Lil' Tony's DJ mixes online
For all booking enquiries please contact : [email protected]
Bio
No matter how you look at it, DJ Lil' Tony, born Toni Rantanen, is the central character in Helsinki club scene. A member of the prestigious Nuspirit Helsinki(www.nuspirit.com) collective and his new electronic music project called Future Beat Investigatigators. For a decade, he has amazingly been continuously on the top of the game, running the only Helsinki venues that are up to international club standards. From early-90s to the early 2000s it was Kerma 1997-2004 and sOda 1996-2003, Rose Garden 2005-2007 Today its Redrum (www.redrum.fi) his latest club with massive Funktion One soundsystem and Kuudes linja (www.kuudeslinja.com) which is live venue. In addition to all this, he is also one of the people behind Flow (www.flowfestival.com), the annual electronic/urban music festival in Helsinki, and the owner of the trendy Helsinki music bars: Porvoonkadun Baari & Siltanen
Toni's roots lie in the early days of underground warehouse parties and he has not to date lost his commitment to the underground and uncompromised musical culture. As a DJ, Lil' Tony is probably best known for his deep and soulful house/techno sets – Detroit/New York/Chicago house music was his first love after all – but he is remarkably unprejudiced and eclectic in his approach to music, be that for his personal listening pleasure only, or what he plays when out DJing. On the other hand Toni's got strong jazz/soul/Latin background. So be not surprised if you hear the man throwing in some Soulful Disco, Afro-cosmica Italo stuff, balearic rareties, Disco not Disco record or even twisted Jazz track. Lil' Tony's main musical influences – in addition to extensive traveling – are UR, Harvey, Ron Hardy, Ron Trent, Chez Damier, Daniele Baldelli, Theo Parrish, Marvin Gaye, Moodyman, Fela Kuti, Carl Craig and Basic Channel.
Though working hard at home, Tony has found time to spin as a guest DJ all around the globe. Recent years have seen his visits to Japan (Life Force parties in Tokyo and Osaka), Berlin (Panorama Bar, Innercity, Weekend, WMF, Tresor etc.), London (The End, Medicine Bar, T-Bar, Nottinhill Arts Club, Thats How It Is @ Bar Rhumba, Jazz Café etc.), Mallorca (Garrito Cafe) Frankfurt (Robert Johnson), Zagreb (Kontrapunkt), Madrid (Goa, Weekend), Miami (WMC, Raw Fusion label party), Barcelona (La Teracca, Moog, DOT, Phone Phone), Estonia (Mutant Disco, Privé, Stereo, Bon Bon), Portugal (Lux, Industri), St. Petersburg (Tunnel, Par, Planetarium), Paris (Rex), Brighton (Jazz Rooms), Bern (Night of the Blue Notes), Stockholm (Raw Fusion) and Oslo (Skanssen, Jazzid, Blå). A highlights for 2007 so far has been Panorama Bar Sunday afternoon with Ame, Dixon, Margus Worgull, Henrik Schwarz, Club Goa in Madrid and all-nighter set at Innercity night @ Weekend in Berlin.
As a promoter, Toni has brought literally hundreds of international DJs and live artists to Helsinki. Some of the highlights include: Âme, Juan Atkins, Blake Baxter, Kerri Chandler, Joe Clausell, Carl Craig, Keb Darge, Kirk Degiorgio, Dixon, Domu, Titonton Duvante, Edan, Egon, Laurent Garnier, Morgan Geist, José Gonzáles live, Graven hurst live, Matthew Herbert, I:Cube, Idjut Boys, Norman Jay, Jay Dilla (R.I.P.), Jazzanova, Jazzman, Kenny Dope, King Britt, Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, Louie Vega, Derrick May, Steve Bug, Vince Watson, Chateau Flight live, Metro Area live, Moodyman, Mark Murpy live, Octave One, Omar live, Osunlade, José Padilla, Peshay, Gilles Peterson, Photek, DJ Pierre, DJ Rolando, Scion, Solomon Luke, Seiji, !!!, Coco Rosie, Terry Callier, O:pel Bastards, Redshape live, Tiefschwarz, Jenni Wilson, Marleena Shaw, Slam Mode, DJ Spinna, Paul St. Hilaire, Tortured Soul live, United Future Organization, UR live, Marva Whitney live, Josh Wink, Questlove, Charles Webster & Claude Young.
"Its all about good music."
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