Starting out in the mid 1990's, Jeff Taisch started dj'ing house parties and small undergrounds in San Francisco. Within a few years he was a founding member of a production crew throwing events under the name of Lightseed and raising money for small grassroots non-profit groups around the greater Bay Area. While small in scale and almost exclusively underground, these parties raised over $50,000 for local charities over a several year period. During this time period Jeff was also a founding member of one of the first online record stores running under the name of SFrecords.com. This outfit focused on mail-order vinyl delivery to dj's domestically and internationally and at the time was on the bleeding edge of internet commerce. Working in the industry for a number of years Jeff has played a number of the late great mega-raves that were popular in the mid-late 90's as well as a number of club venues in San Francisco.

"I believe in compulsory dance music," says Opulent Temple resident Dex Stakker. "I used to be more of a genre nazi, and a breakbeat purist, but when you really dive into the electronic music scene, at at one point in time, there is a glut of some style that was delivering quality music five minutes ago, and burst of steam in some area that was boring as hell last week. In looking back over your life, I think there are plenty of songs, regardless of genre, that you've danced to that make you shake your head in shame, wondering why. But songs that MADE you dance, generally still do, regardless of how cheeseball they might seem now. That's compulsory dance music."

"In stocking a playlist for a night, I put this to qualifier to the test, especially for filler material. There's enough out there, that there should be nothing but killer filler in a set. I like when mainstays like Sasha or Deep Dish pull that "other crate" of records out around 3AM after the yo-yo's have partied themselves out. They'll pull out progressive house and and trance-y tracks that at first glance seem to be boring. Then slowly but surely you'll notice it: a sample, a rhythmic bit, some arrangement trick, something that makes that song NOT a waste of time."

"There's nothing more painful to me than a look of boredom in the eyes of a dance floor. Keeping them interested, dancing and challenged without selling my soul, well, that's the fun of it."

Dex spins his characteristic mish-mosh of electrotechfunkybreaks (there are five styles in there if you draw out the diagram) at the Opulent Temple, and this last year burst onto the San Francisco scene in grand fashion for a roookie, sharing stages and bills with such luminaries as Meat Katie, Dylan Rhymes, Drumattic Twins, Carbon Community, Elite Force, and Myagi.

Cosmic Selector co-founded Space Children production's '95 to '2000 producing many rave's, massive's, festivals, warehouse & free day parties bringing world class talent to the bay area.Since '97 he has undertaken several music projects including Double Cross w/ Audio Angel,Cyber Punk Revenge w/ mc's Phoenix Orion,Orion South & vocalist Dandelion, True Force w/ D-Program & vocalist Audio Angel ,mc Abstract Rude & turntablist dj Bean and has performed at some of the counties premium indoor, outdoor events on the west coast. He has supported a number of the world's top music artist's including Rabbit in the Moon, Digital Underground, Derrick May, Space Time Continuum, DJ SS, Ron D Core, Meat Katie, Edit, A.T.U. & many other's . Cosmic Selector currently holds residences w/ Gnarly Wednesdayz, Opulent Temple, Dose & Tech Support , he is focused on production @ Next Sector & CounterW8 studio's finishing new music project's True Force , Thumb Print , Boom Boom Soul Brother & various other music collaboration's soon to be released , more tour's in the us & abroad TBA.

"I can still clearly remember the day I discovered electronic music. Standing in front of a speaker (still my favorite place), at a Friends and Family party in San Francisco. Something clicked, it made sense. While a lot of memories fade over time, that one doesn't. The hard part came next. I knew I needed more of this music, but where to start? It wasn't until a co-worker gave me Dave Seaman's Renaissance Awakening that I knew where I wanted to be, and have never looked back. I'm now the guy will reply with a blank stare if asked about current non-electronic music."

Matt's weapon of choice is Ableton Live. If one can think it, one can probably do it with this software, with enough work. Creativity is the only limiting factor. Matt's been using Ableton for a three year's at this point, and has only begun to crack into its possibilities. His mixes are frequently featured on Frisky Radio and the ProgressiveHouse.com's ProgCast. He is a regular contributor at www.AbletonLiveDj.com, a website dedicated to increasing the knowledge pool centered around using Ableton Live as a DJ tool.

Matt got involved with Opulent Temple at Burning Man in 2005 and has been playing with them since. He digs the thriving underground scene in San Francisco and enjoys the open-minded, conscious people that are drawn to electronic music.

"I take pride in making each mix a stand alone story. Making each mix its own ride allows me to not be tied down to a particular style, and keeps things fresh. I feel alive when mixing, and hope the listener enjoys what I'm trying to say."

As the first waves of techno and electronica crashed on the shores of America, Dutch was plugging his headphones in. During the early years of his Dj career he was influenced by both acid house music and the harder techno sounds coming from Europe. The combination of his love for various styles of music and smooth mixing skills, quickly propelled his career and after the release of his mix, "Excapades in Trance", Dutch was being booked across the USA.

In 1993, Dutch along with Dj Carlos and Christophe created the AREA 51 events. Attendance at these events topped 15,000 at "AREA 51 - Contact". These events allowed him freedom to be more creative with not only his music, but also the entire dance environment itself. Creating each event theme and also performing the parties allowed Dutch to create the perfect setting for the music he truly wanted his audience to hear. The new sounds of the underground were breaking through around the world and Dutch became the lens that focused this new sound on San Francisco.

Around 1996 the psy-trance sound was being discovered around the world. Interested in the possibilities, Dutch began to seed this sound into each set. In 1999 while championing this new sound, Dutch joined with Mason Rothert, Jim Seagel, Brian McDonald and Brian Dobson in creating Thump Radio. It wasn't long before his infamous San Francisco (((Thump))) Parties were legend. Artists like Infected Mushroom, Hallucinogen, GMS, Atmos, Vibrasphere, Ticon, Sun Project and Astral Projection, who had never performed in America, were welcomed on the (((Thump))) dance floor. (((THUMP))) soon became an important journey to North America for many trance artists and eventually paved the way for this new trance sound across the Americas. More about Thump Radio @ www.thumpradio.com

Currently, Dutch enjoys many types of progressive trance. Artists like Vibrasphere, Atmos, Ticon, and Flowjob are frequently appearing in his sets. His dance floor DJ sets average 130-138 BPM and are comprised of highly refined progressive trance. Melodic undertones coupled with hypnotic bass lines quickly distort time and space until the next thing you know, his set is over. Dutch's latest endeavor is the Opulent Temple, a Burning Man camp and collaborative group of DJ's and friends who work all year for a 6 day party at the end of August.

Dj Wolfie spins at world class festivals such as California's Coachella festival, portugal's "optimus alive", New York's "All Points West Festival", and Burning Man's "opulent temple". He spins both in main stream venues and the underground circuit. His music features a broad range of funky tunes with ass shaking beats. He throws some of the wildest invitation only events in Los Angeles, regularly packing in 1000 or more people to artistic fueled musical extravaganzas.

CityBeat Describes him as a " turntable legend and partytarian, DJ Wolfie is a soft-spoken rock-breaks specialist with a room-filling rep and a cult leader's blissed-out charisma;

L.A.'s Flavorpill says "Dj Wolfie has a way of sending [dancers] into a paroxysm of Ecstasy-fueled joy; though they may resist, even the most cynical punks end up spazzing out under his barrage of innovative breaks."

ABC NEWS describes him as "Prince Charming spinning for the crowd. ...fun and upbeat .. DJ Wolfie ... has quite the following."

Who am I? I am currrently employed at Vinyl Interactive - A small CPC search strategy company created in November 2004. Today Vinyl has grown into a full service marketing and technology firm. With a vast network of over 600 affiliates and 50 different advertising partners, Vinyl has quickly become an industry leader.

Before Vinyl, I was the Vice President of Client Services for COG1 Digital Marketing.... COG1 is a multiple award winning email marketing/advertising agency specializing in marketing/advertising to GenX&Y. While employed at COG1 I achieved 2 CLIO's, 20 Addy's includiung Best in Show, Adweek Magazine Icon Award, Adweek & Brandweek Magazine's MIXX Award, NYC Advertising Festival - Best Email Marketing, AD:Tech Best Email Marketing - 2004, AD:Tech Best Email Marketing - 2003.

I have managed 32+ accounts while employed at COG1. This client list includes but is not limited to GIANT Magazine, Nokia, Pacha, FHM Magazine, Motorola, House of Blues, IFC, Playstation Dual Play, Transworld Entertainment, HBO, Miramax, Red Bull, AFI, The Ruxton Media Group and Clear Channel.

