JORDAN
WHAT’S IT TO YA?
July 16, 2026
Toronto-born, Montreal-based Jordan Gardner is a DJ, musician, producer, Liverpool supporter, and one half of the electronic music duo Èbony. When he’s not scoring clutch goals for his men’s 7-a-side team, he’s off collecting silverware at the Juno awards, or debating what went wrong with Liverpool’s 2026 season, and how Dominik Szoboszlai is the most important player in the squad.
In this edition of What’s it to Ya?, we sit down with Jordan as he unpacks his musical journey, the inception of Èbony and the origin stories for his love of Liverpool FC.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did football first enter your life?
My dad played semi-pro in England. I was always around it since I was four years old. I would probably say my dad growing up, it was everywhere. My brother is a Manchester United fan, my dad is a Chelsea fan. I was a Chelsea fan and then became a Liverpool supporter. So it was always around.
I played from age 4 to 21, and now we’re playing in a seven-a-side. I played recreational soccer when I was 8 and then I played OYSL, which is the provincial league in Ontario, and I played in that league from 15 to 19. I took a break because I needed a job, and then I came back when I was 21 for a year. And then I retired from my competitive career to focus on music.
In this edition of What’s it to Ya?, we sit down with Jordan as he unpacks his musical journey, the inception of Èbony and the origin stories for his love of Liverpool FC.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
How did football first enter your life?
My dad played semi-pro in England. I was always around it since I was four years old. I would probably say my dad growing up, it was everywhere. My brother is a Manchester United fan, my dad is a Chelsea fan. I was a Chelsea fan and then became a Liverpool supporter. So it was always around.
I played from age 4 to 21, and now we’re playing in a seven-a-side. I played recreational soccer when I was 8 and then I played OYSL, which is the provincial league in Ontario, and I played in that league from 15 to 19. I took a break because I needed a job, and then I came back when I was 21 for a year. And then I retired from my competitive career to focus on music.
How would you describe your musical style?
I love polyrhythmic music, with a lot of swing and a lot of steps. I think that is the basis. Polyrhythmic things don't necessarily like to stick to one genre. It helps keep things interesting for me, too. So, for reference, that would be music from the UK. A lot of garage music or two-steps that kinda have a swing to them. I'm also a big fan of R&B, a lot of soul music and then also the percussiveness of the American house music from Detroit, Chicago or even from New York that has this grooviness to it. It’s almost futuristic gospel or futuristic soul music. My style of music is where all those styles meet in the middle.
What is Èbony, and how was it formed?
I’ve been working on the Èbony project since 2013, it’s with my good friend and collaborator Andre. I was originally playing at SPV Sports, which was a shoe store on Queen Street. I was DJ-ing in the store for some event, and the owner of the club Bambi’s walked in. I noticed this guy was shuffling around behind me, very in tune with the music. So I’m like, ‘Oh, someone is listening’. So I’m gonna play some stuff that I'm really into. He offered a residency at his club, Bambi’s. And I wanted to name the party Ebony. I wanted the optics to be obvious that it is a party focused on Black music and make that explicit. The original goal of that is to serve as a gateway for black people to enjoy house music. So I booked my friend Andre for a party. We were going beat to beat, it went very well, and we had this telepathic understanding of the vibe and what direction to go with. People started booking us as Jordan Gardner versus Silvermane, that was Andre’s old DJ alias. And then we started going by Èbony and we started making music together, and then it started snowballing.
I love polyrhythmic music, with a lot of swing and a lot of steps. I think that is the basis. Polyrhythmic things don't necessarily like to stick to one genre. It helps keep things interesting for me, too. So, for reference, that would be music from the UK. A lot of garage music or two-steps that kinda have a swing to them. I'm also a big fan of R&B, a lot of soul music and then also the percussiveness of the American house music from Detroit, Chicago or even from New York that has this grooviness to it. It’s almost futuristic gospel or futuristic soul music. My style of music is where all those styles meet in the middle.
