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I was born and raised in Wichita, Kansas. Usually when I confess that I am from the Bible belt in the midwest, people automatically assume that there is nothing to do and no club life to speak of. That is not true at all. It was a gay club in Wichita that started it all for me. I was so fascinated with the gay club scene when I first came out, especially comparing it against the music in the straight clubs at that time. (I'll just say this was in the late 80's & early 90's, lol). The comparison between the two was like night and day. I didn't know what I was missing until I went to a gay club to party. The club in Wichita I went to was called "Our Fantasy". The club was actually a rather large complex which had a greasy spoon restaurant attached, which made killer omelettes. There was also a swimming pool and large patio in the back area. The club had a very "disco" type atmosphere, and the music, lights and mixing were amazing and was very different than that of any other clubs in town or that I had experienced before. The dj's there at the time who shaped and influenced me were dj's Bob Stewart and Kelley Hoffman. They remain friends of mine today. Bob's mixing was flawless and seamless and Kelly's music was so progressive and alternative. I always had such a great time going out there with my friends. I soon stopped off at a pawn shop to purchase my first turntables and mixer and taught myself to mix at home. It was only a hobby to me, not even thinking about really becoming a DJ, but I was soon offered my first dj-ing job at a local leather bar by the name of "The Barracks". I worked there for about 6 months when I was offered a job to dj in San Diego. I moved and took the job at a club at that time by the name of "Peacock Alley". I worked there for about 3 years until it unfortunately closed down. I was then offered a job to dj at "The Flame" and a local leather/bear bar by the name of "PECS" in San Diego. A few months later I was also spinning at WCPC (West Coast Production Company), aka now Club Montage. At that time I was offered a full time residency at a popular, innovative and cutting edge nightclub by the name of RICH'S. The club owner at that time, Bart Johnson, understood and embraced house, tribal and techno music and encouraged artistic freedom with the dj's he hired and booked to play there. For three years now, RICH'S is under new ownership and it continues to break club music boundaries heading towards the future. I've been at RICH'S twelve years now, and I'm still going strong! moving ahead: I love dance music of all types and genres and I always continue to push ahead with progressive sounds and styles which embody my format. I'm never afraid to play something from the past either to excite my crowd. To me, it's all about moving to the music and rhythm as one, putting your troubles aside, and having one hell of a fun time! Music is the central foundation to change, inspire, and influence our lives... dj's and re-mixers: Just to name a few of my favorite dj's and influences, they would include... Peter Rauhofer, Danny Tenaglia, Dave Aude, Offer Nissim, Jacques Lu Cont, Ralphi Rosario, Eric Kupper, Johnny Vicious, Mike Rizzo, and Junior Vasquez. club credits: Resident DJ - RICH'S (San Diego, CA) Numbers, The Flame, PECS, Peacock Alley, WCPC (San Diego, CA) Our Fantasy, The Barracks (Wichita, KS) INTERESTED IN HEARING ME SPIN??... Come by RICH"S in San Diego at 1051 University Ave. FOR MORE INFO AND DJ SCHEDULE VISIT: www.richssandiego.com SEND EMAIL TO: RICHSDJDEREK@YAHOO.COM

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