Monday, March 31, 2008

Thanks, Miami!

Hey everyone! We had a great time in Miami this weekend; the turnout was fantastc and the warmth was a welcome change! Thank you to everyone who came out and enjoyed some tasty Wheeler's. Here's a couple pictures... We're working on getting more up, so you can enjoy the merriment too!





Check back later for more pictures!

EDIT: Okay, here's the rest of the party pictures in handy flickrbadge format! Thanks Aquabooty, Miami, and all the beautiful party people who helped make this a fabulous time!




www.flickr.com


This is a Flickr badge showing photos in a set called Miami March 2008. Make your own badge here.





Thursday, March 27, 2008

We're coming, Miami!

Wheeler's been getting all the details ready for his trip to Miami (check out this post for all the information), and boy, are you guys in Florida in for a treat! Of course, it would ruin the surprise to tell you all about the brand new flavors of both sorbets and ice creams that will be debuted in advance, but Wheeler wanted to drop these little hints:


and


Recent taste tests have confirmed: you really don't want to miss these!

Check it out! Boston Magazine article

Hello vegan ice cream lovers! Boston Magazine just published an article all about us and how we plan on getting the world to go vegan one person at a time with our frozen desserts. Take a look...



"To the uninitiated, vegan ice cream might sound like a sorry substitute à la spelt bread or Tofurkey—a consolation prize for restricted eaters. But a bite of Wheeler's Black Label vegan ice cream in flavors like rich chocolate and boozy piña colada may call your pro-dairy leanings into question..."


We're very excited about getting such great press, and especially in a magazine of this caliber. If you enjoy seeing vegan companies get this kind of attention, please, don't hesitate to read the entire article on their site and make comments there! We've been told by a few people that there's just no widespread interest in "specialty" products like ours, which is ridiculous, because everyone loves ice cream (Seriously, have you tried the Mexican Chocolate?). We want mainstream, non-vegan-centric publications to know that vegans read their magazines, and that there really is interest in vegan products and companies.

Also in that vein, as always, please pass this article along to any and all your friends that you know support animal rights, vegan business, independent business, the vegan lifestyle, etc. Let's get a buzz going, and soon there will be no doubt in any publisher's mind: yes, readers absolutely do want to know about vegan happenings and developments.

Thanks in advance to those who do comment and share!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Thank you, DC!

Hey guys!

We just wanna give a big THANK YOU to everyone who met up with us this weekend in Washington D.C.! We had a great time, and it was wonderful to meet all of you. Thanks to everyone who came, ate, and partied.

Edit: Improved with pictures! Now you can see all the happy vegan faces!















What do all these people have in common? They're all helping a good cause ("Compassion Over Killing) and eating dessert at the same time! That's some multi-tasking I can really get behind!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Wheeler's in Washington DC!

Hi everyone! You're invited to Washington DC's Asylum Rock & Roll Lounge for a fun-filled Compassion Over Killing benefit bash this Saturday, March 22nd! We'll be serving free samples of premium vegan ice cream, plus ten percent of sales from Asylum's vegan menu will be donated to COK. Please R.S.V.P. so we can be sure to have enough ice cream on hand!

Here are the details:

WHERE: Asylum at 2471 18th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.
METRO: Adams Morgan Metro station on the red line
WHEN: March 22nd, 2008
TIME: 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
RSVP: info@cok.net or 301-891-2458

Hope to see you there!

Thursday, March 13, 2008

WE NEED MODELS!

Hey everyone! We need to ask you for a favor! Wheeler's Frozen Desserts is looking for street models for their upcoming ad campaign. Don't worry, you don't need to have an agent - we're looking for REAL people with a sense of urban style - tattoos & piercings welcome! So if you're interested in modeling for us, please email us at icecreamproject2007@yahoo.com - Thanks!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

AQUABOOTY + WHEELER'S FROZEN DESSERTS
THE BIGGEST PARTY OF 2008!

The month of March is here and we're heading down to sunny South Beach to team up with Aquabooty, Miami's biggest and hottest deep dance party promoters!

"Aquabooty is known for its focus on high-quality dance music, laid-back attitude, special guest DJS, a slamming dance floor and an amazingly diverse, friendly and music-savvy crowd.

"It also creates high-quality events, not glorified meat markets; an Aquabooty party is more than just a booty call. In fact, Aquabooty is part of the movement that has made DJ appearances into concerts, a major revolution in music."


Wheeler's Frozen Desserts, the world's greatest ice cream company and Miami's hottest promoters bring you Aquabooty '08! Featuring over 30 Djs, infamous alcohol-infused Wheeler sorbets, and surprise guests from around the globe, this will be the best concert series to hit Miami this year.

So for those of you in the southern half of the country, (or those willing to travel) these events are for you! Here are the details:


THURSDAY, MARCH 27:

Venue: Shine @ The Shelborne
Address: 1801 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach 33139
Time: 10:00PM - 5:00AM
Presented by: Buzzin Fly, Compost, Kimco & Aquabooty
Admission: $20.00 in advance
WMC Badge Policy: Half Price All Night!

Talent: Ben Watt, Christian Prommer, Justin Martin, Michael Reinboth, Rocco, Quarion, Shakrokh + special guests and live Pa's.

Details: To get your tickets in advance visit: wanttickets.com/shelbourne OR clubtickets.com Shelborne tables: shine@shelborne.com; for more info visit aquabooty.com



FRIDAY, MARCH 28:

Venue: The Gem
Address: 671 Washington Avenue, Miami Beach 33139
Time: 9:00PM - 5:00AM
Presented by: DEEP and powered by Traxsource
Admission: $20.00
WMC Badge Policy: $10.00

Talent: Marques Wyatt, Mark Farina, Danny Krivit, and Yass. In the Deep Lounge: King Britt, Nickodemus and Big Cee.

Details: Join Deep in Miami for a very special night time event as Miami Gets Deep. DEEP Los Angeles is the premiere house night on the West coast and has been bringing soulful house music to Los Angeles for over 9 years.



SATURDAY, MARCH 29:

Venue: Opium Garden
Address: 136 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach 33139
Time: 9:00PM - 5:00AM
Presented by: Aquabooty, MUSIC2, Innervisions (Berlin) & Little Ricky
WMC Badge Policy: Half price admission all night!

Talent: Ame & Dixon (Innervisions) Miguel Migs (Salted Music), Dj Harvey (Black Cock Records, Map of Africa), Andy Caldwell (Om Records), Fred Everything (Om Records, 20:20 Vision), Marques Wyatt (Om Records, Deep), Alex from Tokyo (Innervisions, Tokyo Black Star), Heinrik Schwarz Live! (Innervisions), Marcus Worgull (Innervisions), Mr. White Live!, Rich Medina (Afrodisco), Djinji Brown (Yoruba Records) & very Special Surprise guests and Live PA's.

Details: Once again Miami's hometown heroes deliver the goods on their home turf! After a few insane years busting at the seams downtown we are bringin' it back to the beach.. to the beautiful Opium Garden complex. 4 rooms of music. Exclusive all night set by Dj Harvey "the dark prince of disco" Berlin boys Ame, Dixon, Marcus Worgull & Heinrik Schwarz head up the Innervisions main room along with special guests & live Pa's MUSIC2's stellar roster rules all things deep and soulful in Prive. Rich Medina.