What is Èbony, and how was it formed?
I’ve been working on the Èbony project since 2013, it’s with my good friend and collaborator Andre. I was originally playing at SPV Sports, which was a shoe store on Queen Street. I was DJ-ing in the store for some event, and the owner of the club Bambi’s walked in. I noticed this guy was shuffling around behind me, very in tune with the music. So I’m like, ‘Oh, someone is listening’. So I’m gonna play some stuff that I'm really into. He offered a residency at his club, Bambi’s. And I wanted to name the party Ebony. I wanted the optics to be obvious that it is a party focused on Black music and make that explicit. The original goal of that is to serve as a gateway for black people to enjoy house music. So I booked my friend Andre for a party. We were going beat to beat, it went very well, and we had this telepathic understanding of the vibe and what direction to go with. People started booking us as Jordan Gardner versus Silvermane, that was Andre’s old DJ alias. And then we started going by Èbony and we started making music together, and then it started snowballing.
Your album Shades of Meridian won the 2026 JUNO award for Electronic Album of the year. What was that experience like?
That was a crazy moment. Definitely the biggest honour I’ve ever experienced. Andre and my friends have a video. They were sitting at our table when we won. We both froze. I just kind of went dumbfounded and froze, even though I had a good feeling of our chances, and he was just frozen. You can see from his lip movement that he goes “oh f–k, f–kkkk.” The experience was amazing, obviously, because of the Ebony project and the way Andre and I work is so rooted in community. We wanted to make sure that anyone who has helped along the way got a shout-out. They’re all very important.
It was very disappointing that—especially the big artists—didn’t talk about what’s happening in Palestine, Iran or a lot of the messed-up stuff that has been happening around the world. It felt like it was important that we talked about that as well. I think we were the only ones that did. I know there was another group that talked about what was going on in Lebanon, which is important, but I think that music is so rooted in the community. It’s important that you look outside your bubble. Even when things are going well, you have to have a look at the bigger picture and what’s going on around the world.
That was a crazy moment. Definitely the biggest honour I’ve ever experienced. Andre and my friends have a video. They were sitting at our table when we won. We both froze. I just kind of went dumbfounded and froze, even though I had a good feeling of our chances, and he was just frozen. You can see from his lip movement that he goes “oh f–k, f–kkkk.” The experience was amazing, obviously, because of the Ebony project and the way Andre and I work is so rooted in community. We wanted to make sure that anyone who has helped along the way got a shout-out. They’re all very important.
It was very disappointing that—especially the big artists—didn’t talk about what’s happening in Palestine, Iran or a lot of the messed-up stuff that has been happening around the world. It felt like it was important that we talked about that as well. I think we were the only ones that did. I know there was another group that talked about what was going on in Lebanon, which is important, but I think that music is so rooted in the community. It’s important that you look outside your bubble. Even when things are going well, you have to have a look at the bigger picture and what’s going on around the world.
As a musician, what is your relationship with the FIFA/EAFC soundtrack? Do you have any favourite tracks?
I think it was so influential on me because it exposed me to a bunch of music I wasn’t exposed to at home. I was playing FIFA a lot, probably every year from like FIFA 99 to 2015. I was a big indie rock head, and it helped bridge the gap to the music I was exposed to at home. I was listening to Radiohead and Bloc Party, and both those bands transitioned into electronic music, which was featured in the FIFA soundtrack. So that was huge for me.
I’m going to say, I know this was featured in a commercial and stuff. Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley. No wait, actually, Funk Soul Brother by Fat Boy Slim.FIFA 99 was the one I played the most; Funk Soul Brother was always the one on the loading screen. That was always on the back of my mind. A close third is Red Morning Light by Kings of Leon. They have this scene where Thierry Henry jumps a metre and a half in the air and perfectly brings the ball down and that song starts playing. Whoever the music supervisor was for that game got it so right by using that song for that scene.
