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Origin: Hong Kong / San Francisco / Planet Rock
Years Playing: 11 years
Style: Breakbeat, Tech Funk, Electro House
Affiliation: DJ ICON | Sister SF | Temple | Opulent Temple | House Nation
Audio Samples: DJ Icon Sample

The track/DJ/party that made me want to be a DJ was:
I started going to raves when I was 16, the majority of them were huge massives at the former Homebase warehouse.  It wasn’t until I went to a small underground Trance party on Thanksgiving of 1996 - where I heard DJ Mystre play “Paraguay” by Jim Clarke on Noom Recordings - that I became inspired to start DJing because I wanted to express myself through uplifting music. (Yeah, that’s right… I played Trance for the first 4 years of my career.  So sue me! :p )  Then in 2000, when I was doing the buying at the short-lived Braindrops Records, I came across the track that single-handedly turned me into a Breakbeat junkie: Elite Force “Bombin’ The Subway” on the now defunt, Fused & Bruised Records. (Thanx Shack!)

Influences:
IElite Force, Dylan Rhymes, Deekline and Wizard, Plump DJs, Aquasky, The Breakfastaz, Rennie Pilgrem, B.L.I.M., Meat Katie, Lee Coombs, Blende, Miles Dyson, Uberzone, General Midi, Bass Kleph, Baobinga, 30Hz, D Ramirez, Alex Metric, Autobots, Move Ya! and Steve Lavers, Future Funk Squad, Freestylers, Koma & Bones, Stanton Warriors, S.C.A.M., Soul of Man, Krafty Kuts, JDS, Drumattic Twins, Andy Page, Twockers, Lillica Libertine, D.I.M., Dopamine, Def Inc., The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Trentemoller, Depeche Mode, The Cure, The Smiths, New Order, Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Morrissey, Portishead, Massive Attack, Lamb, and more... in no particular order, everybody is special! :)

I got my first break:
My first time playing records in front of people was in 1997 at a Frequency 8 weekly at the former Boomerang, which is now Milk Bar, on Haight Street.

Some DJs I like playing with are:
Sister SF reprazent!: Melyss, Samira, J-Fi; Smoove, Aaron Jae, Bam, Taj, Syd Gris, Tamo, Via Jay, Carbon Community, Spesh & Jondi, Dirtyhertz

Favorite thing about the SF scene:
I’ve always loved the sense of community and family in San Francisco dance culture.  I’ve been to many other cities and have never felt such positive, radiant and supportive energy amongst both the members of the community (DJs, producers, promoters, etc.) and the supporters (music lovers, dancers, fans).  Many other cities are indifferent to their local talent, but in San Francisco, we support and cherish our local artists as equally as the out-of-town headliners!  We also have a clear affinity to Breakbeat and have become a preferred tour stop for every major Breaks artist because of the quality of shows as well as the level of enthusiasm and appreciation at them.  I also love how there is a huge Burning Man influence in the San Francisco dance community… it adds an openness and just pure raging playa energy to our nightlife.  Yeah baby, this city rocks!

Least favorite thing about the SF scene:
I really hate that in certain crowds, as soon as alcohol is no longer being served, they run for the exit like there is a fire in the building.  I want to educate people that the party isn’t over just because there is no more alcohol and about the solid music they have the privilege to hear every weekend.  We’re extremely spoiled here, other cities are so hungry just to get a fraction of the talent that comes through San Francisco and we mustn’t take it for granted!

My favorite SF party is/was:
My favorite party in San Francisco of all time was the Braindrops Official Pride Weekend Kick-Off in June of 2000 on the top floor of the Sony Metreon at the “Where the Wild Things Are” playspace.  I’ve also been playing Qool @ 111 Minna since 1999 and I have a blast each time!  Always a great vibe and people dancing their asses off until the clock strikes 10PM.

My favorite Club to play in is:
I’ve played at all the major clubs in SF and I like each one for different reasons (have to be diplomatic).  Mezzanine for the Funktion One sound system, Temple for the beautifully new and remodeled venue, 1015 Folsom for the solid main room DJ booth and sound, Ruby Skye for the beautiful venue and wicked sound, Mighty for the underground vibe and great energy, The End-up for the awesome late-night crowd (they go mental!).  As far as other venues, it was awesome to play at the Concourse with Ladytron and the Chemical Brothers or at the Warfield with Crystal Method & Paul Oakenfold.

If I could put together MY dream music festival, the Entertainment would be:
Living & Dead: Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, The Smiths, Joy Divison, Duran Duran, Prodigy, Underworld, Daft Punk, Orbital, Kraftwerk, Art of Noise, Digitalism, Radiohead, Portishead, Massive Attack, Lamb, Uberzone, Chemical Brothers, Halou, Imogen Heap, Ladytron, Bob Marley, Jurassic 5, A Tribe Called Quest, The Executioners, (the original) Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Bad Religion, The Descendents, Pennywise, NOFX, Sublime, Elliott Smith, Sex Pistols, Social Distortion, Suicidal Tendencies, Ween, Ignite, Anti-Flag, My Chemical Romance…

If I couldn't play records I would probably be a professional:
Big air snowboarding world champion or ninja.

I want to thank these people for helping me get this far:
Firstly, thank you to my family who has supported me throughout all my crazy phases and growing pains, and still accept me for the weirdo I am – I love you Alexis, Dora, Delida, my step mom, and late beloved Grandmother.  Thank you to my friends who believe in me, and whom are my extended family (many will appear in this list again in DJ form): Noel, Jacqueline, Tessa, Melissa, Jamie, Samira, Taj, Adam, Ian, Tammy, Emeri, DRC, Glen, Marv, there’s more that I'm forgetting… I'm sorry!  Thank you to DJs that I play with that have supported me: Smoove, Taj, Syd Gris, Melyss, J-Fi, Samira, Tamo, Aaron Jae, Bam, DRC, Ladyhouse, Liquid Todd… Thank you to all the promoters that have booked me throughout the years: Opel, Opulent Temple, Evil Breaks, Taj @ 1015, Ruby Skye, Spundae, Jondi & Spesh @ Qool, Release, MINX, Urban Breaks, Mars & Mystre @ Frequency 8, Greg Sandler @ Harmony, MODA @ Future Fridays, Vlad @ Feel Good Ent., Sasson @ Cool World, Dyloot @ Skills, Go! Ventures, many many more!  Thank you to all the dope Breakbeat, Tech Funk & Electro House producers that inspire me to rock the funky beats!  Thanx to Elite Force for turning me onto Breaks and Dylan Rhymes for recently turning me onto filthy tech funk biznass!  Thanx to Davey Dave for pushing me to start playing on CDs and for the dope gear.  Special thanx to Syd Gris who welcomed me into the Opulent Temple family and to all of the OT crew for showing me the time of my life at Burning Man.  Thanx to Mystre who inspired me to start DJing over a decade ago.  Last but not least, thank you to all the people who have listened to me play on the dancefloor, radio or television, and have danced, cheered, big-upped, supported and encouraged me throughout my colorful journey.  I really couldn’t have done it without you, nor would I ever want to.  Thank you, I love you all! :)

What you want people to know and we didn't ask:
I'm just a big geek!  Oh, and I used to be a contortionist

My motto is:
“You get what you ask for in life.”