Ben Watt; "Lazy Dog" & "Buzzin' Fly"



Ben Watt on Myspace
Everything But The Girl official site
Buzzin' Fly Records
Interview with Ben Watt on I Like Music


Ben Watt is a central figure on London's club scene, but also DJS regularly in Europe, Australia, and North America.



Ben Watt began recording in the early 1980s with a collection of folk-jazz solo recordings on London indie label Cherry Red. He then joined forces with vocalist Tracey Thorn in 1982 and concentrated for 18 years on writing and recording nine studio albums together as Everything but the Girl, racking up several UK Top 10 singles and albums and a global and U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-two ("Missing") in 1995. The band memorably shifted focus from their alt-pop in the mid 90's to achieve widespread recogniton for their hugely successful interpretations of electronica (Walking Wounded, "Protection" with Massive Attack, Temperamental).

In 1998 Ben Watt established the London deep house Sunday club and compilation series, "Lazy Dog" with Jay Hannan. Lazy Dog attracted a cult following all over the world. Its main regular twice-monthly venue was the tiny Notting Hill Arts Club in west London. From 2001 onwards it became so popular that clubbers had to queue for hours to get in. Pavement parties developed lasting several hours and and the queue became almost as famous as the club itself. Compilations: Lazy Dog Vol 1 (2000) is a collection of the key tracks from the club night , such as 'Cada Vez' by Negrocan, 'Beau Mot Plage' by Isolee and 'Tracey In My Room' where EBTG's 'Wrong' is fused with Soul Vision's 'Come Into My Room'. Lazy Dog Vol 2 followed in 2002. Each compilation sold over 50,000 copies, a huge number for essentially underground club compilations. Moving away from EBTG's mainstream eclecticism and into club-oriented dance music production, Ben also turned out an accompanying string of dancefloor remixes including 5-star re-rubs for Sade, Sunshine Anderson, Zero 7, Maxwell, Meshell Ndegeocello and Sandy Rivera. After five untouchable years, Lazy Dog, the club night started by DJs Ben Watt and Jay Hannan in west London in 1998 ended on May 16 2003 with a farewell closing party at their second home, The End, in central London. It was almost exactly five years to the day since Ben and Jay started their phenomenal success story at Notting Hill Arts Club on Easter weekend 1998, but acknowledging their joint desire to move forwards and onwards into new projects, they parted company and left Lazy Dog at the top, a small pinnacle in the capital's clubland history.

In April 2003 Watt launched his own independent record label and club night, "Buzzin' Fly", with a cluster of underground hits and a series of mix CDs (Buzzin’ Fly, volumes 1, 2, 3 and 4).The label is home to Justin Martin (breakthrough DJ nominee at House Music Awards 2004 and 2005), French-Portuguese trio Rodamaal, Lyon's Manoo & Francois A and Portugal’s Darkmountaingroup. Watt also records his own club oriented productions for the label including best-sellers 'Lone Cat' (2003), 'A Stronger Man' (2004), 'Pop A Cap in Yo Ass' (2005) and 'Just a Blip' (2007). The label won Best Breakthrough Label at the House Music Awards 2004 and was nominated at Best British Label in the DJ Magazine awards in 2007.



Michael Reinboth (Compost Records)



Michael Reinboth on Myspace
Compost Records


Michael Reinboth lives in Munich, Germany.



"I'm living in Munich, and I love soulful deep music of many genres and styles, soccer, supporting Bayern Munich, and my hometown team Hannover 96. I have a wonderful lovely family, two little kids Jesper and Lenny (Lennart). I founded and still run Compost Records (CEO / A&R) and some sub-labels.

I started collecting records since 1980. That time I was editor , founder and publisher of a magazine called Elaste, a big size 4c fanzine of new wave, punk, electronic music, art, fashion, literature and design. We won several awards with Elaste. Nowadays some editions fetch up to 200 Euros.

Throughout the 80ties I worked as a DJ, organized and presented parties, worked a long time as music journalist for nearly all famous German music mags, and complied several compilations. I organised and dejayed for about 13 years at the Into Somethin' club night (1991- 2003), together with my friends Theo Thoennessen and Florian Keller "Party-Keller".

Check out the weekly Compost Radio Show Soulsearching - The Compost Radio Show hosted by Michael Rütten. For any Compost news please go to Compost Records MySpace Page or to www.compost-records.com.

Some of my other side activities are: music editor or supervising for films and movies, reading good books, and playing chess with Rainer Trueby. Also love playing Carcasonne."



Quarion



Quarion on Myspace
Drumpoet.comMUNITY
Drumpoet on Myspace
Quarion is a special project from Hip-Hop, Nu Jazz and Techno producer Ianeq.


Quarion is based in Geneva, Switzerland and Berlin, Germany, but is currently touring across Europe and the U.S.



I started getting involved with music at the age of 13, playing the saxophone in a string of jazz-funk outfits. Four years later I bought a DJ set, becoming an avid collector of hip hop, jazz, soul and funk records. From 1995 onwards I was heavily into house music and drum&bass, spinning in the Geneva club and bar circuit. Thats also when I started producing beats for Geneva hip hop combos with the help of my trusty MPC. My first abstract hip hop track, "Visions", was included on 1999's Hosomaki Mix showcase CD. A year later I wrote "La Mandarine", a jazzy broken beat number for DJ Goo's Synchrovision Records and started hosting a live mix show on Basic Radio. After setting up my own studio in 2001, I found a musical partner in Rosario. As a result we started producing as Square Meal, releasing on the ARM record label. At that time, I also joined the multitalented DJ/producer collective A Few Among Others, uniting five music heads from various parts of Switzerland. During that period, I delivered DJ sets at clubs like Cargo in London, Batofar in Paris, Transmusicales in Rennes, Paleo and Montreux festivals in Switzerland. In 2002, I produced a Detroit techno tribute, "The Light" for Mental Groove's first compilation. The track was licensed elsewhere then remixed by Moonstarr in 2004, with two new cuts from myself. That year I also released a housey broken beat 12" for A Few Among Others. "Reset / Snowflakes Hesitate" gained heavy radio and deckplay from European connoisseurs such as Alex Attias and Rainer Trüby (Compost), Michael Rütten (Soulpatrol), Lars Behrenroth (Global House Connection), Dirk Rumpff (OFFtrack), Les Gammas and the Garage Traxx crew. In 2004 Rosario and I were joined by Japan's renowned DJ-producer Kent, recording a full album of dancefloor pounding and home-listening material as Enterplay. "Water & Dust" received support from open-minded DJs such as Laurent Garnier, Benji B and Chloé. Having delivered new tunes to AFAO and Mental Groove, I spent most of 2005 promoting the Enterplay album and collaborating with people as diverse as Jonas (top Swiss MC), Grand Pianoramax (Obliqsound) and Snax (Captain Comatose). My work with the latter came out on Get Physical in April 2006. During the spring of this year, we set up a tour with Enterplay and played to audiences in Switzerland, Belgium, England and Japan. Inspired by the incredible experiences that happened during the tour, I came up with a new project that would allow me to explore the deeper side of House & Techno: Quarion. I relocated to Berlin in May 2007 and spent most of the summer touring as part of "Jonas & Le Taxi Brousse Orchestra" while working on remixes and new material for my Quarion alias. I have a few projects lined up for 2008, including my debut album for Drumpoet Community ... In the end, If I had to descibe my style, I would say it's Jazz with a Hip-Hop attitude and a techno edge ... or vice versa. Peace.



