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New Year's Eve, 1991.
A flyer found. A map point located. A warehouse discovered.
A threshold crossed. One night. One moment. For me, nothing
would ever be the same again.
What is it about electronic music that captures us so?
Why is it that, once found, it grabs hold and refuses
to let go? And why is it that nearly all of us can name
the exact moment when it made everything change.
For me, December 31, 1991 is that moment. Before, the
path of my life had been headed one way. After, well....
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In the beginning, I was nothing more than a dedicated
punter, one of the East Coast faithful, traveling hundreds
of miles each weekend in pursuit of the perfect beat.
Thursdays at Baltimore's legendary Fever. Fridays at DC's
immortal Buzz. Saturdays at one-off's with names like
Catastrophic, Storm, Ultraworld, or Primary. We were in
the right place at the right time - the birth of a scene,
a music, a movement.
Along with the flyers I collected the music. Guerrilla.
FSOL. Limbo. Cosmic Baby. Stress. Leftfield. Platipus.
The soundtrack of the weekend became the soundtrack
of my life. At first, it was enough to let others
arrange it, but then...
This was the era of the mixtape, a time before the
Pro Tools perfect, studio session solid CD. Sets
were played, recorded, and traded, passed hand to
hand among the faithful, with no DJ too big or small
to be worth a listen.
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Although I loved the dancefloor, I started someplace that might surprise
you - downtempo. Yes, downtempo. Back then, no event was complete
without the "Chill Room", and it was there I found my first
source of DJing inspiration. One tape, two tapes, three tapes, more...
I only gave them to a few friends, but these things, well, they have
a life of their own. It started small - gigs in Richmond VA, Washington
DC, Baltimore, New York. I was paying my dues. And then....
August 16, 1996.
Washington D.C.'s Buzz presents Supersting. The greatest collection
of talent that had ever been assembled on a single night in the States.
Sasha. Carl Cox. Scott Henry. BT. Laurent Garnier. LTJ Bukem. And
in the Cloudwatch Chill Out Tent, among others, Babylon - a.k.a. Alex
Whalen. I wasn't on the main stage. Far from it. And yet, I had to
ask myself, "is this DJing thing for real? Could it become my
life?"
Truth is, if you ask anyone who knew me, it already was my life. From
that first night in '91, sharing this music with others had been the
thing that mattered most. Whether it was making mix tapes, opening
my own mail order record shop, or spending countless hours trainspotting
tracks, nothing mattered more. But somehow, until that summer night
in '96, the idea that it could happen to me, well...
Newly inspired, I poured myself deeper still into the music, shifting
focus from the chill room to the main room. The scene grew, expanded.
Nightclubs were becoming superclubs, DJ's superstars. The underground
was going global.
With my turn towards the dancefloor I knew there would be yet more
dues to pay, and pay them I did. More tapes changed hands, more connections
made, more sets played, and then...
July
30, 1999.
A return to Washington, D.C.'s Buzz. Only this time it
was the main floor. Me, my records, and 2000 of DC's most
devoted. Eight years chasing the beat and it was here.
And then, an amazing thing happened. What was an opening
set became much more. The headliner's records were lost
en route, and I was asked to stand in their stead. Sounds
like the stuff of legend, I know, but it's true. 4 hours
later and my career had begun.
Offers to DJ came fast and furious - from Buzz and beyond.
And then, soon after, an offer that would once again change
everything. The Deep Dish boys were looking for someone
to manage their new record shop and web site, and my name
was on the short list. The dream of living this music
full time suddenly became a reality.
Over the next three years I spent all of my days and nights
working to build The Yoshitoshi Shop and Yoshitoshi.com.
In Washington D.C., together with the seemingly unstoppable
Buzz, our shop became synonymous with everything dance.
On the Web, our shop went global - and I went along for
the ride...
East Coast. West Coast. Hawaii. Ibiza. A residency was
offered, and then a second. |
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The first came from D.C.'s Club Five, a new purpose built venue looking
to build a night. Together with DJ Buster I took over Saturday nights,
for over a year playing to the faithful, a thousand strong and up
for anything. As a DJ, it was my chance to stretch my wings, to make
a night my own, to define my sound. Club Five was a turning point,
one that prepared me for...
...the second offer. Buzz was offering a monthly residency to Dave
Ralph, and they were looking for someone to share the bill. A DJ
who could set the night, establish the sound, prime the crowd. Dave
had his list of names, Buzz had theirs. In the end I was offered
the slot, and for the next two years our monthly was one of the
highlights of the DC clubbing calendar.
More importantly, perhaps, it also became the launching pad for a
close musical partnership, one that lasts right up to today. With
the success of our night at Buzz firmly established, we took to the
road, touring North America in support of Dave's 'Naturalized' CD.
Soon after we hit the studio, producing several tracks under the Ralph
+ Whalen moniker. Check his 'Resident Alien' CD for some of the results.
And watch for more to come on Dave's R-Factor Recordings shortly.
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April
29, 2002.
It was time for a change. DC, Buzz, Yoshi - they'd been
great to me - more than I'd ever hoped for, in fact -
but it was time to go. 100 boxes of records and 3000 miles
later I found myself setting up shop deep in the heart
of San Francisco. Throughout my travels I'd been blessed
to meet a number of amazing people, but SF has more than
its fair share. It was the only choice.
Over the next two years I added syndicated radio to my
arsenal as a resident for Thump Radio, helped launch a
new house music venue for Blowfish Music, and headlined
for both Spundae and Release - quite an accomplishment
if you know the SF scene. With two like-minded musical
souls, Kramer and Nicholas Baker, I started a new monthly
called Arrival, an ongoing night dedicated to breaking
new talent in SF's progressive house scene. And of course,
throughout the world, I continued to travel and spread
my brand of progressive house.
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June 3, 2004.
Us DJs, we're nomads, never content to stay any one place
very long. And that's why today you'll find me in Boston.
Among other things, I'll be serving as a resident at Avalon's
legendary Friday nights, working with the R-Factor team
on a number of new projects, and, in a twist for a DJ,
working on my PhD in Political Science.
Let the next chapter begin...
Affiliations:
Avalon (Boston)
Arrival (San Francisco)
Thump Radio / Avalon Coast To Coast / XM (USA)
R-Factor Recordings (Worldwide)
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