We've heard about the border between America and Canada being troublesome for many travelers, but this is one of the more confusing situations we've seen, especially within the DJ community. For the Canadian drum & bass community, Capital J is a major figure. He's been active in the scene since the late-'90s, and was one of the few Canadians to really put that region on the map when it comes to drum & bass, from his work with Nitrous Oxide Records to releases on Mix & Blen', as well as his own VIP Dubz imprint. He's been DJing throughout America for years, and is was trying to get to a recent Pittsburgh booking that caused an interesting debate on the Canadian/American border.
According to Intellihub, when Capital J hit the border, J "was detained and interrogated at the border after he was targeted as a high risk traveler." Why? Apparently it was "because they noticed that he makes frequent trips to the United States," which then lead to "his entry to the country was denied" and being "banned... from entering for a year." We've heard about how difficult the border process can be, especially if there's some kind of wavering or doubt in what you're telling the border police. And it also feels like there's something not being said. Capital J hasn't spoken out about this situation, yet, but we'd love to hear his side of the story, and find out what caused the border police to not only deny his entry, but ban him for a year. Because if Intellihub's accusations of "the government hoops that musicians are forced to jump through in order to travel and set up shows effectively make it impossible for them to tour legally," for a guy who's known to make "frequent trips to the United States," we're definitely missing something.