Kramer's Tribal sound has captured a global audience. The thunderous energy of his sets combined with his passion in the DJ booth have brought crowds of thousands to experience dancefloor euphoria. Combining just the right amount of Tribal drums, sexy basslines and progressive synths, his DJ sets are more than just dance music, they are a journey which take you to your primal soul.

Kramer's signature sound has brought him to nightclubs around the US and Mexico. He has held dozens of nightclub residencies including a 4 year residency with legendary San Francisco club night Release and a beachfront residency at Nectar in Cancun, Mexico. His sound has resonated around the world with guest DJ mixes on radio shows in the US, UK, Mexico and even Bulgaria. For two years he hosted his monthly "United Tribal" radio show on Friskyradio.com, featuring the best Tribal DJs from around the world. Kramer currently has a residency DJ at one of San Francisco's hottest nightclubs, Supperclub, hosting his own night Dark & Dirty party for over two years. Kramer is also a member of the exclusive Balance Record Pool.

Splitting studio time between San Francisco and New York City, Kramer is one half of the production team Methodrone, set to release their debut full-length album on Relative Velocity in March 2008. Additionally, Kramer has half a dozen tracks out on his own label Transition Records and his Tribal Progressive monster "Far West" (Helv Noir Recordings) was a club favorite in 2007. Kramer is currently in the studio working with production partner Scott G on their second full-length Methodrone album scheduled to release in late 2008, along with several remix projects they have been commissioned for. A Methodrone podcast show is in the works along with a live electronic act set to tour in late 2008.

He's been called a Renaissance man of the West Coast scene, and with good reason. A community based licensed clinical psychologist, one of SF's biggest event producers, a social activist and blogger, a transpersonal psychology researcher, Board Member and key producer of San Francisco LoveFest, and the founder and organizer of arguably Burning Man's biggest sound camp production ever -Opulent Temple. And of course ... a DJ.

Syd has been organizing events since 2001 when he started throwing underground 'intentional' parties with Radiance, as well as benefit events for different charities with Spundae, before starting his own production company under the name Opel Productions, intended to be parties with purpose showcasing a range of forward thinking underground dance music with a dash of social activism thrown in the party message. In 2003, he finished his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, (completing an extensive thesis on Ken Wilber's theory of spiritual development). He also founded the Opulent Temple, and joined the Board of Directors of the San Francisco LoveFest, (formerly Loveparade San Francisco). For San Francisco LoveFest, he heads up the Promotions and Marketing Team, and Floats & Entertainment Team.

In his current 'day job', he works out of a community clinic in the Bayview Hunter Point area in San Francisco, providing child and family psychotherapy and assessment to clients in the foster care system.

On the DJ tip, Syd is one of the West Coast's top talents, consistently being voted in the Top 10 San Francisco Dream Team poll, and playing the biggest events in California party land. Playing a versatile range of electro house and breaks, to progressive and tech-trance, he's been personally tapped to open and close for the varied likes of Tiesto, Moby, Stanton Warriors, Paul Oakenfold, Underworld, Armin Van Burren, Adam Freeland, Meat Katie, Markus Schultz, Ferry Corsten, and the list goes on... From the biggest sound camps at Burning Man, to the Opel float at San Francisco LoveFest, to the How Weird St. Faire, Burning Man Decompression, Sea of Dreams NYE, Spundae L.A. and other other huge dance events, Syd knows what to do in any situation to bring the universal vibe of dance music. His sets are known for walking the fine line between the gritty and the pretty, and he has a range seldom scene in the West Coast scene.

Enter Dulce Vita (pronounced dol-cie/vee-tah), a fairly recent addition to the femme collection of electronica disc jockies emerging from San Francisco. Spinning in the international capital of underground events, how does DV stand out? Here, true individuality happens as a result of a musical risk. She provides an energetically urban TECH soundscape of breakbeat, infused with audible hints of intelligent glitch, big beat, chunky electro, filtered disco, and her signature brand of aggressive intent when mixing funky new school breaks.

Since her debut performance at Google, Inc. headquarters, you might have already experienced her audio collage of eclectic tracks at underground warehouse venues or major nightclubs such as Ruby Skye, The End-Up, Supperclub, 1015, Mighty, Mezzanine, Temple, Whisper, Loft 11, Sub-Lounge, StudioZ, or Shine. Dulce is regularly featured in event recommendations on www.Nitevibe.com, spinning nearly 52 events in 2006, and has already been booked to play "alongside greats such as": Stanton Warriors, Uberzone, Freq Nasty, Aquasky, Lee Coombs, Meat Katie, Dylan Rhymes, Fort Knox Five, Jen Lasher, Bassnectar, Hyper, Orbital, Rabbit in the Moon, DJ Dan, Gabriel & Dresden, Coburn, Steve Lawler, Scumfrog, D:Fuse, Scarlett Etienne, Hatiras, Fixx, Syd Gris, Alain Octavo, Forest Green, DRC, Ellen Ferrato, Jondi and Spesh, Dutch, Smoove, Greg J, Icon, Angels of Bass, and Ozomatli.

DV has held many residencies and today is officially affiliated with 'Opulent Temple' (the massive mainstage sound camp at Burning Man, in connection with Opel Productions). She has also provided A&R representation at Winter Music Conference for two uprising labels, Mizumo Music (www.mizumomusic.com, filtered/electro house) and Funky Cactus Recordings (www.funkycactus.com, big beat and nu skool breaks). She has enjoyed past sponsorship by friends at local urban clothing companies, 'LiveLife Culture' and 'Discharge Clothing'.

Ed Real is one of the more influential people in the dance music world. Exceptional DJ, award winning promoter, businessman, media personality and producer – Ed Real has it all.

Stop Press! Summer 2008 sees Ed perform at a staggering array of festival events including: Dance Valley, Def Qon One, Global Gathering, Planet Love, Waveform, Dance Island, Sanctuary Festival, Spitbank Fort, Kiddstock and the legendary Burning Man in the Nevada Desert! Plus a host of club events and trips to Ibiza this is the busiest year so far!

In his spare time Ed took own club brand Riot! from budding after-hours Sunday club at infamous The End club in London to being named Number One club in the UK by Mixmag. The spin-off Riot! Recordings is now on its 40th release and is home to BK, Judge Jules and Lisa Lashes on vinyl and download. Following on from his days as head of A&R at the legendary Nukleuz and BXR Records where he took the label to win Dance Label of the Year at the prestigious Music Week awards in 2002, Riot! is now the scene leader in the UK as the debut album Filthy House for Dirty Stopouts has proven.

Collaborations with BK, Nick Sentience, James Lawson, The Coalition, Defective Audio and Ali Wilson propelled Ed into the premier league of hard dance DJs. His anthems including 'On The Edge' by Straight Outta Clapham (Ed Real vs The Edison Factor) are arguably some of the biggest hard house tracks in the history of the scene.

Having mixed 15 compilation albums which have sold hundreds of thousands of units in total since 2000, Ed Real definitely has a place in every hard dance fans record collection! 2008 will see Ed mixing the Hard Dance Awards compilation on Tidy Trax again. No other DJ comes close!

A born pioneer, Ed is director of www.trackitdown.net – Europe's first dance download website. Now selling music from 8,000 dance labels to customers in 188 countries around the world, Ed is constantly asked by the media to present the case for the digital revolution and has appeared as a panel guest for two years at the Amsterdam Dance Event. Trackitdown.net is the download partner of Kiss FM and Mixmag amongst other leading brands.

To help showcase the best of dance music, Ed promotes the annual Hard Dance Awards and Trance Awards – both of which of are global projects involving key players from the industry and tens of thousands of fans who vote annually. In February 2007, Ed again hosted the awards ceremony on the main stage at the 4,500 capacity Brixton Academy party and in 2008 the 5th Annual Hard Dance Awards powered by Trackitdown.net moves to Sheffield.

Ed Real is a born leader who breathes, eats, sleeps and dreams dance music! His passion for the scene is unrivalled and it reflects in his DJ sets, his production and his attitude to life!

Listen up as 2008 looks set to be the year DJ and producer Tom Real really makes his mark on global dancefloors. Kicking things off on New Year's Eve in Brazil which saw Tom DJing to a crowd of thousands at the mental Universo Paralello 8 festival alongside two further gigs in the country whilst back closer to home Tom has been gigging across the UK and Europe on a near weekly basis.

On the production front the start of this year saw Tom drop four brand new tracks on digital label Fakt, a mixture of electro, tech house and serious wonky beats released as the 'Get Fakt EP' to showcase his diverse sound. These releases have seen support from Hernan Cattaneo, Acid Jacks, Alex Gopher, Etienne De Crecy, Greg Churchill, AutoKratz, Jon Carter, Remute and Slok to name just a few.

