Hot Event in Avalon Friday!!!

[avalonboston1]

This Friday in Avalon will feature the duo of DJ Alex Whalen and DJ Melee!!

Here is some info on DJ Alex Whalen:

Biography

New Year's Eve, 1991.

A flyer found. A map point located. A warehouse discovered. A threshold

crossed. One night. One moment. For me nothing would ever be the same

again.

What is it about electronic music that captures us so? Why is it that,

once found, it grabs hold and refuses to let go? And why is it that

nearly all of us can name the exact moment when it made everything

change.

For me, December 31, 1991 is that moment. Before, the path of my life

had been headed one way. After, well....

In the beginning, I was nothing more than a dedicated punter, one of

the East Coast faithful, traveling hundreds of miles each weekend in

pursuit of the perfect beat. Thursdays at Baltimore's legendary Fever.

Fridays at DC's immortal Buzz. Saturdays at one-off's with names like

Catastrophic, Storm, Ultraworld, or Primary. We were in the right place

at the right time - the birth of a scene, a music, a movement.

Along with the flyers I collected the music. Guerrilla. FSOL. Limbo.

Cosmic Baby. Stress. Leftfield. Platipus. The soundtrack of the weekend

became the soundtrack of my life. At first it was enough to let others

arrange it, but then...

This was the era of the mixtape, a time before the Pro Tools perfect,

studio session solid CD. Sets were played, recorded, and traded, passed

hand to hand among the faithful, with no DJ too big or small to be

worth a listen.

Although I loved the dancefloor, I started someplace that might

surprise you - downtempo. Yes, downtempo. Back then, no event was

complete without the "Chill Room", and it was there I found my first

source of DJing inspiration. One tape, two tapes, three tapes, more...

I only gave them to a few friends, but these things, well, they have a

life of their own. It started small - gigs in Richmond VA, Washington

DC, Baltimore, New York. I was paying my dues. And then....

August 16, 1996.

Washington D.C.'s Buzz presents Supersting. The greatest collection of

talent that had ever been assembled on a single night in the States.

Sasha. Carl Cox. Scott Henry. BT. Laurent Garnier. LTJ Bukem. And in

the Cloudwatch Chill Out Tent, among others, Babylon - a.k.a. Alex

Whalen. I wasn't on the main stage. Far from it. And yet, I had to ask

myself, "is this DJing thing for real? Could it become my life?"

Truth is if you ask anyone who knew me, it already was my life. From

that first night in '91, sharing this music with others had been the

thing that mattered most. Whether it was making mix tapes, opening my

own mail order record shop, or spending countless hours trainspotting

tracks, nothing mattered more. But somehow, until that summer night in

'96, the idea that it could happen to me, well...

Newly inspired I poured myself deeper still into the music, shifting

focus from the chill room to the main room. The scene grew, expanded.

Nightclubs were becoming superclubs, DJ's superstars. The underground

was going global.

With my turn towards the dancefloor I knew there would be yet more dues

to pay, and pay them I did. More tapes changed hands, more connections

made, more sets played, and then...

July 30, 1999.

A return to Washington, D.C.'s Buzz. Only this time it was the main

floor. Me, my records, and 2000 of DC's most devoted. Eight years

chasing the beat and it was here.

And then an amazing thing happened. What was an opening set became much

more. The headliner's records were lost en route, and I was asked to

stand in her stead. Sounds like the stuff of legend, I know, but it's

true. 4 hours later and my career had begun.

Offers to DJ came fast and furious - from Buzz and beyond. And then,

soon after, an offer that would once again change everything. The Deep

Dish boys were looking for someone to manage their new record shop and

web site and my name was on the short list. The dream of living this

music full time suddenly became a reality.

Over the next three years I spent all of my days and nights working to

build The Yoshitoshi Shop and Yoshitoshi.com. In Washington D.C.,

together with the seemingly unstoppable Buzz, our shop became

synonymous with everything dance. On the Web our shop went global - and

I went along for the ride...

East Coast. West Coast. Hawaii. Ibiza. A residency was offered, and

then a second.

The first came from D.C.'s Club Five a new purpose built venue looking

to build a night. Together with DJ Buster I took over Saturday nights,

for over a year playing to the faithful, a thousand strong and up for

anything. As a DJ it was my chance to stretch my wings, to make a night

my own, to define my sound. Club Five was a turning point, one that

prepared me for...

...the second offer. Buzz was offering a monthly residency to Dave

Ralph, and they were looking for someone to share the bill. A DJ who

could set the night, establish the sound, prime the crowd. Dave had his

list of names, Buzz had theirs. In the end I was offered the slot, and

for the next two years our monthly was one of the highlights of the DC

clubbing calendar.

