About Me
Rock Nice was born in Newark, NJ under the sign of Aquarius in 1973. Born to young parents, he grew up in a household where music was played regularly at weekend parties. This is where young Rock Nice was exposed to what we refer to today as the classics. This included a steady musical diet of Stevie Wonder, Parliament, Brass Construction, Loose Joints, Eddie Grant, Hall & Oates and the like. He soaked in this sonic barrage of groundbreaking music and it became part of his DNA, so much so that it would shape a large portion of his destiny for years to come."My pops had a dope record collection. I remember him having albums like THE DUDE (Quincy Jones) a lot of Lonnie Liston Smith, Patti Austin, Marvin Gaye and stuff like that. So I guess this music thing was hereditary for me.""I started playing in late '87 / early '88. This was around the time when I first saved up my allowance and copped my first set of Technics turntables (belt drive, course) and started putting in work. At that time, I was devoting equal playing time to Hip Hop, House Music and Classics. At that point in history, there was less of a segregation of musical genres in the hearts and minds of myself and my peers. Then as time went along, the urban culture changed and there was more of a divide between those that follwed Hip Hop, and those that followed Deep Dance music. Even though I wasn't aware of it at the time, I always had an ear for underground music. I still have my large collection of cassette tape club mixes that I recorded from the radio broadcasts of NYC's KISS FM when legendary DJ, Tony Humphries was holding it down."At this point, Rock found himself being drawn in by the deeper, more soulful elements of House music. Being familiar with the classics from his early childhood, he was astounded by the way the music that he grew up on and loved was being blended in with joints that were obviously up-to-the-minute. His education increased with each set he studied, as he was exposed to even deeper classics that might as well have been new music to him, because he liked them on an equal footing with the new sounds that were being produced."A lot of my older friends who were involved with the early underground scene are impressed with my knowledge and love for the music. Some of them say, 'You play like you were at the Zanz.' I feel like I was spiritually there, even though I didn't really start partying until my late 20's. When I play this music (Deep House & Classics) I feel connected to the spirits of all those who were and are involved in this scene. I guess that's what people connect to when they hear me play."On his way to becoming a full fledged DJ, Rock absorbed the vibes at some of the most relevant parties and clubs of his day. This includes Zanzibar (Newark, NJ), Sensations (Newark, NJ), Club Shelter, Deep (NYC) and the Sacred Rhythm party @ Club Love (NYC). Rock also applied his trade during his growth and development period at numerous mobile gigs, parties and local clubs. He has also produced a series of mixed CD's through which he touches on the deep dance classics of the past as well as promotes the deep sounds of today's underground scene. Rock has also played at Club Eclipse, the G-spot party with his friend Omar Abdallah, the SHARE function held @ Club Love, which he produced in conjunction with his partners Chris Watkiss and Hassan Sharif aka "YahNjoythegrooves"."I've waited a long time to meet brothers of like mind at the right time, and the stars just happened to align themselves and allowed me to connect with Hassan & Chris, who I consider my brothers. With the energy each of us bring individually as well as collectively, I feel very optimistic about the future."Fast forward to today where Rock has in the works the continuation of the SHARE party (a concept birthed by Chris Watkiss) as well as future collaborations with Yah Yah on the production side of things. The future looks bright for this humble yet powerful student of the craft whose star is just beginning to shine.