Always pushing things forward he has been busy working on new music and remixes including a new project alongside long-time production partner The Rogue Element titled 'Disco Of Doom' that will see the duo leave their break beat past behind and forge forward with a new bass-heavy mixture of tech-funk and electro, the first EP is scheduled for release in September and already drawing upfront support from AutoKratz, Tronik Youth, Meat Katie, The Loose Cannons (Kiss FM), Annie Nightingale (Radio 1) and Foamo. The duo have also remixed Swedish artist Rob Le Pitch under their new guise for what they feel is their strongest remix to date.

Elsewhere, Tom has remixed tech-funk supreme Elite Force (with Black Russian) the track titled 'Return2Mindfunk' will feature as part of his tenth anniversary album release. Add to this a collaboration titled 'Bad Boy Bass' with one of the world's leading dub experimentalists Gaudi, to be featured on his forthcoming artist album which sees the duo mash up electro-tech and dub-breaks with bowel shaking results, it is easy to see why Tom is fast become a staple on the international festival scene.

Tom is also working on a new progressive / tech house project with Fake Hero, the first track of which is drawing support from the likes of King Roc, Hernan Cattaneo, Dom Kane, Timo Garcia, Tim Davison and Tania Von Pear from an initial taster mail out. The track has also be featured on UK leading terrestrial Radio 1 and Ministry Of Sound Radio, all this with the first EP not even being complete and the track remaining unsigned - expect big things! Finally, 2008 is the year Tom is set to nail his own production sound as he feels this is the only part of what he does that is not complete... watch this space.

Gigs-wise, 2007 saw Tom play peak time sets at several of the UK's leading festivals including Glastonbury, The Glade, Wildchild Outside, Sunrise Celebration and The Waveform Project. There was plenty of action across the UK club scene too as well as trips to Russia, Greece and ending up in Brazil for the afore mentioned Universo Paralello. This year has already seen a marked increase in gigs with international bookings already performed in Spain, China, South America , Romania and Eastern Europe's wildest beach party the five week rave that is The KaZantip Festival coming up Portugal's week long Boom festival and the festival to end all festivals The Burning Man in the Nevada Desert.

Alongside award winning production partner The Rogue Element 2007 also saw the duo remixed legendary US dance act The Crystal Method for a special tenth anniversary remix album which featured alongside remixes from Paul Oakenfold, Deadmau5, MSTRKRFT, Hyper and many more.

Next up on the agenda is a packed studio schedule working on his own productions alongside more Disco Of Doom work alongside The Rogue and more tech house alongside Fake Hero. There'll be plenty of opportunities to catch him in the UK too, of course, but his diary is filling up fast, so early booking is essential. Selected press cuttings can also be found on Tom's MySpace page.

The Scumfrog's impact on the global dance music scene is undeniable. Since 2002, he has scored nine number one club hits in the US and UK. Whether on tour in the US, Asia, South America, Europe, his extraordinary performances continue to draw bigger and more devoted crowds.

After a successful 2007 where many critics called his remix of "The Young Folks" the tune of the summer, this amphibian is back to take on 2008 with full force. His new singles "Into The Deep" and "Showtime" are sure to make waves, and his radio show on Sirius Satellite radio is getting more feedback every week from listeners all over the world.

Having re-introduced himself to Europe last summer by ways of Ibiza residencies at mega clubs Privilege and Space, and widely successful gigs in the UK, France, Russia, Spain and Italy, he is now preparing for a more intensified touring schedule. A renewed focus on his live performances this year is based around his new residency at Italy's premier summer club Villa Delle Rose.

A streak of award winning productions and remixes for artists like David Bowie, Britney Spears, Missy Elliott, and Annie Lennox, drove The Scumfrog (aka Jesse Houk) to record his first artist album in 2004, entitled "Simmer", showcasing his talents as a producer, songwriter, musician, and vocalist. The following year, the album's lead single "Music Revolution" became The Scumfrog's first national TV campaign for Chevrolet's long running HHR commercial.

His mix compilations have also contributed to his solid reputation. In 2003 he released Extended Engagement, and in 2006 he launched the absurd brand Mega Scum!, posing himself in a bikini on the cover, spoofing many established compilation covers.

As a performer, The Scumfrog is without equal in the world of dance music. His widely publicized and much talked about live performances include live vocals, percussion, samples, and an array of guest performances. His colorful live sets and innovative productions continue to land him on magazine covers around the world, and have made him a regular guest on many high profile Dance oriented Radio and TV shows. During the Miami WMC in 2006, he launched the first ever all-star live DJ band "DJs Are Alive", and in 2008 he started his own radio show "Glam Scum" on Sirius Satellite radio.

Jesse moved from his native Amsterdam to New York in 1997, where he recorded the first Scumfrog single, "The Watersong." In 2001, "We Love You" (a cover of the Rolling Stones 60's classic) became the first Scumfrog number one UK Club hit, and he's been a familiar face behind turntables around the globe ever since. In May 2003 he did his first Essential Mix on BBC's Radio1, and is a frequent contributor to Pete Tong's various media productions. The Scumfrog's website (www.TheScumfrog.com) features audio samples of all his productions, a diary, tour dates and an insightful autobiography, plus instant links to his MySpace page, Youtube, and his greatest hits/remixes on iTunes and Beatport.

Tim is a purveyor of super-trash electro to the needy and sleazy dance-floors of the world. One of the hardest working men in dance, he DJs every weekend and produces during the week. Content to work solo, Tim is a member of THE DEATH KIT, he has also been known to execute tunes with Pete Martin, under the name COBURN.

THE DJ: A Tim Healey DJ set effortlessly fuses the best in alternative house with indie-remixes, bootlegs and tough fidget-electro sounds: punk rock gets the funk and skewed pop gets a club over-hall all in the name of damn-fine dance music.

Tim started DJing at 16, ran his first club at 18 and began taking international bookings 3 years later. In the last year Tim has delivered his explosive DJ set to events across Europe, USA (incl. Burning Man), South America and Asia. In 2007, Tim launched his "Tim Healey presents" stage in Brazil, where he presented his own brand of electro/breaks (with guests The Egg, Tomcraft and Atomic Hooligan) and toured the country, playing to crowds of 10,000 + in Rio, Sao Paolo and Porto Allegre.

This year Tim has continued to tour his strong territories aswell as new ones, and is confirmed to headline The Opulent Temple stage at 2008's Burning Man festival this August.

THE PRODUCER: Having cut his teeth with 2 albums and countless 12"s of harder dance sounds in the mid 90s, by 2001 his edgy progressive house and bootlegs received regular radio play under his Electric Tease guise, and his tracks featured on Global Underground compilations.

Joining forces with Pete Martin in 2002, the Coburn project was born, and pretty much coined the genre "Electro house". The 2 producers executed a slew of official remixes and bootlegs (from Gwen Stefani to Joy division, via Nirvana) and a number of singles before hitting the jackpot with Coburn: We interrupt this programme (DATA) in 2005. The tune was proclaimed "the coolest and strangest dance record of 2005" by Music Week.

The Coburn artist album followed in 2007, and it was met with critical acclaim, and was duly caned by US TV shows (Grey's Anatomy, Heroes etc).

Fast forward to 2008, and is taken a well-earned break from Coburn. Operating from his new perfectly formed "ocean view" studio in Brighton, Tim began the "Tim Healey Vs…" project. Tim says: "The concept was simple – work with the best people in dance, do an album, and deliver a dance-floor bomb that reflects my DJ set and love of all things electronic."

His collaboration with drum'n'bass rising star "TC" resulted in the speaker-ripping: "Out Of Control" signed to Holland's premier dance label, Be Yourself Music/Big & Dirty, due out later this year.

Dylan Rhymes was next up for some studio noise-terror. The resulting "The Flow" will be Tim's first solo EP on Menu, with his studio-spar with Atomic Hooligan:"Look at you", on the flip.

Tim has just remixed Benjamin Bates' new single for Be Yourself Music, and also delivered a bomb of a minimal tech tune: Turn Me On – currently under offer from labels on each side of the atlantic.

His latest side project: The Death Kit with Pablo Decoder fuses indie and electro with a 2008 twist. They just remixed indie-band The Cazals' single "Poor Innocent Boys" for Kitsune Records. Their fidget-punk-techno take on David Bowie's "Fashion" is currently turning heads, and resulted in them being booked immediately for The Secret Garden Party, so watch this space…

His work producing indie-band: The Scarlet Street Resistance has finally saw the light of day in May as the band released their first single, "Nasty Thoughts" (Big Room).

