DJ Disciple - Mixing the Future

Give DJ Disciple two turntables, and he'll mix you the future. Born David Banks, music is in DJ Disciple's blood. His father played piano with Miles Davis and his brother handled bass for George Benson. Enamored with disco, R&B, gospel, Latin, funk and hip-hop while growing up, the globetrotting Disciple and proprietor of the mighty Catch 22 Recordings took his own path to musical notoriety via DJing and later producing and remixing.

DJ Disciple's musical journey began in his native Brooklyn, NY; where the Big Apple's unrelenting musical beat led him into learn how to mix. This was when the city's underground house music scene was starting to explode and names like Morales, Vega, Sanchez and Terry were starting to gain worldwide recognition. One thing led to another and Disciple, whose first DJ gig was at Studio 54, soon found himself hosting The Best Kept Secret, a mix show on WYNE. Instead of simply mixing records, Disciple was debuting and breaking tracks from the underground. Despite his youth, his passion, ear and skills made him one of house music's most important tastemakers in the world, and he parlayed his status into gigs at New York's infamous Wild Pitch parties and guest appearances at clubs all over the world.

His success led to a mix show on Bay FM 78 in Japan, and he became the first American DJ to host a monthly radio show and the UK. "I became the first house DJ from America to host a weekly UK radio show that covered the whole country from 1998 to 2001," recalls Disciple. "It was called the Transatlantic Mix with Tony Walker. I now do 10 radio shows on the Internet worldwide because of what was spawned on 91.5 FM."

DJ Disciple's growing worldwide radio fan base led to more club gigs, and he was able to have the opportunity to refine his sound as a remixer, producer and songwriter. Songs with Dawn Tallman released on his Catch 22 Recordings became instant house classics, while his remixes of Boris Dlugosh's "Keep Pushin' On" took his career to the next level. (In fact, his 2002 smash "Caught Up" featuring Mia Cox was featured on Showtime's Queers As Folk.)

Fast-forward to the present and DJ Disciple has climbed to the top rung of the house music ladder, with DJ residencies all over the world, a faithful following of fans that live for his inspired journeys, and respect from Pete Tong and BBC Radio 1 to MTV Europe. Averaging 50 clubs a year for the past decade, when he's not in the DJ booth he remains focused on Catch 22. Disciple's 2006 Ibiza smash hit "Work It Out" was licensed Universal's House-Trained records in the UK and playlisted on Radio 1 while appearing on MTV at the same time. In 2007 Catch 22 Recordings David Tort, DJ Ruff, Gilbert Le Funk, and Angel De Frutos to the forefront. "Changes," collaboration between David Tort, DJ Ruff and Disciple, was a massive club hit and appeared on several high profile compilations, including Ministry Of Sound, Erick Morillio's Subliminal Sessions, Club Azuli (Space), and Pacha Ibiza 2007. And if that wasn't enough, DJ Disciple was nominated for Beatport's Artist of the Year in 2008.

With a host of accomplishments under his belt, DJ Disciple continues to look ahead and is determined to push his music forward. This year will find DJ Disciple unite with new talents Tom De Neef, Bryan Dalton and Prok & Fitch for new releases, while still continuing to expose other new talents on Catch 22. Fueled by his limitless passion for dance music and spirituality, DJ Disciple is an anomaly; he can throw down at the fiercest underground club, or rock a room of champagne drinking hipsters. Having witnessed so much history and musical trends during his years behind the decks, his thirst for good music remains unquenchable.

"For me it's important to remember that DJing made me what I am and that's always the first for me," says Disciple. "I see dance music going through a very big change shortly. It can't stay the way it is, and I aim to change with it. You have to. Ultimately, it's all music, and if you love and understand music, you'll know that it's fluid, forever flowing, forever changing. It's wonderful to embrace that and go with the flow but yet always be original, always be yourself."

http://www.djdisciple.com

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