David Vibes Tobon / Redirekted

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MySpace GraphicsDavid Tobon was born in the summer of 77 to Colombian parents in Newark, N.J., and was raised in Elizabeth where he would later learn his calling, and embrace it. He was just an infant during the height of the late 1970's Dance Explosion. His uncle was a tango singer/songwriter and his father had a decent collection of Latin music.As an adolescent, David recalls being shy and needing a way to express himself outside of paper. He was a lost cause at any instrument, so buying records was his only prayer. With his newfound love of spinning, David drew inspiration from a variety of artists, such as, Franco Iamello, Glenn Friscia on Hot97, Tony Humphries' Kiss Mix shows and John Robinson's Midday Mix. His goal was to be at the levels of DJ's such as Tony Humphries' (for his ability to fuse different kinds of music to one groove), Lil Louie Vega (for his presence and technical ability), and more recently, DJ Spen and Harry 'Choo Choo' Romero (for their raw in your face style, never compromising what a party should feel like.) At 14, he was hired at Alwick's Record Shop in Elizabeth. Fellow employees, Rick Brown, James Holloway, Mr. X, and close friend, Kris Flowers fine-tuned his underground dance music ear. At a young age, David played at a variety of venues and at a plethora of house parties.He had a chance to test that ear at Tamir Clarke's Underground Dreams, in Elizabeth, NJ. On October 26, 1993 12:00AM, he took his place at the tables, but would not walk off the same man. Amongst the crowd of music stricken people were a group of enthusiastic dancers. In awe of David's talent they said to him "It's like a spirit raced over the crowd and took everyone over, but no-one knew what to do". It was then that they christened him, David 'Vibes' Tobon.After graduation, he concentrated on doing parties, playing only underground dance and classics for a diverse crowd. Building a solid reputation, he became one of the most popular DJ's in the Elizabeth/Newark area. David introduced a lot of kids to the soulful House sound who were once into a lot of hard tracks,dubs and hip hop. A few years later,it was by chance that David made his way to Yellorange Records. Kris and friend, Errol T. Claxton began putting together this concept for a bi-weekly party in Newark called Rebirth. Dave was their 1st choice. With Kris' association with Yellorange, where Alan, the general manager of the label and who was also a resident at Rebirth got to know David on a personal level. Impressed not only with his DJ skills, David's friendly nature won Alan over. It wasn't long before David was offered a spot on Yellorange's DJ team. "I couldn't believe or didn't think that Yellorange would be the one to open the door of opportunity. When things aren't searched for....they come to you. After everyone for years said that I wouldn't make it - Finally I've achieved something."Presently, with his name, experience and confidence by his side, David has played at 7 WMC's (Winter Music Conferences) and 3 IMC's (Italian Music Conference), played everywhere from Ruby Sky (San Francisco) to Club 5 in (DC), a 2 year residency at Underground Collective (NYC/Filter 14) as well as playing abroad at some of the best venues in the world. Some include Sona (Montreal), Ministry of Sound and Fabric (UK) Pascia, Red Zone, Angels of Love, Fluid, and Goa (Italy), Take Five, Pravda, Guaya's, Prestige and D-Club (Switzerland) and Mao Mao (Portugal), while still playing numerous local venues. David 'Vibes' Tobon currently operates his own project studio R.T.F.S. (Release That Funky Sh*t), his own production company ReDirekted, and is part of the MKDV(Master Kev n David Vibes) production team. While playing, producing, or practicing, David keeps close what keeps him going; his family, close friends and love of music.Over the past year, David's musical talents have been featured on several prominent labels including Defected's mixed CD compilations, Code Red Recordings, West End/Blaze Imprints, Tony Records, Raisani and Vega records to name a few. Expect to see many more remixes and original productions both under MKDV and under the Redirekted brand. Besides the love of the music, it's the love of its effect on people. As he simply put it, "The music and the people are my paint, and the dance floor is my canvas".