Resident DJs
Colin Day
When I first discovered the rave scene I was living in Southern Califorina when Jason Z. called me up randomly one day and took me to an underground warehouse party thrown by a crew called F.A.M.I.L.Y. in Los Angeles. I had never really listened to the music before, but I instantly fell in love with it. It rekindled that old music flame within me which had grown far too dim at the time and thankfully shows no signs of going out.
Not long after that first party I found the SoCal desert rave scene, and it fueled me for years. I was inspired not to DJ at first, but to produce. I didn't want to just play the music, I wanted to bring it into this world. In my early attempts I used a Roland MC-505 groovebox. I would program a few patterns at home over several weeks and then take the it out to a couple small desert and forest parties. After moving up north to San Francisco, I met Paul and Addison through the Stargaze family gatherings.
These days I'm up in San Francisco using Reason to try my hand at producing progressive trance. More info can be found at www.colinday.net. But as much fun as production is, sometimes it's just fun to enjoy the instant gratification of throwing down tracks on the decks and dancing till dawn!
Paul Ephonic
waxdj.com
I started going to raves in 1995 in SoCal. My first party was a renegade desert party in San Diego County. I was immediately hooked on the music, dancing, and sense of community of these parties. I started going to parties all over Cali (SF, LA, SD, SB, SLO... etc.) throughout my college career. I graduated in '99 and spent the next year traveling around the world checking out the party scenes. From Europe to Southeast Asia, I'm always impressed to see how global this music truly is!
I didn't start DJing until about 2000, but it took me a few years to finally get my own decks and start practicing on my own. I got my first set of DJ equipment shortly after moving to SF in early 2004. It has been just in those past couple years that I've really started taking a serious interest in the mixing of music. DJs Colin and Addison have been a large part of my growth as a DJ.
My main musical interest has been in psytrance, but I can appreciate good trance of all kinds. I am currently very excited by what John '00' Fleming is up to with his label and how he is helping drive a fusion of psychedelic and progressive trance. I hope that my involvement in tranceportal.org will help turn some of the progressive trance audience onto more psychedelic sounds.
Addison
I've been DJing since my senior year in college when my roommate informed me that he wanted to be a DJ. Not wanting to be bested by my friend at anything else, I too decided to start dabbling in the electronic mixing realm. Little did I know it would consume my very existence. Later I met Geoff Herbst and began playing out at various Stargaze Reunions, which is where I met Colin and Paul.
During this time, I realized that mere mixing of beats wouldn't satisfy my needs. I began reworking existing tracks such at Cream by Blank and Jones (PVD mix) and Underworld's, Born Slippy. Eventually I produced my very first track, Summersong, which I played out at various parties and events. Alas, my need for a full time job took over my time and it is only lately that I've been able to return to production. Recently I've released my second single "Gia" which you can download in the music section.
Recently, as you may have guessed, Paul, Colin and I have created Trance Tuesday, a fresh mix of trance in all it's glorious forms. While doing this, I realized that wanted a way to share my various unreleased mixed sets that I do from time to time (not to be confused with my actual mixed sets at www.djaddison.com). It was at this point I came up with the idea of Trance Rotation, enabling me to create a bi-weekly set to be shared with those who would enjoy the tunes I enjoy.
Presently my day job is working at Electronic Arts as a character animator for video games. Music has always and will always be my passion which is why I never accept cash for DJing at parties (I'm just happy to share the music I love with people). I've felt conflicted over the past few month as to whether I would rather start producing music on a full time basis or keep my original plan of being an animator for games and film. I spose I'll figure this out in time...
For production, I use a Powerbook G4 with Reason 3.0, Pro-Tools M-Audio Edition, a M-Audio UC-33 control interface and a M-Audio Radium 49 Midi Keyboard. For mixing I have 2 pieces of software... the one I typically play out with and do the Trance Rotation show with is Serato Scratch live, enabling me to control audio files on my laptop via 2 pieces of timecoded vinyl or CD's and a proprietary audio interface. The other that I usually use for with Trance Tuesday, is called Traktor DJ Studio 3. It's an all in one solution that gives you the option of controlling your music entirely via your laptop (although my UC-33 doubles as my control surface) and only requires an external, multi-channel sound card (I use a M-Audio Firewire 410).