The energy level always rises when Patricio steps behind the tables. Whether on the beach in La Caseta, Argentina or the El Circo Dome at Burning Man, Patricio is guaranteed to whip a crowd into frenzy.

A consummate performer he has been a member of The Los Angeles Break beat Association since 1996, and has become one of the most prominent break beat DJ's in the Los Angeles underground music scene.

Drawing on the passion and soul instilled in him growing up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Patricio will make you get off your ass with his wobbly bass and massive deep earth rattling beats.

Patricio came to Los Angeles in the late 80's, and immediately discovered electronic music. He spent a year of letting loose to the music that was being played at local parties. Patricio then decided to express his own pasión for music by transmitting it to the crowd. It was his desire to make people let loose and dance uncontrollably while expressing what he himself was feeling musically that caused Patricio to officially become a beat junkie.

Once Patricio had amassed enough vinyl he began to make the underground club circuit, starting in 1992 at NoDoze. He played with the likes of DJ Dan while making his way through the California electronic music scene. It is at this point that Patricio met LABA founder Oscure, they forged a great friendship though music and have been playing and collaborating on music ever since.

During the late nineties Patricio went on a self-imposed hiatus to focus on his Graphic Arts career. (He has designed main title sequences for numerous motion pictures and has worked on a slew of television shows as well as music videos for 50 cent, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg and many others.) Ultimately, Patricio realized that he could not be away from what he loved most, his music.

Patricio made a strong comeback at the New Year's Eve 2000 party Fresh Start, in Los Angeles. From that point on, he resumed playing throughout the country alongside many internationally acclaimed circuit DJ's.

A major turning point occurred in 2002 when Patricio made his first pilgrimage to Black Rock City, Nevada for Burning Man. It was during this magical journey that he first encountered the music of two of his biggest influences, Freq Nasty and Lorin. Truly inspired by this experience, Patricio decided to take his music in a direction that reflected his new found connection with his music and his soul.

Patricio has DJ'd in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Oregon, Canada, and he even had the honor of playing with Mr. C, Justin Garrett and Layo and Bushwacka in his home country of Argentina.

Patricio is currently preparing to make his own music in the LABA studio, while touring constantly and preparing for another trip to Black Rock City with the Space Island crew.

DJ-Jive aka Stephan Ford began DJing circa 2004. He was swept into the DJ community to offer a unique addition and style to the mix. His ear gravitated toward electronic music while break-dancing to Herbie Hancock's “Rock It” as a boy. The dark sounds of industrial and soulful ghetto music are a heavy influence to his style of music selection and play.

DJ Laird grew up near Chicago, immersed in the vibe of the original house music scene during the late '80's, buying records and DJing numerous warehouse and renegade parties. A classically trained pianist of a dozen years and modern day bohemian, Laird moved to San Francisco in 1990 and immediately became involved in the explosion of the West Coast rave scene. Since then he has played in most clubs on the West Coast, and for numerous Warehouse parties/Massives and special events across the United States and throughout Europe. From Burning Man to Xingolati, Coachella to Cirque de Soleil, Laird is renowned for his dirty funky house that gets you grooving and raw psychedelic breakbeat sessions that keep you rocking.

In 1995 Laird moved to Paris and began a weekly show on the house music radio station FG 98.2. During his yearlong stay he played France's biggest clubs including Queen, the Rex Club, Folies Pigalle, and Le Palace, and the massive "Universe" party in Munich, Germany, headlining festivals and clubs throughout Paris, along the Cote d'Azur, and all over Europe. Laird performs alongside world renowned artists such as Roberta Flack, Fat Boy Slim, Lee Coombs, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Derrick Carter, Adam Freeland, Hybrid, Stacy Pullen, Freq Nasty, Tipper, Ursula 1000, Thunderball, and Mark Farina, to name a few.

Since returning to the United States in 1996 Laird has continued to DJ prolifically and also undertaken music production and setting up his own record label "Golden Gate Recordings". Releases include the title track on OM Records' "United Nations of Future Music Vol. 1", Red Bull's "Ascension" CD, many mix CDs and other tracks listed in the discography below.

Laird also organizes many events and is partners in several of San Francisco's wonderful parties, including "Weapons of ASS Destruction" and "Get YER Freak on!" where one can find the city's funkiest house and breakbeat music. He has conceptualized and helped bring to fruition several of the largest camps at Burning Man, including LUSH ('04) and The Boombox ('02, '03).

"We would like to say that if you have not seen Laird, and you like funk and cowboy hats, you CANNOT MISS this monster of funk!" DJ Lorin. Look for more releases and remixes in the future.

The Fort Knox Five have had a huge impact on the international funk and breaks scene over the past couple of years. With the release of five critically acclaimed singles on their own independent label, Fort Knox Recordings, the FK5 have been thrust into the spotlight and caught the attention of music lovers around the world.

The art of bellydance is one of the world's oldest known dance forms. Traditionally done by women for women, the art has since expanded to be performed in front of audiences of women and men all around the world. In recent times thanks in part to some prominent bellydance artist from the San Francisco Bay Area, the art is growing in popularity world wide. The origins of the dance are vague, but believed to have been from the temples of India and today preserved in Egypt. This is the 5th annual show the OT has done, produced by core OT and founding member Gina Grandi (G'Lux), whose contribution to the camp earns the slot to produce this show through fundraising, artistic direction, kitchen coordination and more. The many talented dance artists featured in the show are trained bellydance artists but many bring fusion elements of our modern age from other dance forms making something new and fresh. Many dancers featured in the show are amazing and talented performers from all around the US and the world.

"I'm about to enter my 30th year as a club DJ. I started in college playing parliment, george clinton, sugar hill-the dirty side of disco and never stopped. After an 11 year Boston residency at The Palace and countless year here and there I've settled into my weekly radio show Club Tales on Sirius/Area38 sunday nights and an occasional gig keeps me out in front of the dance floor. Ibiza is my favorite spot to play(but mostly I mean the beaches and great vibe of the white island)

This will be my 6th year at Burning Man running theme camps, the last 3 years we created Root Society on the "other corner". Syd and I support eachother through the long winters away from HOME and I'm honored to rock your decks on thursday evening! Jefr"

Musical Roots: "I used to be really into 50s/60s stuff as a kid. I used to go out and chase down all these records I was after. There was this dude in Kingston, one of those people that would move in to other shops that have closed down and set up inside. He used to compile tracks for me that I was after and I used to chase them after that early funk records, whatever I was just bang into it. From there it led its way through to James Brown territory where you end up at the doors of hip-hop. I would collect on any format, tapes, whatever. When I was a kid of 10 or 11 I started buying records and it was 7" never twelves. I could never see the point of a 12". I wasn't a DJ and 7" records were a couple of quid cheaper. The first things I remember getting were Duran Duran 'The Rephlex', stuff like that. Every week I'd go into Kingston shopping and buy a 7". The idea of DJing had never even crossed my mind, not at all."

First Projects: "We did a Monday night at The Deco Bar in Richmond and ripped off the Mo' Wax label artwork. We called it 'No Tax' 'cos it was free. I never wanted to be a DJ as a youngster, I never even thought about it. I was an avid music collector and it was probably when I got to 16 that I thought 'right, I'm going to be a DJ.' I bought a deck from a car boot sale at Kingston Hospital for £4.55. This wicked, steel-based Pioneer belt-drive deck with a +3/-3 pitch control. I got this real shit 'Made To Fade' mixer and I'd mix to the radio because I only had one turntable. When everyone was into the rave scene I was more into acid jazz. I got my first gig at 17 at a bar in Richmond. Once you're into that scene everyone wants you to come and DJ. I put on parties throughout my college years, boat parties and the like. We did Flavors at Ballooga's on Finchley Road. As a student you have this mad following of 80/90 people.

One mate of ours would run the coachers up from Richmond it was a right result. He'd put on two seventy-seater coaches, hammer it down to get there for 10 and get back to Richmond at 3. We were on a right fucking winner. We did that for eight month's. I was doing Friday's at The Blue Note at the age of 19. I'd just finished college and heard that Acid Jazz were doing a club and I basically banged down the doors of the Blue Note when they were building it. I'd done loads of bar work and I was like 'let me work here, give me some work.'

Labels and Production: "I've been doing this twisted electro shit, messing around with records like daft punk. At the moment I'm more interested in giving people something different, a new take on a track they know, than producing original material."

DJing: I used to do PR for Norman Jay. I rate him and I like to keep his open-mindedness in my thoughts when I'm DJing. He taught me a lot I suppose, probably unwittingly. I also love out of town gigs. There's probably less choice in areas once you get out of London. And no-one wants to pay to get into a London club!" I really enjoy it. Canada is wicked, really exciting."

