PARTY PEOPLE - see all 19

TWO NIGHTS BACK - see all 42

a message to houses Xtrava & Aviance: Yet Another Let Down Jun 21

so sorry but I'm not playing afterhours tonight. The promoters are refusing to comp you guys, so I said if my people have to pay then I don't play. PERIOD. I am honored and so touched from all of the ...

BIO

VETERAN DANCE JOCKEY, MUSICIAN, DRUMMER, PERCUSSIONIST, PRODUCER, PUBLISHED AUTHOR AND ARTIST. DJ URI DALAL HAS BEEN INFLUENCING NEW YORK CITY DANCE CULTURE FOR OVER A DECADE. BORN TO AN ISRAELI DISCO KING (THE OWNER OF NYC'S LEGENDARY 42ND ST MUSIC FACTORY RECORD SHOP) AND AN OFF-BROADWAY DANCER, DALAL SPENT HIS SUMMERS IN NYC CLUBS AND HIS WINTERS LEARNING THE ROPES OF HOUSE MUSIC FROM HIGH SCHOOL CHORUS TEACHER DAVID COLE. 'DISCOVERED' IN THE EARLY 90'S CLUB KID SCENE BY SUPERSTAR DJ KEOKI, URI DALAL HAS NEVER STOPPED WORKING OR PAYING HIS DUES. A MUSICIAN FIRST AND FOREMOST SINCE THE AGE OF 5, DALAL HAS PLAYED DRUMS AND PERCUSSION FOR HUNDREDS OF BANDS, POP TO FUNK TO PUNK, IN ADDITION TO CO-PRODUCTION CREDITS LIKE 'IN YOUR EYES', WHICH REACHED NO.2 ON THE SUMMER DANCE CHARTS IN EUROPE UNDER THE MONKIER KING STREET/NITE GROOVES RECORDING ARTISTS) 'CAFE NEGRO'. HIS ORIGINAL MIXES CAN ONLY BE HEARD ON HIS DANCEFLOOR (HE HAS NO INTENTION OF RELEASING THEM! THEY ARE FOR 'HIS PEOPLE' - NOT FANS HE CORRECTS ME - AND ARE BECOMING SO POPULAR THEY KEEP HIS DANCEFLOOR PACKED WEEK AFTER WEEK. DALAL HAS BEEN BUILDING HIS REPUTATION AS ONE OF NEW YORK CITY'S TOP AFTERHOURS DJs, PLAYING AT HIS RESIDENCY, PROMOTER MICHAEL DE GUZMAN'S MACHINE. SAYS BOOKING AGENT AND PROMOTER JEFF KRAUSS, "...I MEAN, THE GUY KILLS IT NIGHT AFTER NIGHT. HE NEVER STOPS WORKING, NEVER STOPS MIXING. HE NEVER JUST PLAYS A RECORD. INITIALLY WE HAD A HARD TIME BOOKING HIM, BECAUSE OTHER DJs ARE SO INTIMIDATED BY HIM (LAUGHS)! THE GUY HAS ABSOLUTELY NO COMPETITION." DJ URI DALAL: ..." I DON'T KNOW IF YOU REALLY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE, STANDING ON A STAGE IN FRONT OF A CROWD AND MANAGING TO MAKE THEM FORGET THEIR TROUBLES FOR A MOMENT, OR TO SHARE SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL WITH THEM (I MEAN MUSICALLY OF COURSE), EVEN IF JUST FOR A SECOND. IT'S REALLY NOT ABOUT BEING RICH OR 'FAMOUS' -ALTHOUGH ACTUALLY GETTING PAID WELL FOR SOMETHING YOU LOVE TO DO IS AMAZING TO ME LOL! IT'S ABOUT THAT SURGE OF ENGERY AND EMOTION THAT SEEMS TO SPIRAL UP AND UP AS YOU BECOME CAUGHT UP IN IT WITH ALL THE PEOPLE DANCING AND WITHOUT REALIZING IT YOU ALL CREATE THIS 'MOMENT' UNLIKE ANY OTHER, WHERE ALL INVOLVED ARE IN THE SAME GROOVE, AND DANCING TOGETHER AND SUDDENLY YOUR PROBLEMS AREN'T SO BAD BECAUSE HERE YOU ARE WITH THESE AMAZING PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T CARE IF YOU'RE BLACK OR WHITE OR JEW OR GENTILE OR WHATEVER, ALL THAT MATTERS IS THAT YOU FEEL FREE TO BE YOURSELF! THE FIRST TIME I CAME TO A HOUSE CLUB THAT WAS WHAT BLEW MY MIND THE MOST! THIS OVERWHELMING FEELING OF BEING INCLUDED REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU MADE OR IF YOU WERE SOME WEIRD PUNK KID OR B-BOY. HOUSE MUSIC IS FREEDOM. THAT WAS THE FIRST THING I LEARNED... THAT, AND NOT TO BOTHER THE DJ HA HA!" "...THAT'S ACTUALLY THE REAL REASON I'M SO ADAMANT ABOUT NOT HAVING VISITORS IN THE BOOTH WHILE I'M WORKING. TRUTH IS, I'M NOT THE STUCK UP JERK OFF THAT PEOPLE MAKE ME OUT TO BE, WHEN I KICK THEM OUT OR NOT LET THEM IN MY BOOTH TO BEGIN WITH. IT'S IMPERATIVE TO ME THAT I'M NOT DISTRACTED SO THAT I CAN CONCENTRATE 1000% ON MY DANCEFLOOR, AND FEED OFF THE ENERGY OF THE DANCERS AND TRY TO GET INSIDE THEIR HEADS. I MEAN, IF PEOPLE PAY $20 TO GET IN I THINK THEY DESERVE MORE THAN A GUY PLAYING SOMEONE ELSE'S MUSIC ALL NIGHT. THEY PAID TO DANCE! THERE IS MORE TO DJING THAN STRINGING TOGETHER ALL THE POPULAR TRACKS. THERE'S VIBE AND DRUMS AND RHYTHM AND EMOTION AND KEY AND STORIES AND HEARTBREAK AND HAPPINESS, AND IT'S ALSO WHATEVER YOU WANT IT TO BE. I TRY TO TELL A STORY WITH THE MUSIC. I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, 'AWW IT'S FUCKING DISCO! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM THAT'S WHAT YOU IDIOTS LIKE! IT'S EASY TO DANCE TO BLAH BLAH, YOU'RE NOT A REAL MUSICIAN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? LOOK AT ALL THESE FREAKS AND FAGS!' "...IT'S ALL GOOD. ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS STEP ON TO MY DANCEFLOOR WITH AN OPEN MIND. THAT'S IT. THE MUSIC WILL DO THE REST." MY DREAM AND ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO CARRY ON THE SPIRIT OF NEW YORK CITY HOUSE MUSIC, AND IN MY OWN WAY AND WITH MY OWN STYLE, FOLLOW IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE GREATEST DJ'S IN THE WORLD: LARRY LEVAN, DAVID MANCUSO AND JUNIOR VASQUEZ."

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