By Janice Tran
Winnipeg DJs Hunnicutt and Co-op are about to take over the world. How exactly do they plan on doing that? With their mad DJ skillz and a giant death ray, of course.
“Yeah, we’ve got this thing called the death ray, and we’re using it to blow up a big part of the U.S.,” says Tim Hoover, aka DJ Co-op. “Then that way, once we conquer Canada we’ll have all of North America because the U.S. will no longer exist to stop us.”
Besides their conquest for global domination, the DJ duo spend the better part of their days spinning at local clubs in Winnipeg and working hard to push the underground Winnipeg DJ scene. Hoover hosts a weekly radio program called the “The Magical Crates of Co-op” where he plays an eclectic blend of all genres of music. Tyler Sneesby (aka DJ Hunnicutt) is the veteran of the two. Sneesby has been spinning for over 15 years and has been a member of countless local hip-hop groups. To top that, he is also the co-founder of Canadian hip-hop label Peanuts and Corn Records and is the DJ for all the acts signed to it.
“Some days I don’t think I’m doing enough, and some days I think I’m doing way too much,” says Hoover. “I am sure that Hunnicut feels the same way. What inspires me to keep working is that I love music, I love hip hop, I love performing as a DJ and I love playing for people.”
It seems being a DJ was Hoover’s calling. Prior to his musical career he spent several years studying to be an electrical engineer. Even though he was good at it, he just felt it wasn’t what he was most passionate about. So he did what any illogical artist type would do, and traded the fat pay cheque and stable life of an engineer for some burkenstocks and a couple of turntables. The change was for the better, and now Hoover is finally doing what he truly cares about.
“For me, being a DJ was just something I really wanted to do,” says Hoover. “I just thought, if you’re really serious about doing something, you should just jump right in and do it properly and do it to the best of your ability. We’re both able to live off of what we do with our music. I am not rich by a long stretch, I just sort of get by, but I get by doing what I love. I think that is super important.”
For the past three years, Hunnicutt and Co-op have been voted Winnipeg’s favourite DJs in Uptown Magazine, so all the love and hard work the duo has invested is actually paying off. But of course, if these two terrorizing DJs successfully take over the world, getting media attention is something they won’t have to worry too much about. In fact, their unorthodox tactics have already garnered some attention from the Winnipeg Free Press.
“The sad thing is, this isn’t a publicity stunt,” Winnipeg journalist Barty Kives was quoted as saying at a press conference for the DJ duo. “They really don’t understand why taking over the world would be sufficient. I can’t fucking believe I’m even commenting on this.”