Bio
With A Love for music since I can remember hearing it, I was born into this world wanting to share the rarities & the unknown. At the tender age of ten my cousin was a lighting tech for major acts and whenever in S. Fl would come and get me to see shows like The Police, Cheap Trick, as well as different festivals. In the mid eighties a new culture was beginning to spread in S Fla. Being only 14 yrs old and feeling inside of me a love for break laden funk, groove heavy rock, and the beginnings of electronic instruments being introduced across the board I embraced the new B-Boy culture. Realizing I couldn't keep the pace with many breakdancers and always standing behind the crews analyzing the music I decided to try making the music. At first, recording jams found on A.M. stations and given to me by friends coming down from N.Y. But that just wasn't enough. I started making pause/edit tapes taking different parts from many songs and editing them together in the most basic of ways. That Christmas I begged my mom to get me some kind of "DJ Set". Two Technics belt-drive turntables and a Realistic/Radio Shack mixer found its way in to my bedroom, always later known as "The Studio". From that point my love affair with record shopping was born. "Fresh is the Word" by Mantronix was the very 1st 12" record I ever bought. Blending Electronic sounds in to hip-hop was always a proper sound to me. My friend from 8 yrs old, Erik Enlund (now known as DJ Exotic E) and I would stay up as late as possible teaching ourselves the artforms of mixing and scratching. Inviting friends over and showing them our new talents, jamming as late as possible. Buying records off of saved lunch money & allowances. Travelling by bus or bike to flea markets and Miami to find tracks that were new and not being played on the radio. Everyone loved what we were doing. So the love affair grew stronger. We had been bike riding/breakdancing/graffiti friends with Wayne Walters (aka DJ Crash) and we found out he had the same passion as we did. We would all spend weekends and nights together challenging ourselves to become better at all aspects of the B-Boy lifestyle. Wayne got signed w/ a Major Act and was on tour. At his label, 4-Sight Records, there was an M.C. in need of a D.J. So in 1988, K.J. (from KJ & Cooley C) gave me an audition. We gelled from the start and I was now the D.J. for "K.J. n da' Fellas". He had just released "Get Retarded" and in the summer of 88' we hit the road and went on tour. K.J. being a D.J. himself always gave me proper billing and we always produced intros to our shows and I always had a solo. The practice Exotic E & I did for three years was paying off! I would beat juggle records, use rare tracks for intros, and we always tried to change up the songs like a good band on stage always did. In 89' we signed to Luke Skywalker Records and went on tour w/ The 2 Live Crew. Doing shows w/ all the great Hip-Hop Acts of that time. Exotic E & I would sit at the sound checks listening to the great early D.J.'s like Toomp, Magic Mike, Mr. Mixx, DJ Crash, DJ Man, & Jazzy Jeff being inspired and wanting to improve. We played at House Parties, local festivals, school events, etc. playing freestyle, hip-hop, funky breaks and were always mixing acapellas and pop music over tracks before MashUps were ever known. The club scene started shifting to House and besides making the journey to Miami there was one man in Lauderdale teaching this lifestyle. Joey Madonia, with "Good Life" was a true inspiration to me. He taught me what Dance Music was, What a Club (or space) Should be. As my friends went to college I would often visit. I found a place in Gainesville that would change my musical tastes. "Simon's" was that place and if you've been there, you know. Chris Gallagher threw down all the latest in European Dance, Underground Hip-Hop, & All Around Rare Funky Tracks. Open until the wee hours of the morning I had many a lesson closing Simon's down. They would bring in Big Name DJ's, both International & from the States, a phenomenon just catching on for the early 90's. There were some clubs at home starting to catch on and South Beach, being so close, was studied from weekend to weekend. I wanted to bring that to my hometown. I started a warehouse gathering throwing afterparties to some of the raves going on and used it for a meeting of like minds to congregate and grow. I, along with some friends, opened what would've been the First All Night, Afterhours, House Music club in Lauderdale, in 94', called "Sugar". Although the city fought hard to keep us closed we brought in DJs similar to our styles. Melodic, Hard Driving, Technical DJs Like Chang, Matty & had what was an Epic remembered night w/ Sven Vath. Also being the driving force to what's still remembered as the Pinnacle Outdoor Party of its time bringing in The Hardkiss Brothers. I played at many clubs & raves throughout this time including The Zen Fest & Endomecca, to name a few. As the scene started gaining popularity the music I Loved was slowly becoming Mainstream yet Watered Down. I held a few residencies throughout the late 90's incl. what became a Friday Night fav at Club Manhattan's "Deluxe". Helping man the decks was my partner Justin P, later at "Karma Lounge", & we forged a crew called "The Phylum Organization". We played frenzied late night parties bringing in Bruce Wilcox, Mr. (Francisco) Mendez, Chris Harshman, Trip Theory & More, always sticking to what we wanted to teach, NEVER conforming. In the 2000's as things became more & more Mainstream, turning in directions I wasn't happy with, I took a hiatus. Back towards the end of the decade I had that hunger in me once more. I could never be away from my Love Affair w/Music for long. I enjoy playing at peoples parties. Great people I've met along the way that are still pushing House, EDM, whatever it's called forward. Being older my style has changed in to what I like to call "Outdoor, Swirly, Stonerhouse" a vibe many know & Love. Always known for being technical pushing mixes to the edge, blending tracks, sounds, movie clips, you name it. I Love my Craft and would Love to Play For You!
Fort Lauderdale, Fl United States
Member since: 13 Apr 2015
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