More importantly, perhaps, it also became the launching pad for a close

musical partnership, one that lasts right up to today. With the success

of our night at Buzz firmly established, we took to the road, touring

North America in support of Dave's 'Naturalized' CD. Soon after we hit

the studio, producing several tracks under the Ralph + Whalen moniker.

Check his 'Resident Alien' CD for some of the results. And watch for

more to come on Dave's R-Factor Recordings shortly.

April 29, 2002.

It was time for a change. DC, Buzz, Yoshi - they'd been great to me -

more than I'd ever hoped for, in fact - but it was time to go. 100

boxes of records and 3000 miles later I found myself setting up shop

deep in the heart of San Francisco. Throughout my travels I'd been

blessed to meet a number of amazing people, but SF has more than its

fair share. It was the only choice.

Over the next two years I added syndicated radio to my arsenal as a

resident for Thump Radio, helped launch a new house music venue for

Blowfish Music, and headlined for both Spundae and Release - quite an

accomplishment if you know the SF scene. With two like-minded musical

souls, Kramer and Nicholas Baker, I started a new monthly called

Arrival Industries, an ongoing night dedicated to breaking new talent

in SF's progressive house scene. And of course, throughout the world, I

continued to travel and spread my brand of progressive house.

June 3, 2004.

Us DJs, we're nomads, never content to stay any one place very long.

And that's why today you'll find me in Boston. Among other things, I'll

be serving as a resident at Avalon's legendary Friday nights, working

with the R-Factor team on a number of new projects, and, in a twist for

a DJ, working on my PhD in Political Science.

And Here is some info on DJ Melee:

Music Format:

Breaks, Beats, Basslines

Melee?s fascination with music developed at an early age during the advent of hip-hop and the utilization of breaks in contemporary music. Artists such as Herbie Hancock and electronic pioneers Kraftwerk were his primary influences that became the groundwork for his passion for electronic music. While living in Florida in the early nineties Melee was also exposed to the then thriving breaks scene which eventually inspired him to purchase his own pair of Technics. He soon became accomplished on the turntables and applied his immense and continually developing knowledge of music.

It was then in 1997 that he made the trip back to his New England roots to contribute to the local scene. Melee?s first New England performance brought incredible response and his resume has grown immensely ever since. His selection of the most intense, energy driven, funky bass oriented breaks and beats, flawless mixes, and sound manipulation behind the decks have earned him the title of one of New England?s top breaks representatives. He has shared sound systems with the best in the industry including Hyper, Elite Force, Keoki, Scott Henry, Domination, Simply Jeff, Icey, Dan Efex, DJ Dan, Kevin Saunderson, Sandra Collins, Feelgood, Craze, Cirrus, Adam X, Commander Tom, Stacey Kidd, Bad Boy Bill, Kid Capri, Dave Ralph, Scott Hardkiss, A-Trak, Dara, and the list goes on.

In 1998, Melee co-founded the Shadows Of Society with business partner and best friend Sean Hart. Shadows Of Society has developed into one of the most respected collectives in New England consisting of highly talented DJ?s, Producers, and Web Designers. Filled with dedication and motivation, this team is forever working towards the future of electronic music.

Currently, Melee plays throughout the US and continues to strive towards influencing crowds on the diverse and creative sounds of electronic music. He has also refined his music production skills and is now in the studio working on his own tracks, and also tracks with lab partners Sean Hart, dpL, and RyanPatrick. Melee has even expanded his reach into the world of film making as a music producer and a personality in an upcoming experimental film by Christian Gompert.

Melee holds the position as Assistant Manager and Breaks Buyer of Satellite Records, Boston. He also organizes local collaboration amongst producers for Red Bull as well as serves as the Red Bull Music Academy Rep for the Northeast. His drive and determination keeps him always on the go, and always pushing for the next level.

MELEE's Contact Info:

Web: www.shadowsofsociety.com

Email: www.coppo@satelliterecords.com

www.avalonboston.com

19+ Event

Doors at 10 PM

JC@avalonboston.com

[djfrosty]

Affliated with DJ Kramer...

saw him in Cleveland a few years ago. HE ROCKED!!!

Bet I would like his style.

[joga]

Affliated with DJ Kramer...

saw him in Cleveland a few years ago. HE ROCKED!!!

Bet I would like his style.

they're not affiliated in musical styles though- Kramer's all tribal

[xlr8ted]

Oh they're affiliated alright.