Fabric: "I remember being shown round by [Fabric Live Promoter] Steve Blonde when it was a building site. It was proper, we had the old hard hats on, up and down ladders, it was fucking amazing. I played the opening Thursday press night and I was asked to be a resident then. I've not missed many since - I love it. I'm lucky in that I get to play in all the rooms and change my sets accordingly. I've had 7 hour sets in that backroom which are just fucking amazing. I've got the utmost respect for fabric: that a club of that size and stature can consistently book such strong DJs. The club is bigger than the DJs that play there which gives you a license to do whatever the fuck you want. If you have a venue and bring in promoters every night you lose that continuity. It has real attention to detail and you get looked after brilliantly."

The Future: "I've had a good grounding but by no means have I arrived. There is still more to learn."

Dance music has been the biggest part of Rhymes' (otherwise known as Marvin Beaver – and yes, he's heard all of the jokes) life from a young age. Inspired by early hip hop and electro a la Kraftwerk and Doug E. Fresh, Marvin purchased his first set of decks at 15 and caught the bug in a bad way.

While working for British Airways after leaving school, a chance meeting with a nu-beat-writing co-worker who was selling his equipment to go travelling led to Marvin's first "studio". Supplemented with the now legendary Roland TR808 and TR909 drum machines Beaver started, as most people did in dance music in the late eighties, by putting out a few acid house white labels. Before long the talent was noticed by owners of the seminal Wax Factory imprint, Ron Wells and Chris Simmons, who began to release more of his material. Dave Pearce's Reachin Records also bought into the young producers skills, fuelling the fire and enabling Beaver to set up a commercial studio with his mate Justin Drake in the early 1990s.

Rhythm Design Studios in Uxbridge became the birthplace of Outsiders, Drake and Beaver's much-lauded project for Junior Boy's Own Chicago influenced Jus Trax label. Friend, DJ and London mainstay Clive Henry then joined the team and the trio became Peace Division, a project that gained props from every corner of dance music without exception.

Leaving Peace Division to focus on his own material, Beaver invented the Dylan Rhymes moniker (a reference to Bob Dylan) and set about working on a breakbeat track for Junior Boys Own. The result was 1996s "Naked & Ashamed" which, due to a Smirnoff ad campaign, became one the label's biggest tracks (no mean feat considering JBO's pedigree). Since then he has cemented his reputation as one of the leaders of the breakbeat and tech house scenes through his output through Kingsize Records, Meat Katie's Whole9Yards and Lot49 labels and his own Blue Black imprint.

Besides original work, Beaver has also remixed the likes of Deep Dish, Infusion, Dave Gahan, Overseer, Unkle and Puretone while he has collaborated with Meat Katie, Christian J, Force Mass Motion (as Silencer) and Anthony J Gorry (on his 2004 album, Dead Famous).

Bending boundaries and ignoring the status quo - where would the Breakbeat scene be today without Lee Coombs. For over a decade this British producer has been at the forefront of it all; releasing groundbreaking mix CDs, remixing the world's most acclaimed artists and knocking out dancefloor destroying productions that are considered classics years after their release.

A seasoned veteran, Coombs first hit the DJ slopes in 1989, bathing himself in the acid house scene at parties around London and Cambridge. Crucial in shaping his all-encompassing approach to DJing and production, this boundary-less approach would become Coombs' trademark, mixing up breaks, house, electro, techno and acid with dexterous assurance.

In 1998 Coombs made his first massive strike on the breaks scene as the prized recruit of then 'up and coming' label Finger Lickin', with the man's acclaimed album of 2001 'Future Sound of Retro' signalling his arrival on the world stage. Such was the impressive nature of Coombs' debut that respected industry figurehead Pete Tong noted him as the 'man to watch'. An 'Essential New Tune' accolade soon followed courtesy of Tong, with Coombs' re-rub of Quivver's 'One Last Time' making dance fans weak at the knees the world over.

Such was the demand for Coombs, that luminary Paul Oakenfold was soon knocking at his door, resulting in the critically acclaimed Perfecto Breaks album of 2002. After landing the job of remixing Oakenfold's 'Time of your Life' and then further re-rubs for world class acts such as Moby, New Order, Lamb and Planet Funk, Coombs' status as one of the industry's most in-demand artists quickly developed. Even the BBC was under the Coombs spell with them flying him over to Prague in the summer of 2003 to record the theme music for the television program 'Born to Win' with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ever the musical innovator, Lee Coombs' 2004 album release 'Breakfast of Champions' signalled a significant evolution in his sound. Collaborating with some of the most respected artists in his field - from Dylan Rhymes to Christian J, Andy Gardner (Plump DJs) and Jem Panufnik (Soul of Man), the album charted the ambitious new territory of Tech Funk, injecting the Breaks sound with butt-shaking elements of House, Electro and Techno. It was a style Coombs would make his own, alongside fellow innovators Meat Katie, Elite Force and Dylan Rhymes. Featured on the acclaimed album was the cracking single 'Shiver' (feat. Katherine Ellis) which was snapped up by classic house imprint Azuli and became one of the biggest vocal house anthems of 2005, whilst the 'Alright All-Night/Dubhead' and 'Obsessional Rhythm' singles went straight to no.1 in the DJ Mag Beats & Breaks Chart.

Departing Finger Lickin' for new pastures in 2005, Coombs' focus shifted to releasing music through his own Thrust Recordings imprint as well as Adrift and Meat Katie's Lot49 (then Whole9Yards). It was at this time that he started his Thrust club nights in San Francisco, with the quarterly events becoming one of the hottest tickets on the West Coast.

Change has further characterised Coombs in recent times. Not only has the recently married Brit relocated to the USA to settle with his new wife, but he also formally joined the Lot49 team and is set to mix the label's latest compilation due out in July 2008.

If that's not enough, a groundbreaking new artist album is also on the way. While still dancefloor focused, Coombs views this as his most ambitious project yet with a range of tempo from 100 - 128 bpm and collaborations with the likes of Meat Katie, Seasunz, Katherine Ellis, Uberzone and many others.

When he is not in the producers chair, Coombs regularly tours all corners of the globe and is a bona-fide fans favourite throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Asia and of course the UK. His popularity has also ensured his repeat appearance at infamous festival 'The Burning Man' in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

In an industry that's so often governed by trends and fads, Coombs' unwavering ability to simultaneously destroy dancefloors and push musical boundaries almost 20 years since he first touched a pair of turntables is a remarkable achievement in itself. With plans to further spread his production wings to writing music for film and TV, as well as producing bands, there's little doubt that his impressive sonic skills will be rocking ears for many years to come.

Since 1996, DJ ICON has been one of the leading ladies of the American Dance Music Industry. She is known for her heavy-hitting signature sound of Nu-Skool Breaks. Her career began at age 16 in San Francisco's underground rave circuit where she diligently rose in the ranks at a time when professional female DJs were few. By the age of 20, she had already produced countless events, toured much of the United States as well as across the globe. This early recognition later gained her success in the media with countless residencies and guest spots on a plethora of dance music radio shows and features in high-rated television series on major cable channels. Currently she is ranked in Shejays Top 100 Female DJs List and continues to make her mark on nightclubs, massives and festivals around the world.

When she returned to San Francisco in 2003 to end of 2006, ICON partnered up with DJ Mystre, to establish Reverb Records, an EDM record store and production company. In addition to her duties as Manager and Breaks Buyer, they also promoted large scale events showcasing local talent and headlining acts from around the world. ICON has since moved on from the company and is currently pursuing future endeavors on her own.

ICON currently has a monthly residency on Breaks show Thump Funk on XM Satellite and on House Nation, the Bay Area's longest running EDM radio show on Wild 94.9 and HD Radio. She has also been a repeat guest on many long-running dance music radio shows such as Subsonic on Live 105 in the Bay Area, Solid State on KROCK in NYC, in the Bay Area, Radio Zendada on Energy 92.7 in the Bay Area, Future Breaks FM, Bassline FM, IBreaks in the UK and countless others.

Among the highlights of ICONs resume are two major television series where she played the role of herself. In 2001, she was featured as one of the United States 12 most promising up and coming DJs in Disc Jockey, a twelve-part documentary mini-series that aired on cable channels Showtime and ShoNext. Then in 2003, she was chosen out of hundreds to be the DJ on MTVs The Wade Robson Project, a dance competition hosted by super choreographer, Wade Robson. The show instantly became a hit and was later aired on MTV in the UK, all of Europe, Australia and Asia gaining ICON massive exposure all over the world.

