DJ: UNKNOWN

1998 was the year that drove Hillary Snyder (A.K.A. DJ: Unknown) to wear a paper bag on his head. The New York club scene had fallen into a closed loop of Hip Hop, House, Techno and assorted Mtv approved alt styles. The raw, break out energy that once made New York a night clubbers paradise had faded to black. Dancing, deemed a crime through archaic NYC Cabaret laws put a strangle hold on what was left of that energy. Striking a pose rather than stooping to a base activity like dancing was always a preferred stance to take for the snobbery and nervous new comers. In short, the famed NYC night scene had become nothing more than an urban legend.In an effort to slap the scene into consciousness, a good sight gag was in order. That and a couple of crates of records that reached for a mind set as opposed to a genre. The late 70s and early 80s in New York were nothing less than a cultural big bang. Punk Rock, Hip Hop, Ska, Disco, Reggae, Dance Hall, House, Techno, Hi NRG, No Wave, New Wave, etcAll energized by each other. Knowing the Pavlovian response he would get, DJ: Unknown mixed 1 part NY underground with 2 parts Punk Funk/Neo Electro. Around that time he was introduced to and became friends with Warren Fischer and Casey Spooner. After witnessing the legendary first performance of Fischerspooner at Starbucks on Astor Place, Hillary immediately offered to play as a side act. At that time there were no other DJs spinning electro-centric sets in New York. Playing with a paper bag on his head, DJ: Unknown soon had a cult following. People were more than ready for some humor and individuality. Originally worn as a comment on the state of the club scene and a nose thumbing to the dj fame game, the paper bags ambiguous nature soon took on a life of its own. Since the creation of DJ: Unknown, Hillary has gone on to Dj / Promote major Neo Electro nights in NYC. Including NYs first Neo Electro night called Nite Magic at Gavin Browns Passerby Bar (1998-2003) with like minded dj Nite Dog (Kevin Carney/Generic Costume). The Atari / Commodore fetish night called Blip pulled together the fractured 8 bit fanatic scene for the first time (1999). Featuring music and digital art all based on or dramatically influenced by early video games. Unknowns set for the night might include original video game scores mixed with bleepy French House, Hip Hop, Electro old and new, Space Disco, Italo, Techno, Dance Hall and anything else he could find that had incorporated the now famous SID chip sound as ear candy. The Profile Oscuro parties were a joint effort between DJ: Unknown and the east coast record distributor team Safety In Numbers. Profile Oscuros mission was to bring in Electro heavies from around the world who had either been neglected or over shadowed by the Larry T Electro Clash media blitz. Among them were Hong Kong Counterfeit, It and My Computer, Ed DMX, Carl Finlow, Crossover etc. In recent years his instincts and record collection have turned him into a frequent flyer and positioned him on club nights with the biggest names in the Punk Funk/Neo Electro scene. In 2001 he was hired by Levis as Music Supervisor on a series of 3 commercials. In 2002 Cornerstone Promotions commissioned him to introduce America to the NY Electro movement on Cornerstone Player ..34. He is currently a resident of the nationally broadcast XM 80 Satelite Radio show REDUX with fellow residents: John Selway, Simon, Larry T and Tommie Sunshine. DJ: Unknown has also been featured in GQ, Shout, IN, Self Service, L.A. Weekly, Vice, Foul and Time Out NY.http://www.beastiemania.com/whois/snyder_hillary/