Âme & Dixon (Innercityvisions)






Âme
Dixon on Myspace
Innercityvisions
Innercityvisions on Myspace



Where do connections to Detroit, Chicago, New York, Berlin and Paris all emerge? No, it's not the Frankfurt airport because this city is even another part of it. Geographically it might not make any sense but music-wise we are definitely talking about karlsruhe here. In the little town in very western Germany all these cities influences join forces in the studio of Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer, together forming the duo Âme. (Speak: AHM = French for soul).



Steffen "Dixon" Berkhahn is first and foremost a House DJ. He was a weekly resident at the some of the most important nightclubs in Berlin since the mid Nineties such as the legendary E-Werk and Tresor clubs. Then from 1996 onwards he ran "Audio Video Disco," one of Germanys most influencial house nights at the WMF club in Berlin together with his partner Mitja Prinz. In 1998 he hooked up with the Jazzanova boys and since then he has remixed tons of artists such as Femi Kuti, Jazzanova, Attica Blues, Brooks and I-Cube to name a few. In 2002 he started a production collaboration with Georg Levin called "Wahoo". Then in January 2005 he relaunched his weekly party 'Innercity' at the Weekend Club and now it's one of the most talked about parties in Berlin. Alongside this he also launched a brand new label called 'Innervisions' which has had global recognition thanks to releases by Ame, Tokyo Blackstar and Marcus Worgull last year. The rest is history!

Âme's sound is easily accessible without ever loosing deepness, complexity and a distinct twist. Their inspirations, how diverse they might be, are clevery quoted but never copied. What started out life as a B-Side on a Sampler for Soulbrother Dixon's Off Limits series has since become a runaway success. First remix requests from the Tr?by Trio, Simone Serritella, Jazzanova, Nigel Hayes, Random Factor, Wahoo and Roy Ayers enabled the duo to show their various disguises under the guise of Deep House. Âme continue to push the boundaries of new sounds, patterns and arrangements with new releases such as their huge club monster ?Rej? on Innervisions and remixes for Z Records, Ibadan and Buzzin' Fly.

Henrik Schwarz hails from Bodensee in the southern part of Germany. He is a veteran in the German deep house scene. Djing was his first love, having built a reputation at major events in the early nineties. Soon a desire to breach musical and technological boundaries pushed Henrik into production and soon his live laptop sessions were born. Today he takes his live sets and nine years of production experience to crowds worldwide. His 12's are gaining massive support from the likes of Joe Claussell, Carl Craig and Laurent Garnier and with 2 albums planned for this Autumn, 2006 looks set to Henrik's year!



Miguel Migs (Salted Music)



Miguel Migs
Miguel Migs on Myspace
Salted Music
Transport Recordings


Miguel Migs is a deep house DJ and producer from San Francisco, California.




Miguel Migs stands at the forefront of electronic music's soulful realm. Whether tackling his original productions or remixes, he achieves an organic-soulful sound by combining the best of both the electronic music world and live instrumentation.

For many years, Miguel's productions have been included on countless compilations and his records have slid into the crates of top DJs across the globe. His music has also landed on numerous TV Shows, including Six Feet Under, Sex in the City, and MTV's Road Rules and Real World.

Contrary to many of his club-centric DJ/producer peers, Miguel is not always concerned with the potential dance floor appeal of his soulful tracks. "It's music you can enjoy and listen to at home, in the club, or anywhere. Not necessarily just to rock the dance floor." explains the Northern California native, who grew up with a true love of reggae, soul, classic rock, jazz, hip-hop and just about everything else.

His impressive discography includes more than 100 original productions and remixes on seminal independent labels such as Salted Music, Naked Music, Astrelwerks, Yoshitoshi, NRK, Black Vinyl, Large, Chez, Transport recordings, Om Records, Defected Records and many others. His recordings have consistently made waves in the underground circuit and have landed on DJ hype charts internationally. He goes highly regarded when it comes to remixes, having worked with major label artists such as Macy Gray, Lionel Ritchie and Britney Spears. Miguel additionally has released numerous mix CD compilations on labels including Defected, Naked Music, Southport Weekender and NRK.

Never one to sit still, Migs started his own label Salted Music in 2004. Having been associated with an extensive number of labels throughout his career, he came to realize a desire to have his own base, a vehicle for building his own catalogue of quality material. Salted Music is a foundation for Migs to choose and release music that inspires him, as well as release his own productions and compilations.

A musician at heart, Miguel's professional career started at age 18 as songwriter and lead guitarist for Santa Cruz local dub band Zion Sounds, whose Jamaican and African rhythms earned them gigs with globally known reggae outfits Culture and Burning Spear among others. After the disbanding of Zion Sounds in the mid 1990's, rather than form a new band, Miguel put his focus and creative energy into experimenting with the production of electronic music.

As a producer, Miguel realizes a strong connection between his electronic music productions and live musical background. He writes his own lyrics and plays his own instruments, be it guitar, bass, percussion or keyboard.

As a DJ, Miguel maintains the same approach to his sets as to his productions, combining a variety of influences and styles fused together. The result is funky, deep, soulful, bumping house music. "I like to mix it up and keep it moving smoothly, taking the dance floor through a very spontaneous mix into the realms of quality, deep house music depending on the mood in the room", says Migs. "But, whether it's vocal, tracky, dubby, moody, percussive or broken beat, the sound always remains soulful and funky.

Miguel can be found regularly traveling the globe as one of the industries top-leading DJs, as well as at home in the studio writing and creating music, which is his main love and passion. "It's all about the balance between the touring and traveling, studio work and everything else in life", says Migs, "music has no boundaries and I get inspired by everything around me! I'm definitely looking forward to putting another live act together in the near future." Migs certainly draws no limits to his artistry.


Dj Harvey (Black Cock Records, Map of Africa)



Harvey Sarcastic Disco
Black Cock Records
Map of Africa on Myspace


Harvey's DJ talents are in demand throughout England, Europe and the world. He has a solid following in places as far-flung as Singapore and Japan where there is a record store named after his lo-fi Black Cock record label.



Harvey’s musical career officially began at the tender age of thirteen when he was enlisted as a drummer for a punk band whose other members’ average age was 24. The band was a favourite with Radio 1’s John Peel, being featured on his infamous “Sessions” show.

Harvey’s progression into DJing came about after a trip to New York where he was inspired by the emerging hip-hop movement. He felt that “cutting up” breaks was an extension of drumming and so purchased his first pair of Technics, brought them home and practised. A graffiti “bomber” and part of the gang who named themselves TDK (Tone Deaf Crew) they were later to gain notoriety as TONKA Hi Fi. It was as the DJ for the crew that he forged his reputation as an eclectic programmer of music, throwing outlandish, sometimes weekend-long, parties in their native Cambridge as well as Brighton, London and on the festival circuit. Having already been in love with hip hop, electro and disco the sound he had emulated after his trip to New York he inevitably alighted on house and garage too, and began playing more parties in London, clubs such as Solaris and Freedom were all after the Harvey sound.

