Buckner originally hails from Orlando, Florida. But just as he began to acquire his party legs in the early Orlando scene, he was magically transported to Chapel Hill, North Carolina presumably under the auspicious guise of higher education (read: he went to college). It was in the Tar Heel state that his late-night music career began in earnest. Falling in with the acid house and trance crowd, it wasn’t long before he began DJing regularly for well-known North Carolina promoters Hypersonic, Radiance, Sonic Boom, and Wax Worx. Not content with just DJing, he founded Vibe Is Alive Entertainment in 1997 and began hosting events himself, including Chapel Hill’s first Electronic Dance Music Symposium, which featured workshops and performances from Dubtribe Sound System, West Palm Beach’s Johnny Dangerously, Professors from the University, and several local record producers and artists from across North Carolina. Shortly after this event, the Resonance Project released Buckner’s first self-produced track “Wild Things†in early 2000. Working together with Lola B. , Vibe Is Alive then moved on to monthly parties (Burnin’ Up) and then weekly events (Night Vision) supporting local DJ culture in Chapel Hill, a movement that continues to grow and flourish to this day. Finally in early 2002, Buckner relocated back to his hometown – Orlando.
In Orlando, several new adventures began to take shape. In the spring of 2003, Buckner began producing the radio program Daytrippin’, along with partner Sean Davis and Lola B workin’ the mic, for internet radio station PulseRadio.net . This live broadcast gathered listeners from all over the world tuning in each week to hear the Daytrippin’ crew and special Orlando guest DJ’s including Q-Burns Abstract Message, Villo of the Balance Record Pool, Marc George of Agave Records, and Rob Slac who would go on to ask Buckner and Lola to work for his label Chillin’ Music in the Summer of 2005. Working together, Chillin’ Music when on to release several records from artists including Chuck Love, Johnny Fiasco, Rick Preston, and the Sound Navigators, as well as host top-notch events in Orlando, and in South Beach during WMC 2006 and 2007.
As of present, Buckner has returned to his roots, focusing on DJing and production. As a DJ, he can work any room, from the underground warehouse vibe to the more upfront club grooves. Buckner has played alongside DJ Ali, Nikola Baytala, Deepsky, Noel Sanger, Q-Burns Abstract Message, and Atnarko just to name a few. His schedule has included dates in North Carolina, Miami, and San Francisco, including a wicked appearance at San Francisco’s underground Slide 5 Year Anniversary party for Dax Lee. His latest production work has seen Buckner partner with Eight-Track’s Sleazy McQueen and Teknology/Sunkissed Record’s Matt Harris. Keep an eye out for these upcoming floor-fillers.