If you're interested in the my personal mixed sets, please visit music section of www.djaddison.com and be sure to checkout my podcast.
Guest DJs
Sanyama
Sanyama (aka Rahul Bhide) is a trance artist based out of San Francisco . He has been producing electronic music for the last 5 years or so and has releases on a few trance compilations.
He is involved in other projects producing downtempo and collaborating with live/acoustic musicians and is involved with organizing a few underground parties in San Francisco .
He has a very diverse interest in music including psytrance , downtempo , breaks, IDM and progressive rock and has been dabbling in music since he was a toddler.
Music runs in his family and he has learnt many forms of music and instruments including jazz guitar, tablas , Indian classical vocals, keyboards and the didjeridoo .
He uses a computer running Ableton Live as his main composing tool.
He is now working to get his record label - Turiya Sounds off the ground.
DJ R
Ray hasn't sent in his photo or bio yet, so until then I'm gonna use this awesome pic I snapped of him about to attack some dishes in the sink at Stargaze 12. He's an old school trance tuesday participant though, all the way back to the beginning.
I will say that we could not have done this website without him. Thank you so much Ray for the webspace and all your support in getting this thing off the ground.
gEoff;)
of the Stargaze Family Gatherings
Hailing from the Southern California scene, gEoff ;), with his uplifting trance sound have issued in countless sunrises over the last decade up and down California and the West Coast.
He's played in clubs like the Glasshouse in Pomona and DNA Lounge in SF, and has headlined New Years Eve parties and other events at the Brickworks in Chico. He's spun in the sweaty and packed warehouses and massives of LA, Full Moon beach gatherings in Santa Cruz, and underground renegade and bigger gatherings in LA, SF, San Luis Obispo, Chico, Tahoe, Mammoth, Yosemite, and of course the great deserts of Southern California. He's played alongside such musical talent as Christopher Lawrence, C.L. McFadden, Ellis Dee, and Eyal.
He's remixed tracks by Paul Van Dyk and Chicane, and has more than 35 mix cds and live recordings to his name. Spinning solely on vinyl except for his own tracks, he believes that the connection with the dance community's history is critical to the heart and soul of the scene today. As Dr. Motte (the founder of the Love Parade in Germany) was quoted as saying, "the biggest threat to the rave scene is the growing disconnect between the founders of the movement--their culture and history and heritage--and today's youth who have little understanding nor respect for WHY this all came about." We gain nothing unless we understand where we've come from, and on whose shoulders we are standing.
two15am
two15am is a DJ/Remixer/Musician based in San Francisco. He moved west from Chicago in '97. While in Chicago, he spent many years immersedin the House and Techno scene.
After the move, and a few years to get settled, he picked up some new DJ equipment and has been working ever since. The change to all CD DJ-ing happened at that time and he hasn't looked back.
Now, two15am is concentrating full-time on the release of his first album by the end of 2006, as well as seeking residency spinning Progressive Trance sets and working on various remixes for other artists. A side project entitled Tempting Clarity saw the release of an EP in mid-2006 with positive results.
As a musician, two15am plays piano/keyboards, cello (both acoustic and electric), drums and various percussion, as well as many electronic devices.
Saturnia
I have been spinning in the San Francisco area psytrance scene as a member of the Phoenix Family since 2000. Now also representing Celestial Dragon Records and Amboworld , I play a variety of styles under the broad category of chill-out including ambient, ethno, and dub as well as psychedelic trance.
Prior to moving to the area I volunteered as a radio DJ for seven years. I grew-up in a musical household and had classical music training starting in childhood.
J.C.
J.C. has been DJing since 1997. He's currently affiliated with KZSU, AuraSF, NetAmp and Epiphany. One thing that always surprises and disappoints J.C. is the narrowmindedness of many DJs. Considering how wonderful music is, constricting yourself to a narrow subgenre only cheats those in attendence and yourself. Just play the great stuff that moves you.
In keeping with that concept, J.C. can bring you everything from deep house to DnB and everything in between in the realms of techno and trance.
Currently J.C. hosts a radio show featuring electronic music called An Epiphany of Sound on KZSU at Stanford University.