Harvey further cemented his reputation with his own night “Moist” at the Gardening Club. It was here he brought over some of the greatest New York DJs including Larry Levan, Francois Kevorkian and Kenny Carpenter all of whom were still relatively unknown and unheard of in this country. Playing his fabled six-hour mix of disco, house, garage and dancefloor friendly rock records, a sound he has carried through to his later residencies, notably the celebrated New Hard Left at the Blue Note.

He was the first British DJ invited to play at the Ministry Of Sound and later became resident on both Friday and Saturday. This resulted in his first compilation mix album to date “Late Night Sessions”.

Harvey is today one of the most respected DJs in the world who’s appeal across the genres of the music and clubbing community.

He has released tracks under various pseudonyms on labels such as Mo’ Wax, Dorado, Ministry Of Sound, Skint and Junior Boys Own. He has produced and remixed tracks for Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Ian Brown, Stereo MCs, Electronic, The Police and Cornershop as befits his eclectic style.

Harvey's recent move to Los Angeles hasn't dampened his enthusiasm for music, and he is currently playing DJ gigs around the planet, as well being very active in the studio. He also recently mixed another compilation CD called “Sarcastic Disco”.



Andy Caldwell (Om Records)



Andy Caldwell
Andy Caldwell on Myspace
Uno Recordings


Andy Caldwell, proprietor of Uno recordings, hails from San Francisco, California, but currently travels across the globe as a full-time DJ.



Bay Area native Andy Caldwell had a passion for the art of music long before the advent of electronica, and a decade before embarking on a career in deejaying, producing and songwriting. But true musical expression for Andy hit all new levels in the wake of San Francisco's underground rave explosion, when the one-time concert trumpeter and piano player subordinated his horn and foot-pedals in favor of two turntables and a bag of vinyl. Caldwell's first track "Superfunkidiculous" was released in 1994 and quickly became a top hit throughout the club scene, leading to a collaboration project with childhood friend Gabriel René. Forming the highly acclaimed San Francisco band "Soulstice", Caldwell and René produced and wrote music for therelease of the band's album "Illusion" and the renowned remix album, "Mixed Illusions." During that time, Caldwell also created a steady stream of his own celebrated releases for OM Records including three stand-alone, single releases, as well as releases featured on Mark Farina's widely popular Mushroom Jazz series. His singles were also included on six consecutive Om Lounge compilations and two full-length mix CDs entitled Sounds of Om v. 2. Caldwell's now seminal Om Records' release, "I Can't Wait" has appeared on numerous compilations and has become a house music standard. Other top singles for Caldwell include his popular Naked Music releases "All I Need", "Lectropic" and "Give A Little" as well as remixes for Migs, Owusu and Greene and Arvid. He's also recorded and released "Pushin" and "Don't Hold Back" for Inspirit Music's InSoul Sessions v. 1 and InHouse Perspectives 02, albums that he also mixed. He has also collaborated with DJ/producer Behrouz on their single "Be Free" and several remixes for the Yoshitoshi label, including the Grammy nominated track "Safe From Harm" by Narcotic Thrust, "Never Felt this Way" by Hani featured on Deep Dish's Toronto mix for Global Underground as well as a remix of UNO recordings first release "Too Late" by Mei-Lwun. Further expanding his reach, Caldwell's signature production style is also recognized in the film and television industries. He has composed music for films such as Forces of Nature and Skulls, as well as popular television series: Six Feet Under, Boston Public, and Chromium Blue. At age 31, with an ever-expanding discography, Caldwell has only just begun to fulfill his passion for music, with frequent DJ tours, remix opportunities and production work. For the past 3 years, his DJ schedule has allowed him to share his love of music with fans around the world, playing records in every major city on every continent.



Fred Everything (Om Records, 20:20 Vision)



Fred Everything
Fred Everything on Myspace
OM Records
20:20 Vision
20:20 on Myspace


A regular at the WMC, Fred Everything is native to Canada and spends much of his time traveling to London, Montreal, Ibiza, Sao Paulo, and Moscow to perform.



Born In Hull and raised in Quebec City, Fred Everything moved to Montreal in 1996. He was then working at Montreals institution Inbeat Records and secured himself residencies in the citys top clubs. Signed his first record to DIY Discs in 1996 and started traveling internationally. Was the first Montreal DJ to make it big outside Canada. In fact, on his first trip to the UK in 1997, Freds set at the Sub Club was cited best set of In the City Music conference by DJ Magazine. Has toured the globe performing at such legendary and exotic venues as Fabric in London, Stereo in Montreal, El Divino in Ibiza, Lov.e in Sao Paulo, Propaganda in Moscow and a new residency at Club Next Door in Hawaii. He's a regular at the Miami Winter Music Conference performing alongside Mark Farina, King Britt and Francois Kevorkian and has recently played on the OM records float @ the San Francsico Love Parade.

Back in the rave days, Fred was known for playing sets that would go from house, to techno and even drum and bass hence his Everything pseudonym. Originally he was called DJ Everything which eventually changed to Fred Everything. 20:20 Vision Head honcho Ralph Lawson considers him to be one the best house DJs on the planet. Has released original material and remixes on top labels such as: 20:20 Vision, Om Records (remixes of Kaskade, and Afro-Mystik), Turbo, Grand Royal (remix of Bran Van 3000 with Curtis Mayfield), Bombay (remix of Derrick Carter), Defected (remix of IZ and Diz), Compost, Feerange, not to mention cheeky re-edits of Missy Elliot and Erykah Badhu.

His 2 artist albums: Under The Sun (2000) and Light Of Day (2004), both on 20:20 Vision, have been acclaimed by the press, the latest being quoted as The Best Album of The Year by iDJ Magazine. Released 3 mix cds: Disconnection (InMix 1997), DJSET-01 on (Intonation 2001), and House of Om (Om Records, Nov 22nd) followed by an EP Soulmates (Om Records TBA) Released a collection of his best remixes titled From The Deep (Bombay 2002). Throws a monthly Lazy Days (his own label) party at Salon Daome in Montreal. It looks and feels like an apartment, its actually a studio during the day. Very much a New York party kinda vibe. Video for "Revolution" (from Under the Sun) aired on MTV worldwide and was licensed for a number of their reality shows like Making the Video and Newly Weds. Collaborated with: AtJazz, Mark Bell, Miguel Graca, Toka Project, Joseph Malik, Karl The Voice, Heather, Roy Davis Jr, Andy Caldwell, Jt Donaldson, Lance DeSardi, The New Mastersounds, and Tortured Soul. Tracks have appeared on over 100 compilations worldwide by people like Danny Tennaglia, Steve Lawler, Danny Howells, Terry Lee Brown Jr, and Hipp-e and Halo.



Alex from Tokyo (Innervisions)



Alex from Tokyo
Alex from Tokyo on Myspace
Innercityvisions
Innercityvisions on Myspace


True to name, Alex was raised in Tokyo before moving to New York to pursue his passion. He currently travels internationally as a world-reknown and "World Famous" DJ.



