DJ DAN (ÅÝÅ ÏÄÉÎ ?!?)
Discography
On Tour
www.djdan.com
Called “America’s most beloved
DJ” by URB Magazine, DJ Dan
helped transform the 90’s into a
decade of dance. His unerring
feel for diverse styles has
earned him admiration throughout
America and the world. Now, for
dance music fans and aspiring DJs
who want to hear just how it’s
done, DJ Dan has released Funk
the System, his sensational new Moonshine Music compilation
comprised of fourteen tracks guaranteed to keep the party
jumping.
Funk the System highlights one of DJ Dan’s specialties: funky
house music. “I wanted this album to be more house-oriented,”
says Dan. “Most of the tracks are mixes of other artists’
material, as well as one original and a remix of “Needle Damage.”
That last track has proved one of the most popular of recent
dance hitters, with respected Radio 1 DJ (U.K.), Pete Tong
calling it “relentless, pumping house” as well as naming it
“Single of the Month” in Mixmag (May, 99). Funk the System also
includes mixes of hard-to-find classics such as Avalanche’s “Acid
Attack” and DJ HMC’s “Phreakin.” Says Dan, “This album is more
mellow than my last, but my next will be more banging,
techno-oriented.”
That affinity for music propelled DJ Dan to the top of the dance
world. A native of Olympia, WA, he first experienced music as a
welcome escape, surrounded as he was by nine brothers and
sisters. By age 14, he’d figured out how to rig his tape deck to
the turntable to mix record to tape. Around this time, he also
developed a passion for clothing design, so much that he was
later accepted into Seattle’s prestigious Thomas Edison School of
Design, form which he graduated at the top of his class.
Attending his first rave in L.A. in 1991 put his design career on
hold. “Something flipped,” he recalls. “I realized my true
calling. I knew this was something I must do.” Dan spent every
waking minute learning the art of mixing, scratching and
programming, and soon he was ready to test his mettle in the club
scene.
He hooked up with top L.A. DJ Ron D Core, and by 1992, Dan had
emerged as one of the cities top DJs at a time when the city’s
rave scene hit its peak. “The parties were so fresh, so
colorful,” he remembers. “There were no categories back then,
nobody come in with preconceived notions of what the music should
be. Those were the moments that started the trends.” As the L.A.
rave scene waned, Dan and Ron launched No-Doz, a musically
diverse club that set a new standard for after-hours parties. He
also seized on San Francisco’s burgeoning funky house scene,
moving to the Bay Area and aligning himself as a resident DJ with
the Funky Tekno Tribe. “Those were the best parties ever,” says
Dan, who soon became one of the most popular DJs in the USA and
Canada.
DJ Dan’s international profile expanded exponentially with the
release of the groundbreaking “Loose Caboose” by the
Electroliners, a classic track he co-wrote and co-produced with
Jim Hopkins. It was soon picked up by XL Records in the U.K.,
which led to a fruitful partnership between Dan and famed DJ Carl
Cox. The Electroliners continued to create many remixes, which
only bolstered DJ Dan’s reputation as a producer. He’s remixed
projects for fellow Moonshine artists Keoki and Cirrus, and is
currently working on new remixes for Carl Cox, Reprise Platinum
recording artists Orgy, Warner Bros./Primal recording artists
Deep Red, as well as British Breakbeat band the Freestylers.
All that studio work hasn’t kept DJ Dan off of the turntables. He
still DJs every weekend all around the world. Recently, he
wrapped up a six-week tour of Europe and South Africa, and he
maintains a regular monthly appearance with Carl Cox at Twilo,
New York City’s #1 club. Yet, everywhere he goes, DJ Dan detects
the same spirit. “When you feel the incredible energy on the
dance floor, you want your entire life to be that way,” he says.
“That’s why this work is so exciting, because it reminds me that
life can be this good. There is a driving force behind all of
this, and it’s what keeps me going.”
As for his own persona, DJ Dan defies the conventional wisdom
that the DJ has to retain a kind of standoffish mystique. “I got
into this,” says Dan, “because I love how people unite on the
dance floor, bringing their own energy and excitement. So, I
never turn my back on the crowd.” And they’ve never turned their
backs on him. DJ Dan remains a towering figure in the world of
dance music, always a step ahead in bringing new musical styles
to his fans. Now and forever, DJ Dan has the floor.