Worthy grew up around Washington DC in the early days of Deep Dish, Scott Henry and the early American rave scene. In the late 90's after moving to New York City, he met good friend Justin Martin and was exposed to the sounds of people like LTJ Bukem, Stacey Pullen and Sasha. These artists greatly influenced his early ear while the expanding dance music scene encouraged him to play records of all genres; from hip hop to breaks to techno and drum 'n' bass.

In 2001 Worthy moved to San Francisco. He set up his studio and began producing house and techno music and DJing around the city. He later conspired with Christian Martin, Justin Martin and Claude VonStroke to co-create a fresh take on outdoor parties, rightly named Dirtybird. The Dirtybird parties have quickly become an institution for San Francisco die-hards and a destination for international travelers.

2006 brought the launch of Worthy's label, Katabatic Records. Originally intended as an outlet for the release of his own music, Katabatic quickly branched out to take on new artists. Katabatic has been providing a steady stream of high quality tech house and has been gaining the praises of top DJs and Producers around the globe for its edgy new sound.

In 2007 Worthy broke out as a producer with his release of Irst_Te? on Dirtybird, Crack EL EP on Leftroom, and Bass Quake and Mummer EP on Katabatic. As well as doing remixes for Curfew, OM, Utensil, and Tentigo records, Worthy's music production has been showing up on DJ charts across the world and has been played by everyone from Carl Cox to Sven Vath to Ben Watt.

With no signs of slowing down in 2008, Worthy has already released the underground hit Work The Walls on his label and its accompanying music video has given fans a glimpse into the la la land of his mind. With plenty more remixes and originals on their way and the continued growth of Katabatic Records, Worthy is set to continue getting everyone working the walls around the world.

As one of the originators of the progressive house and trance sound on the West coast, Taylor has become one of America's premier DJ's and producer's. This year marks the Seventeenth year of a successful DJ career. Taylor has touched down on many critical dance floors around the globe: Asia, Australia, Turkey, Hong Kong, Peru, Korea, and New Zealand to name a few. In 1999 Taylor joined The Crystal Method on their groundbreaking and very successful "Vegas" tour hitting a different city each night, playing 6 nights a week to sold out venues for two months. This tour was the first of three with The Crystal Method.

The summer of 2001 Taylor released his critically acclaimed mixed compilation "Synesthesia" for Ultra Records. One of the first double CD's released by an American DJ. Taylor has also earned the distinction of being one of the first US DJ's to represent the Ministry of Sound, the largest dance music company in the world, with the release of "Trance Nation America". This double CD, released on Ultra Records, with one mix by Taylor and the other from Jimmy Van M.

In late 1998, his long awaited and much anticipated United DJ's of America Vol. 10 CD, Resonance, was released. Musik Magazine calls it "Sweet dreamy Trance and hard funkin' breakbeats, all deftly mixed by Taylor...". In March of 2001 Mixer Magazine chose Taylor's Resonance mix to be to re-released in a new series entitled "Rewind".

On the vinyl front, Taylor is most remembered (with some help from B.T.) for "Anomaly, Calling your Name". This song qualifies as no less than a progressive classic being one of the most remixed and re-released electronic dance music records ever. The song eventually made its way into the movie "American Pie". Taylor has a multiple release history of collaboration with many great talents and labels including: MusicNow, Fluid, Hook, Platipus, Distinctive and it all began with Planet 4 records where Taylor and Guy Oldhams did their first track together under the moniker of G.T.R. 2003 saw the release of "Aura" on Bedrock records.

The last couple years has seem Taylor focus on production on his own while still taking time to work with the people he respects most.

2008 brings things full circle back to where they started on the dancefloor and in the clubs as the global travel continues. This year marks a first as it will be Taylor's first trip to the amazing Burning Man Festival.

Atimatik (pronounced like "autimatic") started his music career over a decade ago as a bassist for a Bay Area punk band. While on tour, he learned how to keep his audience electrified by performing before some of the most notorious punk acts.

During the 90's, Atimatik experienced SF's underground electronic music scene where he decided to grab a pair of decks of his own. Over the past twelve years he has been grinding away on them ever since...

Atimatik has been seen spinning at the some of the most pre-eminent venues and parties all over the West Coast; including Loveparade/Lovefest SF each year, 1015, Crash, Vivid, Temple, SupperClub, Angels, Groove Cruise LA & Miami, Mezzanine, Ruby Skye, Opulent Temple Camp at Burning Man, Las Vegas, Winter Music Conference and many more. Atimatik has landed several residencies, such as the number one West Coast club, Ruby Skye in San Francisco. Atimatik has rocked parties with the best, such as DJ Dan, Donald Glaude, Dylan Rhymes, D:Fuse, Terry Mullan, Z-Trip, Bassbin Twins, Crystal Method, Rogue Element, Gabriel & Dresden, Ferry Corsten, DJ Icey, Charles Feelgood, Bassnectar, and too many more to list.

In 2005, Atimatik became "Breakbeat Champion" on DJForums.com, winning the final round of a series of mix submissions that got put against other DJs in the same genre. In 2006, Atimatik became the fourteenth DJ in San Francisco's Nitevibe Dreamteam poll (highest number of DJs per capita in the world). In November of 2007, breakbeat/electro producers Mephisto Odyssey released "Sexy Love" on Beatport and iTunes which featured Atimatik. He is currently working on his own release that will be coming out in the coming months on Groovequest Records.

As of late, Atimatik has garnered the attention of several leading DJs and tallent agencies with his consistantly solid performances. His catchy sets are known for their heavy basslines rolling over house, electro & breaks. Although you can still find Atimatik playing bass, he's at home spinning in front of frantic crowds with his unique, floor pumping style.

Mark Lewis, one of the most revered and respected DJ's in Los Angeles, is exploding onto the global dance terrain. Mark, a London native, began his career in L.A. 1986. He shared the turntables with re-knowned DJs, Carl Cox, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles, and Paul Oakenfold. and many many more. Mark's intercontinental popularity has him spinning regularly from America to Europe. At the infamous Twilo-NY, E-Werk-Berlin, Cream and Ministry of Sound in England.

Mark is an accomplished producer and remixer, having done projects with notables, Miami Sound Machine, Chaka Khan, Ace of Base, Erasure and most recently Sean Christopher.

Marks's electric energy and unwavering enthusiasm for dance music fuel his philosophy to..."Celebrate Life through Dance !"

With over a decade in dance, Mark Lewis stands ready to usher the vibrant and resounding beats of dance music into and through the next millennium.

The sounds of high energy samples, funky guitars, heavy bass lines and filtered rhythms come through loud and clear on In Stereo, DJ Dan's new release for Kinetic Records. After transforming the 90's into a decade of dance, the West Coast DJ jumps into the new millennium with his most exciting mix to date.

For his new release, DJ Dan fuses together an impeccable listing of 18 songs tenderly balanced out to gratify the most discerning house music fan while making the vibe accessible to those not totally convinced of house music--yet. "It's very raw and true to the way I spin," remarks DJ Dan. "In fact, it was one of the most inspiring sets I've played out...It's funky, guitar-based, on the tweaked out house party vibe and has a bit of 80's electronic influence. A lot of the inspirations on this CD come from my older sound."

Heavy with bump-boogie-n-shake tunes such as Joey Beltram's "Push," Scanty's "Get Next To The Opposite Sex" and Todd Terry's "Can't Play Around" make In Stereo a fine representation of what West Coast mix is all about. "This is definitely a party CD," says DAN, "...and it's not trying to be anything but that."

A native of Olympia, WA, DJ Dan 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 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, from 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 L.A. DJ Ron D Core, and by 1992, Dan had emerged as one of the cities top DJ's 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 came 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-hour parties. Meanwhile, Dan was also beginning to get frequent bookings in San Francisco, eventually causing him to move north.

His involvement with the Bay Area DJ collective Funky Tekno Tribe was a significant milestone on the establishment of what is known today as the signature West Coast house sound. The sounds of the DJ's--which included fusing funk and hip-hop with breaks and melodies--were a great influence on Dan, and caused him to revisit those sounds he loved so much in his youth, thus morphing into his own personalized sound. 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. Since then, he's remixed projects for Keoki, Groove Armada, Filter, A Tribe Called Quest, Olive and Orgy, the latter of which obtained platinum status with "Blue Monday."

In Stereo is the first release originating from a West Coast artist for Kinetic, which boasts an eclectic roster of high profile artists from different electronic genres, including Sandra Collins, LTJ Bukem and Sasha & Digweed. "They are very interested in everything," says DAN of his new label home. "They see where the music is going. They agree with my vision and have given me an open door to do as I wish." This also marks DJ Dan's first major release since departing Moonshine Music where he released his popular albums BEATS 4 FREAKS (1998), FUNK THE SYSTEM (1999) and ANOTHER LATE NIGHT (2000). Previous to that Dan released URB MIX VOL. 2 (Smile, 1997) and LOOSE CABOOSE (VRG, 1996).