Paris born, Tokyo raised international eclectic DJ, producer and international co-ordinator. Based in New York from 2004. Alex has been playing regularly all around the world in Tokyo, New York and Europe. Alex still travels back to Tokyo every 2 months to continue his 9 year residency at the Sunday afternoon party 'Gallery' with DJ Nori, Kenji Hasegawa and Fukuba. He also continues to host his weekly radio show 'Tokyo Club Mix Showcase' every Wednesday on Shibuya FM, now running for 10 years. In April 2006 he joined up with Manu (Supreme records) to begin 'Cosmic Boogie' their monthly party at APT in NYC, inviting guests such as DJ Milo, DJ Red Alert and Todd Terje. In Fall 2006 Alex began a weekly residency on Fridays at the NYC Lower East Side's 205 Club and produced a deep house compilation 'Suboceania' for Italian tastemakers Slam Jam. Additionally, last fall saw the Japanese release of Laurent Garnier's book 'Electrochoc', which Alex translated from French to Japanese. Alex has 2 resident parties in Japan: his now legendary 9 hours DJ set at 'Deep Impact' at DJ Bar Dai in Morioka from 2006 and 'Timewarp' at Space Lab Yellow in Tokyo from January 2007. He has been producing music under the name Tokyo Black Star with partner Isao Kumano, releasing original material on Sonar Kollektiv/Innervisions (Tokyo Black Star 'Pysche dance EP' Innervisions 01 and 'Beyond the future EP Innervisions 04) and on DJ Deep's deeply rooted house music records label (Tokyo Black Star 'Rainbow/Fantastique voyage'), and has done remixes for labels such as Flower Records, Yellow Productions, Frikyiwa, Bassmental and Disorient. His third Tokyo Black Star release on Innervisions 'Still Sequence EP' has been released in July 2007 as well as the first release 'Reincarnation' on the new joint label Reincarnation by Slam Jam and Neroli. Besides the club scene, Alex has been recently doing also some music co-ordination and production work in fashion for brands like Y-3 and Louis Vuitton and he has invited to play at the official party of ART BASEL in Basel in June 2007.



Rich Medina (Afrodisco)



Rich Medina
Rich Medina on Myspace


DJ Rich Medina is often found spinning at clubs and venues in primarily NYC, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.



Choice defines the man. Rich Medina has made a life based on one choice that has transformed the listening experience of millions. DJ Rich Medina lives, breathes, and revels in sharing the type of music that make a listener remember his soul. It is this awareness of soul that brings listeners back time and again to hear Rich spin: heads nod, bodies sway, emotions expand and coalesce. DJ Rich Medina uses the decks to guide his people away from the ordinary and into the realm of their imaginations. His intelligent blends bridge unexpected song selections that build a collective consciousness of intoxication. Without even realizing it, DJ Rich Medina lures you in and makes you forget who you were before the music began – Medina spins you into the now, into the moment, into the vital essence of who you are. Medina credits his family’s Baptist faith as the groundwork and source of his musical inclination and intuition. Music was always a form of celebration and rejoicing. The first time Medina heard Diana Ross’s 1976 hit “Love Hangover” in the family living room, he knew he wanted to be a DJ. When he’s writing music, whether in collaboration with other musicians or a personal project, Medina always aims to inject a universal notion of the need for change. Rich Medina holds DJ residencies at prominent venues throughout the country. Most notably he is a defining DJ at his “Little Ricky’s Rib Shack” parties at APT in New York City. Every Wednesday night Rich draws a crowd that waits patiently in line to experience the Medina funk flow, and for the last decade Medina has been a fixture on the Philly nightlife scene. Saturday nights on a bi-weekly basis, DJ Rich Medina is host of Jump N Funk at the prestigious Martinez Gallery. It is through such residencies that DJ Rich Medina is able to cultivate his audience and hone his craft. Always evolving as an artist, DJ Rich Medina transitions into the role of pre-eminent spoken word artist at clubs the world over. Rich writes words that convey messages of change and agency, self-determination and hope, and he is also the embodiment of those very same qualities and emotions. DJ Rich Medina, renaissance man, articulate performer and a down and dirty DJ who can go head to head with the best, is an artist who will transform the average experience of any club or venue and give his audience a night of music and words to remember.



Djinji Brown (Yoruba Records)



Djinji Brown
Djinji Brown on Myspace
Yoruba Records


A native to Brooklyn, NYC, Djinji Brown currently tours the U.S. and Europe as a world-reknowned DJ.



