For more information about me, check out my site at
www.djraygun.com . Also, check out my releases on Discogs .
I've been a musician since
I was 12 years old, having recieved my very first keyboard.
( Casio
PT87 , then soon after the Yamaha
PSS-480 ) In high school, I evolved to playing the bass
guitar for a Boise, Idaho industrial band called Waste of
a Life. Upon the acquisition of an Ensoniq
Mirage sampler, we renamed ourselves WAL, and continued
to record new material using the new found sampler. During
that time, I also joined together with fellow WAL member
John Kuehne and drummer Brent Kelly to form the punk rock
outfit, Freak
in a Jar (full cd available for download) . Meanwhile,
I acquired a guitar and a Yamaha MTS-120 4-track recorder.
I began recording solo works, encompassing my abilities to
play everything above, as well as program an Alesis SR-16
drum machine, and integrate occasional instances of the Mirage.
My solo project was titled Yellowgold, and I continue to
write songs under this moniker to this day.
I've been playing and writing electronic music since 1999. During that time, I was a DJ playing locally here in San Francisco. To say I was a successful DJ is quite an overstatement. I was tapped to play a host of private parties, house parties, and had a stint with a weekly spot at a local dance club. In such a competitive market, I found myself under whelmed by the logistics of the game. Simply, I wanted to play music that I enjoyed. What I didn..t want was to have to do all of the things necessary to promote oneself. It was the music that fascinated me, and everything else seemed undesirable. It turned play into work.
In 2003, while I was recovering from a lengthy shoulder surgery, I spent my spare time compiling and mixing together a host of original music created during 2002. Entitled Difference Engine , I distributed the CD online in various outlets in MP3 form. I still host the CD on this website. That CD turned out to open some very worthwhile doors for me. Keto of the radio show Fat Circles brought me in as a guest artist. Zer0-G Sounds released a vinyl single entitled The Sound of Words on which I revamped the title track as well as Punch Rum (both originally appeared on Difference Engine) and Morgan Page signed on to remix the title track.
Since then, I have secured an ongoing music writing relationship with Madcap Labs for the Life Love and Health radio show, playing on both NPR and XM radio. I have released a 4-song EP with Night Drive Music out of Germany, and my relationship with NDM continues. I have also teamed up with Ivan-I of Dub Theory to turn out original Dub House music on Jah Love Recordings and Tarantic Records .
You can find my Yellowgold music here .