When asked about the direction of music today, Dan says, "Music is hard to categorize now than it's ever been. Techno guys playing tracks slowed down could be house...speeded up could be techno. I don't think it should be classified. It should be based on if it's good or not. A good record is a good record."

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 in 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. He is a DJ for the people burning up dance floors around world.

Carl Cox - Autobiography

Soul Thing
I can't remember a time without the strains of soul music drifting through our house. With both parents coming from Barbados I was brought up very much in tune with a natural party ethos that went hand in hand with a love of good music. My earliest musical memories are of Booker T and the MGs, Aretha Franklin and, of course the great Elvis, and I used to hijack my parents collection of 70's soul 45's and get the whole family grooving round the lounge! I guess the early signs were there - my passion for music combined with an over-whelming desire to entertain as many people as possible.

By 10 I had well and truly caught the bug and was spending every bit of my pocket money on soul and funk records. I got my first pair of decks (just the 2!) by the age of 15 and I started to play as many parties as I could, discovering that I could buzz off a crowd whilst funding my habit at the same time. As the 70's became the 80's I followed the musical trend from soul to disco to hip-hop but it wasn't really until I moved to Brighton in 1986 that I discovered, along with so many others, the pure thrill of acid house.

The 'Summer Of Love' was special for me in more ways than one. It was at the Sunrise rave on the outskirts of London in 1988 that I had had my biggest breakthrough yet. I was already something of a regular on the infamous M1/Orbital rave circuit but it was at Sunrise that I had the idea to hook up a third deck. At 10.30am on a hazy Sunday morning I managed to tempt 15,000 partied out ravers back onto their weary feet and kick the party back into action - it was an amazing experience- and since then my phone has not stopped ringing with offers for 'The 3 Deck Wizard'. I was fortunate enough to participate in many of the events that have gone down in history as defining moments in the history of UK club culture, such as playing the opening night at Rampling's legendary Shoom, running The Project with Oakie as well as holding a residency at Brighton's ZAP club.

With my reputation as a DJ well and truly secured I was able to turn my attentions towards producing. Initially signing to Perfecto I had my first hit in 1992 with 'I Want You' and, believe me, no one was more surprised than me when I found myself performing on Top Of The Pops when my record peaked at number 23 in the UK charts!!

Despite the fact that the follow up 'Does It Feel Good To You' also charted in the top 40, commercial success was never what I had been aiming for, it was all somewhat too far removed from the reality and buzz of setting a dance floor alight. Whilst fellow spinners such as Grooverider and Fabio moved from raves into Jungle, choosing to focus on a very UK and London orientated sound, I couldn't escape the American and European influences that had always been there whilst I was growing up. I have always been very globally minded which comes across in my choice of music, which I use to cross physical and cultural boundaries to bring people together. Essentially my heart lies with house and techno and it was for this reason that I chose to take a back seat from my impending career as a pop star and be true to myself by going underground and re-discovering my roots.

Designer Labels
I started by setting up my first imprint, MMR, for Techno productions. I found that my popularity as a DJ gave me an opportunity to take techno to the masses and my first album FACT (Future Alliance of Communication and Technology) has to this day sold 250,000 copies. I spent 5 years under my own Ultimate Music Management which spawned club nights and tours alike and set up the forward-looking Worldwide Ultimatum to encourage the creative talents of more DJ's such as Josh Abraham's, Trevor Rockcliffe, Earl Gray and DJ Dan. In 1996 Nicky Holloway approached me to start a new night based on the style of music I was playing at the time and Ultimate Base was born at Velvet Underground along with the help of Jim Masters. Over the last 5 years Ultimate Base has showcased some of the world's finest techno DJ's, steered by a futuristic ideal, which very much reflects my own way of thinking.

The last several years have been absolutely mind blowing. In between jet-setting between gigs as far afield as South Africa, Israel, Tasmania and Asia I kick-started my acting career in the classic UK clubbing film 'Human Traffic' and somewhere along the way I found time to start new labels Ultimatum Breaks and Intec to focus on providing quality purist house and techno. I have regularly contributed Essential mixes for Radio One and I followed up the success of FACT (1&2) with several more mix albums including 'Phuture 2000'. My career has been marked by a number of awards - I was awarded IDA 'DJ Of The Year' 2 years in a row, Muzik named me as the Best British DJ and I've had more honours from NME, Dancestar and countless other organisations all over the world.

The time is now
Out of so many highs it is difficult to pin-point the peak for me - it is a close call between The Love Parade and the dawn of the millennium. Playing for a crowd of 1,500,00 up-for-it clubbers in Berlin was the ultimate DJing experience in terms of seeing how wide reaching music can be but then being lucky enough to see in the millennium not once but twice - first on Bondi pavilion, then hopping on a jet over the timeline to Honolulu, Hawaii, was also pretty special.

More recently I have given up my residency at Base in order to concentrate on spreading myself even further afield. But don't worry, in between producing, writing, remixing, presenting, TV appearances, managing, not forgetting DJing I will still be making regular appearances at Base and hanging with the very people who got me where I am today.

Voted the #4 DJ in the World by DJ Magazine's prestigious 'Top 100' poll for 2006, Christopher Lawrence is recognized worldwide as one of the World's top DJs and producers. Dubbed "A Superstar DJ" by the US's URB and "One Of The Most Popular DJs On The Global Circuit" by DJ Magazine, Christopher Lawrence is one of the biggest, most respected and popular names in dance music today. Once an outsider in a world dominated by European and UK DJs, Christopher has risen to the top of the international dance music heap. He is now considered one of the key global players and America's leading dance music export, playing his tough techno trance sets main stage at the world's biggest festivals and superclubs.

Over the past few years, Christopher has received numerous awards and accolades. Winner of "Best American DJ" at the IDMA's and named the #3 Trance DJ in the World by BPM Magazine's 'America's Favorite DJ' poll for 2006, Christopher is also a recent recipient of the "Best DJ" at both the Dancestar US Awards and Los Angeles Music Awards. Christopher has additionally been nominated in Dancestar UK Awards, DJ Awards, International Trance Awards, Global DJ Mix Awards and IDMA's to name a few. Christopher has also graced the covers of countless magazines, newspapers and publications worldwide.

Described as the "Biggest DJ in the USA" by the BBC's Radio 1, Christopher clocks up over a quarter of a million frequent flyer miles a year and a list of international events too long to mention. In the past year alone, Christopher has toured China, United Kingdom, Mexico, Ibiza, Australia, Taiwan, Netherlands, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Japan, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Malaysia, Colombia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates, Greece, Russia, El Salvador, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania, Slovenia, Panama, Indonesia, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Thailand, Guatemala, and Canada. One need look no further than the top international clubs and dance festivals to find Christopher's name.

Meanwhile, back in the US, Christopher continues to be one of the countries most sought after DJs, headlining high profile events from San Francisco's Love Fest and Sony's 'Playstation 2 Tour' to Arnold Schwazzeneger's 'Terminator III' party. He has played the famed Coachella festival more than any other DJ, and was also the only US DJ invited to headline all three of the inaugural Ministry Of Sound, Cream and Gatecrasher tours of America.

Described as "A Highly Respected Producer" by Mixmag, Christopher won a preliminary Grammy nomination in 2002. With a discography of groundbreaking tracks, Christopher's notable releases 'Attention', 'Scorcher', 'Shredder', 'Renegade', 'Rush Hour', 'Cruise Control', 'October's Child' and bootleg remixes such as 'Batman Begins' have been hammered by DJs from Paul van Dyk and Tiesto to Paul Oakenfold.

This past several years have been Christopher's biggest to date on both the DJ and production front, following the release of two artist albums. His debut album 'All Or Nothing' and the follow up, 'Un-Hooked', a retrospective of Christopher's work for Hook Recordings, both topped the iTunes dance charts and met with widespread chart and critical acclaim from the worlds toughest critics from Rolling Stone to the Washington Post. Christopher's music has soundtracked everything from TV shows such as MTV's 'Real World', to Matchbox Car DVDs to computer games including 'Need for Speed 2' � bringing an entirely new audience to Christopher.

Always pushing the limits, Christopher gained attention with the release of his new website, which was nominated in the "Best Music Website" category of both the SXSW and the Webby Awards, which are considered the Academy Awards of web design. Designed by the groundbreaking and award winning 2Advanced, Christopher's website became a benchmark in the DJ. Check it out at http://www.christopherlawrence.com

In the late nineties, Christopher established himself as one of the US's biggest selling DJs selling over a quarter of a million mix CDs following a string of record breaking releases including 'Rise', 'Temptation', 'United States of Trance' and 'Around The World'.

