Carl Cox Tonite @ Avalon!

[avalonboston1]

Biography

Carl Cox has been named the ?greatest DJ in the world.? Under most circumstances this title would reflect supreme mix-master status, which Carl has undoubtedly earned on an international level. However, Carl?s multi-faceted career takes the role of DJ to an unprecedented level. As head and entrepreneur of Worldwide Ultimatum Records and Ultimate Music Management, mastermind the F.A.C.T. dance compilations, and architect of the upcoming ?Phuture 2000?, which is a sheer novelty in originally inspired music; Cox has successfully shaken up all previous notions of what the role of ?DJ? encompasses.

Carl?s story begins in Manchester, England where his family came from their native Barbados, and where Cox was born. Like many born as the first generation outside their familial roots, Cox adheres not to his parents? birthplace, but more to the environment in which he was raised. The South of London was where Cox and his family settled. He spent most of his formative years surrounded by a warm environment in which his parents enjoyed throwing parties in their home for friends and family on a regular basis. It was in this social circle that Carl Cox learned to please the crowds of people and sired an intimacy with guests through the medium of sound. As Carl grew older he became a ?mobile DJ?, hired to play at weddings and other events. He attributes his open-minded music policy to these modest beginnings which gave him his first experience of discovering what a crowd wants, and how to deliver it with his own style.

The sounds of the 1960?s brought Cox up into a free-spirited and non-discriminating pool of Jazz, Funk and Soul. Long before jungle, electronica or dance was even a glimmer off the surface of his very first LP (the Diana Ross classic ?Love Hangover?), little Carl Cox fell in love with the sensuality of his maiden 45?. However, one LP was not long enough for Cox- he longed for the sustained satisfaction of continuous sound; the seed of technically mastered continuity. It was this longing that was planted in his pulse.

By the time Cox was 15, his childhood practice of innocently entertaining at family parties, naturally adapted into larger occasions for the community at large. With each and every party came requests for more, building up his reputation. He became so submerged in music that all his memories of time and place were built up through layers of sound. His childhood toying with 45?s developed into a way of life and a medium of expression. Carl?s musical abilities rapidly matured beyond his years matched by the speed at which his stories in sound began to resonate beyond the capacity of the standard turntable set. His technical mastering and ever-growing fan base motivated him to ascend to an unprecedented plateau of invention. The sound launched him into an unparalleled dimension of distinction. But the more widespread the Cox name became, the more careful he was to elude definition by status or label.

The growth of the industry spawned numerous sub-genres of techno--dance, garage, acid house. Carl was all of these combined, and more. Carl Cox has always remained the antithesis of the typically egotistical DJ. He actively maintains a connection with the dancers on the floor, never isolating himself from his audience. Whether at the recurrent weekly space at the Velvet Underground in London, or a more exotic locale; Cox speaks the universal vernacular of sound. The crowd is his support and sounding board. He has learned to sense the distinct character of each club?s crowd and introduce himself to them. Known for his genuine warmth and ready smile, Cox clearly derives great pleasure from using new material to entertain each different group of faces. Channeled through three turntables, his DJing reflects his open mindedness and the experiences that his world travels bring. Ambient but jungle, techno yet trance; Carl Cox can take any given crowd on a shared journey into sound with no limits. It was at the Sunrise rave, just outside London, back in 1988 when the dance community got its first real taste of the charisma and power of Carl Cox.

Carl describes his music as a means by which people can be brought together from different places but share a positive and common adventure. His international popularity is a testament. His hectic DJing schedule has seen him perform across the world having traveled to Israel, Australia, South Africa, and Japan. In July of 1998, Cox played to about one million people at the most revered of all rave culture events- the legendary Love Parade in Berlin. Also in July of 1998, he gave his debut DJ performance at New York?s Twilo club. Since then, he continues to play around he world, thrilling audiences everywhere