Magazines are like military operations sometimes, and we, the editorial team, are the frontline troops - canon fodder; sent in to bite bullets and speak to musicians who turn out to be only half (if you are lucky) as interesting or as talented as their bios made them out to be. Yeah, that’s right... All you ‘music people’ out there: just because someone sits in front of you with a dictaphone does not mean you are interesting. If that industry money ever starts pouring in (don’t hold your breath…), give your publicist a raise. And save the airs and graces for the Grammies, player. But hold up. Before you label me the journalist’s equivalent to the Mad Rapper, every now and again you also come across people whose passion speaks for itself; people whose interviews make all the deluded and/or self-important ‘artists’ you had to endure in-between seem worth it, and if Djinji Brown is not one of these real people, then he comes pretty damn close. Djinji who? Don’t worry – this is the last time you will ever ask that question. It is not every day that you hear about someone who was there; someone who was living in the Bronx the night Kool Herc looped that JB track and gave birth to hip-hop. Someone who, as a teenager, set up the mic for CL Smooth moments before he dropped verse over Pete Rock’s genius; four minutes and forty six seconds in time that were captured and are relived every time you hear “They Reminisce Over You” blaring at you through your favourite club’s speakers. Yeah, that’s right. Djinji Brown. Son of a jazz legend and an anthropologist; Brother to a jazz star/ethnomusicologist, (and father to a little girl who he is waiting to pick up from school). If you cannot already tell, Djinji’s musical roots run deep. He attributes his interest in music to his father: avant-garde saxophonist, Marion Brown. When your father plays jazz at the level that Marion did, taking his sons flying around the world with him, it is unsurprising that some of the talent would rub off. But where Djinji’s brother took jazz and ran with it, Djinji branched out, a fact he attributes to living with his mother. It was an interesting time to be in the Bronx. Not unlike Brixton, the Boogie-Down was a boiling pot of ethnicities living both together and apart, struggling to make ends meet. But adversity breeds creativity, and hip-hop was born right there in the streets of one of New York’s most deprived areas. Djinji remembers seeing posters everywhere advertising raves where fledgling B-boys and girls explored, created and pushed the art’s foundations – DJs, break-dancers, graffiti artists and, eventually, MCs. He wanted the chance to, but never got to go; after all he was still a kid and his mother “… was not about to send her little boy to no party.” He made do with her salsa music and absorbed enough of it to travel to Brazil as soon as he was old enough to explore all the influences he had absorbed through his mother’s stereo. It may have been the music or maybe it was her anthropology, but Djinji’s mother’s achievement is to have instilled in her son an open-mindedness and appreciation of culture and difference that would stay with him and colour every subsequent aspect of his life and work. Maybe it was inevitable that he would become the front man for Absolution, a hardcore rock band. But when the group eventually split, hip-hop was ready for Djinji and this time, he was ready too. He got his first break apprenticing to Eric Sadler, a producer whose work with Public Enemy led to studio time with hip-hop artists including Pete Rock and CL Smooth and A Tribe called Quest, as well as work in other genres, for artists like Barrington Levy and Cassandra Wilson. Djinji’s first major solo project involved exclusive production duties on the debut album from freestyle legend, Supernatural. Unfortunately, the record fell victim record label problems and never saw the light of day. Nevertheless, Djinji’s work did not dry up and he steadily built up a substantial body of production work with artists in hip-hop and poetry. But hip-hop is but a small part of Djinji’s story. Asked in a recent interview what music he listens to, Andre 3000 of Outkast responded with something like “… not a lot of hip hop at the moment”. Some of the most creative artists in the genre – including Outkast, The Roots, and Common (“… it’s kinda fresh that you listen to more than hip hop…”) - have expressed alarm at how unadventurous hip-hop is quickly becoming. Some have blamed this on a movement towards capitalism and have responded with an unrelenting barrage of verses demanding responsibility from their fellow artists. Other artists have absorbed influences from outside hip-hop and injected these influences into their music, effectively pushing the art in all kinds of innovative and new directions. Djinji subscribes more to the latter than the former, admitting that although he is signed to Seven Heads Entertainment– whose ‘No Heads Up in South Africa’ is an impressive slice of hip-hop activism – and he has views on the politics of Bush’s America, his own music is not overtly political. Instead, Brown takes an almost anthropological approach towards music – or as he puts it, an ethnomusicologist’s approach: studying different kinds of music and collating the apparent links and influences they share and draw from each other. This culminated in his first release for Seven Heads, 2002’s Sirround Sound, in many ways a tribute to the diverse kinds of music Djinji grew up listening to in the Bronx. Covering hip-hop, house, and drawing from African, Latin, and Caribbean music, the Sirround Sound was a diverse and interesting one. Djinji continues this exploratory journey on his latest release, Uncle Junior’s Friday Fish Fry. A mix of the many styles that he continues to absorb, Uncle Junior’s… is an expression of one of Djinji’s core musical beliefs – that a good DJ is one whose ears take in from more than one genre. The emphasis here is on the music and as such, Djinji – who is not primarily a DJ, but is appreciative of the chance to share his favourite songs with – has included almost full-length versions of an impressive array of songs. Starting with the theme from blaxploitation classic, Black Belt Jones, the Fish Fry hits on afrobeat (Makoomba by NuSpirit Helsinki and Africa Battle by Manu Dibango), house (Osunlade’s remix of DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Rock wit’ U), latin (Noche Cubana), hip hop (the ethereal Vinia Mojica/Geology collaboration, Sands of Time), and neo soul (Peven Everett’s Testin’ Me), besides touching on West London with Afronaught’s Transcend Me. This last song is Brown’s favourite and he admits that it does something to him every time he plays puts the record on as part of his set. He has also included a remix of his own song, Blue Hunny, and keeping it in the family, Marion Brown ends the record with Don't Take Your Love From Me.??Brown is apprehensive of the reception the record will receive from other DJs, who may complain that, as a mix, Uncle Junior’s Friday Fish Fry is not strong enough on technical skill and that if Djinji wanted to place emphasis on the songs he should have released acompilation instead. But in Amplified’s opinion, he need not be: this is not a showcase of technical skill but is rather a love letter to good music. By keeping the music flowing, Djinji is able to make his point of showing how different musics can draw from each other and mix well together – a lesson many DJs should take heed to.


DJ JT



DJ JT
DJ JT on Myspace
F.A.M. Music


Based in Philly, DJ JT is part of the Forbidden Art Movement (FAM), an eclectic, internationally renowned Audio and Visual Production Company specializing in everything from Hip Hop & R&B, Soul & Reggae.

From Forbidden Art Movement:



J.T. is a Philadelphia based DJ that has been spinning and collecting records since the age of nine. He has amassed over 50,000 songs covering a multitude of genres. He started spinning in the footsteps and shadows of legendary DJ’s Cash Money, Jazzy Jeff, and Big Rich Medina. J.T.’s versatility allowed him to help fabricate the emerging underground house scene in Philadelphia with DJ’s King Britt, Josh Wink, Tee Alford, Philip Dickerson, and Lance King setting the pace.

As an engineer or tech J.T. has worked with a horde of artist including; Beyonce’, Justin Timberlake, Prince, Billy Joel, Elton John, Musiq Soulchild, Jill Scott, Jay-z , Nas, The Roots, The Rolling Stones, Stomp the musical.



Marques Wyatt



Marques Wyatt
Marques Wyatt on Myspace
Deep LA
Deep LA on Myspace>


Based in Los Angeles, California, Marques Wyatt is an internationally known DJ and producer.



International DJ and producer Marques Wyatt is an influential messenger of the deepest, most soulful kind of house music. Beneath his relaxed, spiritual and unknowingly suave persona, therein lies a man partially responsible for giving birth to the West Coast house scene by bringing the fresh sounds of New York (a la Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries and Larry Levan) to Los Angeles beginning in the mid 80s. Carefully pointing out that he has "always had a deep passion for music," you know that his adoration of house has been a gateway into the lives of thousands and thousands of people. Over the years promoting and playing an enormous amount of parties including BBC, Brass, MAC's Garage, Does Your Mama Know? and currently LA's biggest house club DEEP, Marques has changed the face of Southern California nightclubbing and the presentation of its music, sound and scene.

Today, he spends much of his time taking the sounds that emanate from his soul around the world, or laying them down in the studio in remixes and original compositions. Yet, he always returns to the club scene in his hometown of Los Angeles. He grew up in a loving, musical family that exposed him to everything from unique Afro rhythm sounds, jazz and soul to psychedelic rock. As a DJ he draws on a little bit of all these influences in silky smooth sets that never fail to be a buoyant celebration of life.



Mark Farina



Mark Farina
Mark Farina on Myspace
Mushroom Jazz
OM Records
Great Lakes Audio




"I look at my job as a modern day traveling minstrel, to bring new music to as many places as I can, and expose obscure records that, otherwise, might go hidden." While Mark Farina may be able to sum up his job description in a sentence, there is much more to be written.

Mark developed his musical tastes in Chicago - listening to house music on the radio, living in one of the country's most primordial breeding grounds for house. Around '88, while record shopping at Imports, Etc., he met Derrick Carter and a friendship began. Farina's "Mushroom Jazz" sound subsequently became popular through a long-running San Francisco club called Jazid Up, then through various Mushroom Jazz clubs thrown domestically and abroad.

"I started playing when I lived with my parents and didn't have any bills to pay so I could just buy records. My intentions were never to just make money, it's nice, but it's kind of turned into a job by accident - it was a hobby that turned into a job."

Living together and working on tracks together along with Chris Nazuka, they utilized the tight connections between the Detroit and Chicago scenes. Fondly, Mark remembers hanging out listening to Detroit Techno classics - Model 500, Derrick May - eating bologna sandwiches on white bread and drinking Kool-Aid out of a paper cup, prepared by none other than Chef Saunderson himself. In '89, they signed on Kevin Saunderson's KMS Records under the Symbols in Instruments moniker and produced a landmark track called "Mood". "Mood" sold 35,000+ copies in the US and the UK. This record was the first ambient house track ever made and, accordingly, it has taken its position as a classic. The same year, The Face magazine published their year end Top 50 with "Mood" ranking above pop anthems by Dee-Lite and The Pet Shop Boys.

