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Ambitious, disciplined, practical, patient and humorous. He considers that deejaying is ''a project worthy of some serious time and energy.''They were his words after he watched and enjoyed the work of local deejays in Hawke's Bay who were spinning at early rave and dance parties. It was natural he would follow.Born in Invercargill, but having lived most of his life in Hawke's Bay, he had always pursued music, both listening to it and performing it from a young age. He bolstered his talents through a classical education in guitar and picked up honours awards from the London Trinity School of Music. He played in bands during the teenage years...then watched the rise of deejaying.As well as discovering how much fun it was to synchronise dance tracks for his own entertainment on solo spinning missions in his room, Dan also realised that moving into performing his newfound musical art to appreciative audiences was definitely where it was at.He began deejaying, with heart and soul, in 1996, and started playing everything from house to trance and electro. But after experimenting with many forms, it was techno music that touched him so strongly he decided to specialise in it...and to compliment the artists who produce the music through mixing and track selection in his sets.Dan's sets are powerful and emotive, and he presents what modern techno music has to offer with sets of originality speckled with the influence of many of the world's leading techno exponents.His skill is evident. In 1998 Dan entered a national mixtape competition staged by the country's premier dance culture magazine ''Remix'' and took top honours in the techno section. Later that year Dan headed for Wellington and became involved in the scene there big time...as well as hosting shows on both Active 89FM and Firm FM he took out a live deejaying competition at The Judder Bar and made a string of guest appearances at underground dance parties and outdoor events.That same year Dan formed ''Direct Drive'' productions and started promoting techno club nights alongside Matt Drake...the pair hosting many of the country's leading techno deejays on a monthly basis at Studionine. At one of the first in a series of ''Hardsoul'' techno nights, staged in Auckland, Dan and Matt played alongside Miles Kuen and Emma ''Halogen Girl'' Jean. He's no stranger to playing support for some of the big international deejaying names. In '99 Dan played alongside Sweden's Adam Beyer and Nepal's Gaetano Parisio when they visited Wellington for the second Underground Sound of Sweden Techno Extravaganza at the Phoenix nightclub.He has also played alongside Singapore's Jonothan Yeo and London's Colin Dale. Dan rocked in the new year at the Napier millennium celebrations in one of the biggest live events the city had ever seen...he had the dance tent shaking!, and was also voted amongst the top five Techno deejays in Wellington for the Biggie deejay awards.Since then he has continued to hone his act with house parties and club gigs...and simply pursued good times with good friends and good music. He has also crossed the ditch for occasional performances on the Gold Coast.Dan's deejay philosophy? ''I see my role in the dance music industry as being able to express myself and to push the boundaries of creativity...and having as much fun as I can in the process.''Dan spent a few years promoting the local talent in the Hawkes Bay, and showcased a specialised Techno club night at Deviate dance bar in Havelock North.Dan is also working towards the next level, and when he's not juggling his day job and his family, he's in the studio working on his own tracks.For booking contact: [email protected]