DJ Dan has been called "
America's favorite
DJ" by
Urb Magazine. For
ravers across the country he is a household name. He has been praised by DJs like
Pete Tong,
Donald Glaude, the
Freestylers and
Keoki. He spins everything from
techno to funky
disco house. His
love for
music has pushed him to the top in the
dance and
electronic music industry.
Dan is from
Olympia,
Washington and is one of nine brothers and sisters. As an early teenager he began
mixing his own tapes and designing clothes. His artistic ability scored him an acceptance to
Seattle's prestigious
Thomas Edison School of Design. There he graduated the top of his class. He still had not begun true DJing at this time. However he attended his first
rave in 1991. After attending the rave, he put his design career on hold and "Something flipped," he recalls. "I realized my true calling. I knew this was something I must do." He was going to start his music DJ career. Within one year he had taught himself
scratching, mixing, and every other part of DJing. And by 1992 he teamed up with
DJ Ron D Core from
LA. He spun his first rave in 1992 in
Los Angeles. Dan became famous amongst the
Southern California ravers fairly quickly. As the rave scene calmed down in LA, DJ Ron D Core and DJ Dan stared their own after hours club that became popular over night. Dan however missed spinning at true raves. Hearing about the
San Francisco rave scene Dan quickly moved up north and became a resident with
Funky Tekno Tribe. "Those were the best parties ever," Dan once said. After gaining
success with FTT,
XL Records picked him up and signed him. Here he started a
friendship with
Carl Cox (another great DJ). Carl Cox became an
inspiration to Dan. They are still friends to this day and Dan even spins with Cox once a month in
New York at
Twilo. DJ Dan is amazing for his
character and
talent and his music is appreciated around the world. "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."
The albums that he has released are "
Funk the System", "
Urb Mix Vol. 2", "
Loose Caboose", "
Beats4Freaks", and "
Another Late Night."