What about World Cup official songs?
I have to really think about that… It’s gotta be 1998 La Copa de la Vida by Ricky Martin.
I think it was so influential on me because it exposed me to a bunch of music I wasn’t exposed to at home. I was playing FIFA a lot, probably every year from like FIFA 99 to 2015. I was a big indie rock head, and it helped bridge the gap to the music I was exposed to at home. I was listening to Radiohead and Bloc Party, and both those bands transitioned into electronic music, which was featured in the FIFA soundtrack. So that was huge for me.
I’m going to say, I know this was featured in a commercial and stuff. Little Less Conversation by Elvis Presley. No wait, actually, Funk Soul Brother by Fat Boy Slim.FIFA 99 was the one I played the most; Funk Soul Brother was always the one on the loading screen. That was always on the back of my mind. A close third is Red Morning Light by Kings of Leon. They have this scene where Thierry Henry jumps a metre and a half in the air and perfectly brings the ball down and that song starts playing. Whoever the music supervisor was for that game got it so right by using that song for that scene.
What about World Cup official songs?
I have to really think about that… It’s gotta be 1998 La Copa de la Vida by Ricky Martin.
You’re a passionate Liverpool supporter. What’s the origin story of your love for the Merseyside club?
My dad is from just outside of Chelsea, so when I was really, really young, I was a die-hard Chelsea supporter, but I was kind of just blind, sort of following whatever dad was into. Then I would start watching the Premier League when I was around five. Michael Owen was just in his prime then, and I was like, "This guy is like no one else”. I think his skill set, when I first started playing, I would play as a #9, so I really related to him. So that’s the Liverpool origin story. When I got a bit older, I was really following Liverpool closely. That was the time when Steven Gerrard was coming up.
He’s such an interesting player because he was probably the best English player in his generation. Arguably, maybe him or Paul Scholes. But the fact that he stayed with one club, especially with bigger and better teams that tried to buy him, I thought it was really noble – an honourable way to carry yourself. A lot of the time, it was Gerard in a very mediocre Liverpool squad. Or it was Gerrard, and occasionally you get an Xabi Alonso, a Fernando Torres, or a Luis Suarez. He really carried that team for so long.
Which aura would you choose? Jürgen Klopp fist pump towards the Kop End or Dominik Szoboslai freekick banger against Arsenal?
That’s a tough one. Klopp is my favourite manager of all time, but I think the Szoboslai free-kick banger. Because our current squad lacks aura so severely and Klopp brought that so much.
Photos: Ararsa Kitaba
Interview: Gisoo Kim
My dad is from just outside of Chelsea, so when I was really, really young, I was a die-hard Chelsea supporter, but I was kind of just blind, sort of following whatever dad was into. Then I would start watching the Premier League when I was around five. Michael Owen was just in his prime then, and I was like, "This guy is like no one else”. I think his skill set, when I first started playing, I would play as a #9, so I really related to him. So that’s the Liverpool origin story. When I got a bit older, I was really following Liverpool closely. That was the time when Steven Gerrard was coming up.
He’s such an interesting player because he was probably the best English player in his generation. Arguably, maybe him or Paul Scholes. But the fact that he stayed with one club, especially with bigger and better teams that tried to buy him, I thought it was really noble – an honourable way to carry yourself. A lot of the time, it was Gerard in a very mediocre Liverpool squad. Or it was Gerrard, and occasionally you get an Xabi Alonso, a Fernando Torres, or a Luis Suarez. He really carried that team for so long.
Which aura would you choose? Jürgen Klopp fist pump towards the Kop End or Dominik Szoboslai freekick banger against Arsenal?
That’s a tough one. Klopp is my favourite manager of all time, but I think the Szoboslai free-kick banger. Because our current squad lacks aura so severely and Klopp brought that so much.
Photos: Ararsa Kitaba
Interview: Gisoo Kim
