or follow @VibrantSoundsDJ on Instagram and Facebook.