"I used to do mixes with Derrick on the radio at Northwestern, we'd make it at the house and listen to it on the lake where they filmed 'Risky Business'. We would drive around and listen 89.3 WNUR; they had a policy, guest DJs didn't have to be students." Eventually, the University changed their policy and only students were allowed to DJ.

Mark Farina's other DJ style is a downtempo sound he created, called "Mushroom Jazz." The Mushroom Jazz sound evolved when Mark found himself being assigned to the "B" room at a club in Chicago instead of the main room. "As opposed to competing with the house music being played in the other room I decided to play more mellow stuff that you couldn't really play in the house room." Around the same time, music like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Soul2Soul, and labels like Acid Jazz and Talking Loud were just starting to release their music, and Mark found more and more inspiration for this new sound he was DJing. "After a while playing in this other room I began to make a tape series and I called it Mushroom Jazz. The Acid Jazz term seemed a little too abrasive and I wanted something a little more organic for the sound I was trying to develop." The tapes were an instant hit and became known as the official "after party" tape.

Eventually Mark moved from Chicago to San Francisco and along with then partner and manager, Patty Ryan-Smith, created a club devoted solely to the Mushroom Jazz sound, called Jazid Up. "There was a bigger Acid Jazz scene in San Francisco than in Chicago so the club was able to really take off, even though it was on a Monday night." Every Monday night the crowd slowly germinated - from 100 for the first few months to 600-700 two years later. Simultaneously, the Mushroom Jazz tape series evolved - from the first Chicago run of 50 copies each on to the next stage, where 500 copies of several volumes were easily distributed. As time passed, Farina and Patty put their energies into another project, the first Mushroom Jazz interactive CD-ROM. After a three year run, where the club had established a fanatical, cult-like following for Farina and the Mushroom Jazz sound, the club closed its doors and transformed into a CD series and accompanying tours.

Since 1989, Mark Farina has been traveling the globe performing at literally hundreds of shows a year, sometimes DJing both of his preferred styles in two different rooms at the same party. At other events, he's been known to play extended sets that lasted over eight hours. In his House sets, Mark is known for his uniquely effortless journeys on the jazzy side of Chicago House, mixed up San Fran style. And, flawless, as always.

This wandering record minstrel has played to incredible crowds all over the globe. Consistently drawing new fans to his style of chunky-funky rhythms and deep underground house, Mark plays upwards of 300 shows to over 300,000 club goers per year. Voted in the top 20 DJ's in the world by and BPM Magazine, his taste making skills continue to turn the heads of seasoned veterans as well as youngsters just getting into the music.

On CD, Mark has recorded both of his dominant musical personalities. His first mix, 'Mushroom Jazz' on Om Records, is defined by a hip-hop sub-groove with jazzy, dubby elements in the downtempo range. It was followed by 'Seasons', a critically acclaimed House mix. An Imperial Dub mixed CD, a guest slot in the pedigreed 'United DJs of America' series, 'Mushroom Jazz 2' (Om Records) and 'San Francisco Sessions, Vol. I' (Om Records) and Mushroom Jazz 3 (Om Records) to round out the Farina catalog. His past release "Connect" walks the line of San Francisco deeper house and the bumpin' funky house sound of Chicago. In November of 2002, Mark Farina released his much beloved fourth volume of Mushroom Jazz.

The past year Mark has been releasing his own productions again, doing remixes for such labels as Silver Network and Classic and releasing tracks on Om and Music For Freaks. He is currently working on his first full length album of original work, set to be released by Om in October of 2003.





Danny Krivit



Danny Krivit
Danny Krivit on Myspace




Raised in Greenwich Village, NYC, Danny was born into a musical family, with jazz music the labour of love. Whilst working in his parents night-spot, 'The Ninth Circle', Danny was introduced to influential figures on the scene (Hendrix, Lennon & Ono, Janis Joplin). With such a wealth of talent surrounding him, it was no surprise that Danny spent most of the 1970's spinning the hot records of the time in the family owned club.

A network of DJs and producers grew as the underground culture embraced the musical scene. David Mancuso (The Loft), Nicky Siano (The Gallery), Walter Gibbons (Galaxy 21) joined ground breaking DJs Larry Levan and Francois K in the new revolution.

Danny Krivit would spend his time at the Paradise Garage, avidly roller-skating round the dancefloor as Levan span the latest platters. Krivit's DJ career meanwhile grew steadily to encompass influential clubs such as The Roxy, Danceateria, The Limelite, Save The Robots and many many more.

Naturally, the joy of spinning records in night-spots gave Danny a craving to enter the recording studio, spending the liberating 80's era working on tracks featuring James Brown, Gloria Gaynor and Visage and a whole host of others. Danny has since gone on to edit, produce and mix a plethora of material that puts his status as studio technician firmly at the top of the pile.

In 1996, Danny teamed up with long time associates and Body & Soul founders, Francois K and Joe Claussell. Danny has since spun every Sunday at this revered NYC party and has helped his reputation grow in overseas territories such as Japan and England, representing Body & Soul on 2 special occasions.




DJ Yass



DJ Yass
DJ Yass on Myspace



DJ, Producer, Parisian re-mixer, Resident DJ at the Queen club (Paris), FG Dj radio and ex-resident of LEnfer, he played his first turntables when he was 13, influenced by the great DJs of the world. With his 15 years of experience mixing, he found his technique and style to reach top international DJ-level.

15 years of experience mixing, beginning with 7 years of Hip-Hop. With the influence of the House music & Rave party phenomenon and the new talent revealed by the electronic wave which swept through Paris, he gradually developed a club House & techno sound. This opened up a new horizon and he was soon in his element. He played in a number of raves parties, making a name for himself and gaining public recognition. From 1997, at the end of his sound ingeneer studies, onwards he worked in clubs, developing his style more progressively, House music being his choice of records and life. This was a revelation to him. This movement coming onto the scene as a melting pot of all cultures and musics. He handles this style magnificently, combining his teenage groove with funk, disco, jazz and even techno sound. At the time he mixed five days a week, on the turntables of the capitals biggest clubs. Thanks to the numerous club residences he can carry out his long eclectic sets.

He has been side-by-side with many well-known Djs such as DJ Sneak, Johnny Corporate, Kerri Chandler, Dj Gregory, Lego, Little Louie Vega, Dj Deep, Frankie Feliciano, Jazzanova, Claude Young, Roger Sanchez, Martin Solveig, Jamie Lewis.

In 1999, he began to travel abroad as a guest in foreign clubs. His present, very club-style Pumping Soulful House, influenced by the French and New-york scene, can be qualified as unique. In his element from Deep House to Techno, he handles his records like a raw product. His aim, whilst concentrating on the frequencies and the organic side of his mix, is above all to be at one with his public and to give them a Show.



