The Hastings Set is the latest project of Vancouver musician and producer Chin Injeti. His former band, Bass is Base, won a Juno award in 1994 for Best R&B and Soul recording. He has also worked with big musical names like Dr. Dre, the Fugees, and The Roots.
Injeti’s story is one of inspiring perseverance. At two months old he contracted polio. His family decided to relocate from India to Toronto when he was five, in part to find better medical care for him. After 12 surgeries and years of physical therapy, Injeti was finally able to leave his wheelchair behind and walk with the help of what he calls his “walking sticks” as an adult. After playing at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in 2000, Injeti fell in love with the city and made plans to relocate to the coast.
Injeti and his business partners Aidan Wright and Jeff Herrera first compiled a mixed CD to showcase local musicians. It was a success, encouraging them to keep helping develop local talent. “The idea was to start a company that would grow community and be a smaller, more stream- lined version of what a number of larger music companies should have been doing,” says Injeti.
The Hastings Set hosts events to help local artists build a network. “It’s not about money because I’m still the poorest guy I know; we barely make rent and we struggle. What it’s about is creating a reciprocating community,” Injeti says. Although Warner Music has asked them to produce events in Montreal and Toronto, the Hastings Set is keeping its focus within Vancouver, where it is quickly becoming the creative nerve centre of the city.