After lengthy delays, Christopher's label Pharmacy Electronic Music was officially launched in 2006 with Christopher's most recent mix 'Subculture' being described by Jive Magazine as "The Best Trance Album of the Year!", reiterating the fact that Christopher continues to be one of the World's most evolving and respected DJs.

On the big screen, Christopher has appeared in 'Midsummernight's Rave', as well the documentaries 'Liquid Vinyl', 'Intellect', 'Put The Needle On The Record', 'World Party On Tour' and 'American Massive' to name a few. A music video for Christopher's single, Freefall, shot at California's Electric Daisy Carnival has also been featured on television around the world.

In the world of international dance culture, there are DJs who are leaders and those who are followers. Christopher Lawrence is a true leader.

Amanda Michele is an LA-based DJ spinning the finest and freshest in progressive house, breaks, and trance. Her passion for dance music has kindled many friendships, gigs at Los Angeles clubs such as Giant, Circus Disco, EM Sundays, and E3rd Steakhouse, and a personal penchant for audio geekery. She also is thrilled and honored to be spinning at Opulent Temple the day of the Burn!"

Hoj is a generally well adjusted individual with a passion for making people smile. He's a jolly bastard. In the early-90s he discovered a mecca of other jolly people in San Francisco ... an underground culture of happy dancing people that gave him a warm and toasty feeling inside. A feeling based on a culture, which was based on music.

The music he was hearing at ridiculously high volumes in dingy warehouses was starting to seep into his blood. It wasn't long until he started looking for music of his own.
And it began. Playing every house party, underground affair, radio show, and club event that came his way, Hoj's relationship with the crowd was developing.
Coming into his own as a forward-thinking dj, Hoj remains a proud member of the San Francisco dance community. With a residency for Opel Productions, a monthly show on Frisky Radio, and events across the US and abroad, Hoj has established himself and his unique style. He has enjoyed privileged spots alongside some of the worlds greatest djs including John Digweed, Hernan Cattaneo, Armin Van Buuren, Johan Gielen, John Flemming, Lee Coombs, Hybrid, Dylan Rhymes, Jerry Bonham, and Paul Van Dyk. And epic sets in Black Rock City, Rio De Janeiro, and more. He continues the charge with frequent guest spots for Spundae, Qool, SatelliteSF, and many more.

His sound is distinct, but he doesn't have the attention span to conform to a specific genre. His sets are always fresh and surprising. He likes it chunky, percussive, rude, and funky. Hoj's unique and eclectic blend of house and techno, as well as his seamless technical ability, are bringing him to the forefront.

Adam Freeland Biography By Matt Diehl

Q. INTERVIEWER: "Who killed the superstar DJ?"

A. ADAM FREELAND: "I hope I did..."

Of course, the above statements aren't exactly true: in fact, in many ways, Adam Freeland epitomizes the term "superstar DJ." A major presence on the international club/festival circuit for over a decade, Freeland continues to hold residencies at the best dancefloors around the globe (like London's prestigious Fabric club), and recently made his third triumphant appearance at the renowned Coachella music festival. As well, Freeland joins the likes of Sasha and James Lavelle in being chosen to release the latest installment in the prestigious "Global Underground" mix series, Global Underground 032: Mexico City. Mexico Cityrepresents Freeland's seventh commercially-released mix CD, following his successful compilations for the likes of Fabric and "Back To Mine," among others. "A Global mix is something I've always wanted to do," Freeland explains. "They've been a big part of electronic music's culture. James Lavelle's Barcelona mix was really special; it opened up the possibilities. To that end, I wanted to take that movement even farther in my own way."

His own way, indeed: Mexico City caps an extraordinary year for Adam Freeland. A renowned producer, he's remixed everyone from Kelis to Orbital, receiving a Grammy nomination for his 2005 remix of Sarah Vaughn's "Fever" and notoriety for his smash bootleg revamps of Nirvana and the White Stripes. However, the past year up to now has proven his most prolific yet, with remixes ranging from indie heads Fujiya & Miyagi to an official remix of the Doors' "Hello, I Love You" to Freeland's original productions (like Mexico City's slamming single release, "Silverlake Pills"). As well, Freeland was chosen recently to write and curate the score for the popular videogame Juiced'an unsurprising development considering his tracks have frequently graced soundtracks spanning the likes of Spiderman to "CSI." Then there's his triumphant return to touring and festivals, with sets ranging everywhere from Coachella to Glastonbury, as well as guest spots on influential Los Angeles radio station Indie 103.1.

It's all part of his plan to shake up genre expectations anew for electronic music. "A lot of what the 'name' DJs play sounds very '90s, very dated, and I want to avoid that at all costs," Freeland explains. That's clear from his wide-ranging turntable selections'he often opens gigs with Van Halen's "Eruption"'to his innovative Mexico City tracklisting, which hotwires uber-current dancefloor iconoclasts (Justice, SebastiAn, Phones, Prins Thomas, My My) with driving drone rock (Silversun Pickups, 120 Days, Spacemen 3) and unexpected offerings from big names like Mylo, James Holden, Carl Craig and Andrew Weatherall. "I was never quite one of those dudes trying to pay off a mortgage with each gig," Freeland explains. "To do that I'd have to play music I don't like. And I hate being pigeonholed!"

Freeland's renewed vigor mirrors his excitement for today's revitalized grooves. "For a couple years there, dance music sounded stale next to what was happening in rock," Freeland explains; in fact, he memorably explored that moment with his acclaimed rock-oriented 2005 Back To Mine mix, which featured tracks from the likes of TV on the Radio, Autolux, Interpol, M83 and Elliot Smith, among others. "Now, with the likes of labels like DFA, Kompakt, Modular, and Ed Banger, electronic music's got a new excitement. It's got attitude, an almost punk attitude, that makes it feel happening again like never before."

Add Freeland's own groundbreaking Marine Parade label to that list'as the label's founder and resident A&R, he's developed acts like Evil Nine into dancefloor headliners in their own right. The coming year looks to be one of the best of the Marine Parade movement, with likely new releases including the highly anticipated sophomore Evil Nine album, as well as debuts from new signings Alex Metric and Irish singer-songwriter Jape. Jape's track "Floating" is already getting radio support for both its original version and Prins Thomas' remix via BBC DJs Rob Da Bank and Pete Tong and influential Stateside stations like KCRW and Indie 103.1 (the Raconteurs have even covered "Floating" in their live sets). To Freeland, this recent activity proves there's more to Marine Parade'and him'than the breaks sound they've been associated with. "I was considered a breaks DJ because I had snare drums," Freeland explains. "I play a bit of house, but a whole set of straight kick drum would drive me crazy'you need snares to break up the groove. If you want to call that breaks, then fine, but once breaks became a 'scene' and a formula, that I was never into. I like great breaks, but I'm into good music, period. Great electro-house, rock, IDM, whatever'if it's got the right vibe, it will fit in to my DJ sets and what we put out on Marine Parade. After all, it's fun playing other people's records, but it's a lot more fun rocking crowds with your own"

Indeed, Marine Parade also released Freeland's breakthrough full-length artist album, 2003'sNow & Them, which spawned the smash single "We Want Your Soul," a Top 40 chart hit in various countries 'round the world that also resulted in an award-winning video. Freeland expects the followup to Now & Them to be released in spring 2008: with production already in process, it's shaping up to be as genre-shattering as ever, with guest shots already recorded from Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago, Tony Bevilacqua (guitarist for the Distillers, Spinnerette, and the Drips), and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee. "Creatively, the sound I want to hear' somewhere between Soulwax and Sonic Youth, Justice and My Bloody Valentine'doesn't exist yet, so I had to go and make it," Freeland explains. "I've always played whatever I want, but the audience now is even more receptive. There's been limits, but now it's wide open."

If you've listened to dance music in the 21st century then chances are Josh Gabriel's music has already touched your soul. Thisglobe-trotting DJ/Producer/Songwriter/Remixer has a deep catalog ofmusic that has reached the ears of clubbers worldwide. Hislatest endeavor, the techno smash "Summit," is a dance-floor favoritethat landed in the record box of a some of the worlds top Djs,including: John Digweed, Carl Cox,Sander Kleinenberg and DannyHowells. Critics have also taken notice of Josh's cutting edge musicand inovative production techniques, in fact DJ Magazine picked"Summit" as the #12 track of 2007. Following up on the success of"Summit," Josh is releasing two new original singles in Spring 2008"Crosstalk" and "Azora" as well as embarking on a world tour tosupport the launch of his debu