King Britt



King Britt on Myspace
FiveSixMedia
V2 Music
BBE



Growing up in southwest Philadelphia, house DJ/producer King Britt was raised in a household filled with music, from James Brown to Duke Ellington. He began buying records at the age of seven, and gradually amassed a collection of over 10,000 singles. Britt saw the beginnings of the local rap scene evolve with Schooly D., Three Times Dope, Steady B., DJ Cash Money, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince. His tastes also expanded to include Depeche Mode, Roxy Music, Kraftwerk, Front 242, and the Smiths. While attending Temple University, he began producing his own tracks and also met Ishmael Butler (aka Butterfly), who introduced Britt to his jazz-rap group Digable Planets. Acquiring the nickname Silkworm, he toured with the group for more than two years. Through a mutual friend, he also met Josh Wink, and the duo soon began tooling around in their respective bedroom/MIDI recording studios. The result was a worldwide dance hit, 1993's "Tribal Confusion" by E-Culture. Britt and Wink formed their own label, Ovum Recordings, and worked on production as well as remixing, for artists including Tori Amos, Donna Lewis, Solsonics, and Mary Wilson.

King Britt first hatched the idea for a solo album while touring with Digable Planets. A soundtrack fan without the money to make a feature film, he decided to record the music for a fake movie, enlisting hometown talent -- dubbed the Sylk 130 collective -- including legendary bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma, drummer Darryl Burgee, keyboardist James Poyser, vocalist Alison Crockette, poet Ursula Rucker, rapper Tony "Capital A" Green, and guitarist Monnette Sudler. When the Funk Hits the Fan was released on Ovum/Sony in 1998 and was followed by The Remixes one year later. The new millennium, however, featured another musical jaunt for King Britt's Sylk 130. Re-Members Only, issued in March 2001, showcased classic funk/soul grooves as well as collaborations with ABC's Martin Frye, De La Soul, and Alison Moyet of Yaz. Britt's first solo production album, Adventures in Lo-fi, followed in 2003 on BBE, and he put together a mix album for Chicago's Park Hyatt hotel in 2004. He remained busy as ever beyond these releases, developing artists on his label and handling dozens of remix jobs.




Nickodemus



Nickodemus
Nickodemus on Myspace
Wonderwheel Recordings
Turn Tables on the Hudson



In 1990, my brother gave me my first Turntables :) With lots of practice & tolerance from my parents, came my first DJ gigs. Me & a crew of friends made lots of noise. We organized warehouse/ garage parties every month. I played Hip Hop with a mix of my Dad's old Soul, Funk records plus the House Music my sister picked up from Downtown Records in the city. Tito Roc came out from Uptown every month & rocked new & old House music and Hip Hop. Bucky & Jeff spun the best Dancehall and Reggae at the time. Russ Starke would occasionally jam along on guitar or with his band called Silas Lang. This was the crew- It all started very locally.

Soon to follow, a club called Caffeine opened up which brought together 1,000's of kids from all over the Island. DJ's Tom La Roc, Nick Pepe, DNA, Jim Felli, Micro, Onionz, Derek Sessions, Omar, Samir and many more were representing to the fullest out there! I'm proud to say that I came out of that same movement of music lovers who were always trying to make something happen in the burbs.

In '93 I moved to the Lower East Side. I heard about this party called Giant Step that incorporated DJ's spinning Hip Hop, Funk & Jazz with live Musicians. Since I was too young to get in, I went to one of the daytime outdoor festivals & handed my mix tape to this a guy named Marc Labelle. Thanks to him, Jonathan Rudnick & Maurice Bernstein, Giant Step turned into a regular gig that gave me a real chance to test and explore new & old music to an amazing group of party people. Respect to DJ's Smash, Jazzy Nice, Swingsett, Chillfreeze, Urban Tap, Nappy G & all the Groove Collective musicians for making it all happen.

In the Fall of 1998, Mariano found a very unique space, separate from all NYC inhabitants. The space was simply a concrete deck on the edge of a Pier, behind an indoor Ice Skating rink. We convinced the Chelsae Piers to let us throw parties on the Deck. We decided to finally have a space & a party that we called our own. We asked old school Giant Step alumni, Nappy G to join us on percussion & we started NYC's first outdoor party on the Hudson! The sound was everything we loved from Hip Hop to Funk, House to Latin, Big Beat to Reggae. Basically, we wanted to be free of the boundaries that confined most dj events to one style of music. From the party came our first compilation in 1999 on our newly created record label called Rhythm Love Records.

Other music collaborations with Carol C, Zeb, Andrea Montiero, Jay Rodriguez & Ticklah can be heard through the Discography page & the soon to come, 1st solo album, "Endangered Species" September 13th, 2005!



Chris Big Cee Legaspi



Chris Big Cee Legaspi
Deep LA



Chris "Big Cee" Legaspi has been a staple in the Los Angeles house music community for the last 10 years. He was mostly remembered for being "the guy in the robe", but for the last 7 years most know "Cee" for his amazing sets at clubs such as "Does your mama know?", "Gravy", countless after-hour parties and the the one he holds closest to his heart, "DEEP-L.A. where house lives...". "Man, working with Marques for all these years has been a great learning process for me." Cee explains, "Old dirty (Wyatt) has taught me that this is more than a party, also that when your involved with something like "Deep", the microscope is always gonna be on you." Marques told "Cee" when he's out on the town he is not only representing him- self, he is representing his family and he caries the "Deep" flag where ever he goes. "Yeah, really." says Cee while he tweaks the levels on the mixer,"That talk with Marques changed my life. If you knew me in the "Robe days", you'll know what I'm talkng about." Working at "Deep" Cee has had opprotunities to open for some of house musics biggest dj's in the game, dj's like Timmy Regisford, Louie Vega, Dj Yellow, Ben Watt, the legendary Lil Louis, Mark Farina and an endless list of whos who in house music. "Those guys are all great dj's, but the best thing about all those guys is that I had an opprotunity to become close friends with all of them." says Cee. Cee has had the pleasure of spreading his musical message across the Atlantic Ocean, spinning in Rome. "That was a geat trip, great food, nicest people you will ever meet(except the cab driver who tried to charge us 400 euro for a cab ride"). "Cee" is no stranger to hosting his own events, besides "DEEP" Cee has brought such djs as Roy Davis jr, Terrance Wagner, Eddie Amadore and countless others to his events "Put cho' hands up", "the bbq's" and his sunday afterhours. Cee speaks of moving forward and trying not to hang on to the "old days", " I believe we have to move forward and start building off of the foundation that guys like Marques, Louie and Doc Martin have layed for us." Cee explains "don't get me wrong, those days were great, the music was great and there will never be days like that again, but we got to create our own memories, so the new family members can look back 10 years from now and say remember this and that". On March 24, 2005 Cee became a father to Cayla Rayanne Legaspi, which he calls "His greatest accomplishment yet." Cee says, " Man, Im someones dad, thats wild." She helps Cee realize that in a second your life can change and its up to you to Step upto the plate and Do what you have to do. "I love being a father!" Cee says, "Cayla is my everything, i breathe because of her, I wake up every morning because of her. She's my will to WIN!" Cee continues to play and has been spending more time in the studio working on remixxes for Whoop-t-Whoop recordings . Also, his new residency at "Gravy-L.A." is really coming together, he explains, "Joe and Joey are great guys, the peeps that come to Gravy are pretty much there for Gravy." he says "they are sold on the idea and the vibe. what a great party." Cee is avalible for world wide bookings @ c81991@yahoo.com whoop-t-whoop Recordings press release dept.



Also featuring:

Christian Prommer
+
Justin Martin
+
Heinrik Schwarz Live! + Marcus Worgull
+
Rocco




Hope to see you there!