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Dj Pasta
A true lover of music and widely respected for his eclectic and cohesive sets, DJ Pasta can adapt to any situation with a single box of records. Pasta started out spending his allowance on records at the flea-markets of San Jose, California and listening to Cameron Paul on KMEL. He got his first gigs playing for his friends in the San Jose City Breakers along with playing for his peers at school dances and car shows all over the area. This was the mid 1980s, the heyday of electro and freestyle bass music. After attending the earliest San Francisco area acid house parties at the famous Mr. Floppy's Flophouse in Oakland, he scored his residency at San Jose's Cactus Club alongside Julius Papp and local radio legend Richard G. While playing Mantronix and Cabaret Voltaire for only french fries and the camaraderie of fellow dance music fans, Pasta found his expression in the sound systems of the clubs and larger parties starting to occur in the early 90s.After being hired to play in Portland around this time, Pasta spent the next two years playing all over the Pacific Northwest and Canada in the burgeoning rave scene. Here he secured his reputation for an impeccable selection of techno, breakbeat, and electro tracks played with the skills of someone who had been paying dues for 10 years alongside great DJs like Spun, Derrick Carter, Jeno, Sasha, Doc Martin and Donald Glaude. Pasta always felt at ease behind the mixer. Returning south to Portland, Pasta helped run a record store and expanded his knowledge of abstract and ambient music while he spread music up and down the West Coast through the 90s. Pasta has spent the last several years travelling between the West Coast, Boston and New Orleans, playing every space that has its ears open. During this time he played with Meat Beat Manifesto, The Dandy Warhols, Soul Coughing, Freaky Chakra and Single-Cell Orchestra, and at countless gallery events and private parties.
Always seeking out new sounds, Pasta now includes country, 60s mod and psych rock alongside old soul and hip-hop 45s with his electronic sounds. Brewing up wild combinations of amazing music on the spot is where his freedom lies, and Pasta has a sixth sense for the grooves of a record. His experience, diversity of musical styles, variations of deejay techniques and 20 plus years spent behind the turntables can be witnessed and heard whenever he deejays.
Written: 25th Jun, 07
Read: 1629 times
