DJ Pari profile picture

DJ Pari

Ain't it funky now!

About Me

Myspace Layouts at Pimp-My-Profile.com / Casettes

When it really comes down to it, I'm just a fan of the music we all love. This love for music made me give up a well-paid job to dedicate my time end energy to the enhancement of Soul music. Since I never had the patience and skills to learn how to play an instrument properly, I became a DJ, and later in life, a producer, agent, promoter and artist manager. I made it my mission to finally bring many forgotten Funk and Soul legends back into the spotlight so they can get the respect they deserve (and I get to see them perform as much as I want. We all have our own agenda, don't we?). To accomplish this, I have founded my Soulpower organisation (www.soulpower.info) in 2004. But in the more than 15 years I have spent in the business, I have worked or DJed with artists like James Brown, Marva Whitney, Lyn Collins, Bobby Byrd, Mandrill, Vicki Anderson, War, RAMP, Roy Ayers, Bootsy Collins, Fred Wesley, Sweet Charles Sherrell, Pee Wee Ellis, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Ann Sexton, Martha High, the Soul Generals, Maceo Parker and many more. I am currently managing James Brown's Soulsister Number One, Marva Whitney, and I am working with the Japanese Funk group Osaka Monaurail. I have also DJed pretty much all over the world, in more than 50 cities in 25 countries, mostly Europe, the United States, Japan and Hong Kong. I constantly travel to do my thing. Bottom line, I'm a Funknut, and you better believe it!

My Interests

Music, music, music. I have to admit, I love being on the road, especially at new places. But I also love books, good food and simply lounging. But my family is more important to me than all of the above.

I'd like to meet:

People who love music. People who are hip. People with taste. People who know what they are doing and got themselves together. People who are for real. In short, people with Soul. If you are a musician, DJ or singer with something to say and offer, contact me.

Music:

Too many to mention. I will single out a few, because they have inspired me to dedicate my life to music, and they still inspire me everyday, when I start my day with music and end my day with music. James Brown is still my Soulbrother # 1, the Alpha and Omega of music. But I have a deep appreciation for the talents of Leroy Hutson / The Voices of East Harlem / Curtis Mayfield / Mandrill / The Impressions / New Birth / Donny Hathaway / Stevie Wonder / Lyn Collins (my dear sister, R.I.P.) / Marva Whitney (love ya) / The JBs / John Lucien / Bootsy / John Coltrane (A Love Supreme is the most important piece of music every written, IMO), Joe Henderson / Roy Ayers / Otis Redding / Ramp / The Dramatics / Minnie Ripperton / Rasputin's Stash / Sly / The Temptations / Undisputed Truth / Gladys Knight / The Natural Four / The Notations / Maceo Parker / The Counts / The Ohio Players / Earth Wind & Fire / Smokey Robinson / Aretha Franklin / Baby Huey and the Babysitters / Magnum / War / Harold Alexander / Oliver Nelson / Louis Armstrong / Eugene McDaniels / Funk Inc. / Brass Construction / Candi Staton / Fela Kuti / Jack McDuff / Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson / George Clinton / Larry Young / Eddie Harris / Leon Thomas / George Benson / Hank Ballard / Lonnie Smith / The Blackbyrds / Same & Dave / Linda Clifford / Main Ingredient / Marie Queenie Lyons / The Emotions / Jimmy Smith / The Dells / Donald Byrd / Isaac Hayes / Gwen McCrae / Rufus Thomas / Al Green / Ray Charles / Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings / Jimmy McGriff / Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings / The Beginning of the End / Quincy Jones / Marvin Gaye / Clifford Coulter / Tower of Power / Bloodstone / Les McCann / Dyke & The Blazers / Joe Tex / Booker T. & The M.G.s / Kool & the Gang / The Isley Brothers / Coldblood / I will add more names later ...

Movies:

I love the classic blaxploitation movies, such as "Superfly", "Shaft", "Truck Turner", "Coffy", "Foxy Brown" - you get the idea. I also dig Quentin's stuff, like "Jackie Brown", but never got into "Pulp Fiction". More favorites: "The Big Labowsky", "Being John Malkovich", "Ladykillers" and documentaries like "Wattstax" or "Respect yourself: The Story of Stax".

Television:

Not too big on TV. I like PBS documentaries, and I mainly watch news channels. But I do like Jay Leno and David Stewart.

Books:

Books are like records to me. I gotta own them, and once I've read them, I still may pull them out to read them again. I don't really read novels ... I favour biographies.

Heroes:

My son Samuel.

My Blog

Interview in RVA Magazine

Richmond's hip RVA Magazine recently ran a six-page-feature about our Soulpower events here in Virginia. Now they have added an interview with my local DJ partner Troy and myself. We're talking about&...
Posted by DJ Pari on Sat, 19 Apr 2008 02:54:00 PST

Back at Eighteenth Street Lounge in Washington, D.C.

I am proud to return to the Eighteenth Street Lounge in Washington, D.C., this Saturday, April 12th, as part of our Soulpower series in the capitol. I already played this hot spot with my fr...
Posted by DJ Pari on Tue, 08 Apr 2008 09:19:00 PST

Dig this - Soul and Funk 45s and LPs for sale

I have some doubles laying around and I offer them to anyone who's interested. I don't really have the nerve and time to put them up on Ebay, so I decided to sell (or trade) them directly. The r...
Posted by DJ Pari on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:18:00 PST

On tour in Europe with the legendary RAMP

I still remember the first time when I heard RAMP. It was in the early 90s, when I started collecting Soul and Funk records. A friend of mine gave me one of those obscure bootleg compilations with whi...
Posted by DJ Pari on Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:12:00 PST

Listen now! James Brown radio tribute w/ prominent guests

We did it - Don't miss this special "Mellow Madness" W-RIR radio tribute to the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, commemorating the one year anniversary of his death last Christmas. We have de...
Posted by DJ Pari on Fri, 21 Dec 2007 11:24:00 PST

Osaka Monaurail Road Blog Part 3

Yes, after four long weeks on the road in Europe (and a ten-hours-layover in Chicago courtesy of American Airlines) I made it back home. The last third of Osaka Monaurail's European tour (featuring me...
Posted by DJ Pari on Mon, 17 Dec 2007 03:24:00 PST

Osaka Monaurail Road Blog Part 2

There are those few days on the road when you have time to sit down, relax and enjoy what you are doing. We are currently spending a few off-days in Montpellier, France, on the Mediterranian coast. Ou...
Posted by DJ Pari on Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:42:00 PST

Road Blog Osaka Monaurail (feat. Marva Whitney) Part 1

I thought that I was used to this. Being a road rat and all. But when I left my family and home in Virginia one week ago, it felt very different. Maybe it's because this is my longest tour so far. Sin...
Posted by DJ Pari on Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:17:00 PST

Funk is dead in Black America!

A thought-provoking title for a blog, I know. But sometimes it takes a rather broad generalization to catch people's attention, so forgive me if I have used these shameful tactics to get your's. But s...
Posted by DJ Pari on Tue, 06 Nov 2007 05:01:00 PST

Dates, dates, dates!

And now, ladies and gentlemen, dudes and dudettes, hipsters and hip honeys, please get familiar with my current DJ schedule so all of you will get the chance to shake that booty .. and have a cookie! ...
Posted by DJ Pari on Sun, 21 Oct 2007 01:14:00 PST