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Music

DB's No School Like the Old Skool: DJ Dan

A salute to the West Coast champion of funky breaks.

DJ DB has been a fixture in dance music through every renaissance the style has experienced. His archive of DJ mixes and flyers from the 90s rave era are a time capsule of electronic music's first worldwide explosion, and in NO SCHOOL LIKE THE OLD SKOOL he shares some of these treasures. Get out your notepads…

Having given the East Coast props with my Frankie Bones column, showed love for London with LTJ Bukem, and spotlighted Richie's Detroit roots, I thought I'd better give the Left Coast some shine now.

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In California in the early '90s, DJ Dan was the first DJ I'd heard of that was playing some of the same music as I was: UK hardcore. However, there was a whole different vibe going on out West compared to the hard, manic, sped-up beats of the East. I guess California just chills more than we do… and so did the beats. Dan was actually pitching down his UK records so he could mix them in with local funky breaks and early progressive house tracks, giving him a totally unique brand and style. He was also the first "rave" DJ I'd ever heard of that could scratch!

Dan started his wicked career in 1991, and the mix below, called Fix To Funk, was recorded live in 1993.

Flyers below very much show off the hippie-inspired West Coast flava of the day.

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Connect with Dan here http://www.facebook.com/DJDanMusic
Discography here http://www.discogs.com/artist/DJ+Dan