With his new label queuing releases and plans for a forthcoming European tour underway, Baltimore born and bred DJ, producer and labelhead Godfather Sage’s star is on the rise.

Sage credits his earliest musical influence to his upbringing in Baltimore, where he grew up in a creative environment amidst the sounds of American and Brazilian Jazz. Other early influences arose through the soundscapes and chord progressions of 80’s R&B music the likes of Anita Baker, SOS Band, Loose Ends and Sade. In the early nineties Sage began listening to hip-hop and house dj’s on the radio and on mixtapes, igniting his first memories of feeling inspired to start dj’ing.

In 1995 Sage began dj’ing and making beats, taking time to hone his craft before playing his first gig at a Baltimore club in 1997. With the rise of UK drum & bass in the late nineties, Sage dove deeply into the genre and began spinning and producing drum & bass inspired music almost exclusively, yet he kept his production quiet for the most part in favor of developing his DJ career.

Sage acquired his first DJ residency in Washington, D.C. in 2000 and made a name for himself there as a drum & bass DJ. In 2005, he released his “Sonar” mix of classic 90’s drum & bass; the mix became quite popular and Sage found himself communicating with a growing fanbase from across the globe. He shifted gears and began playing house music and West London style broken beat, spinning and hosting house music parties at Miami’s Winter Music Conference, until eventually he was inspired to play more eclectic sets. In 2009 Sage took on a monthly residency called “A Change Of Pace” at Moomia in NYC’s East Village, where he played diversified sets that brought together hip hop, R&B, soul, 80’s, house and dubstep. Upon this shift to eclecticism, he began playing in cities across the U.S. as he continued evolving his approach as a selector.

Sage gradually became more serious about his production and withdrew from the social scene into an inward phase of harnessing creativity and developing and sharing new ideas with peers overseas. Becoming increasingly recognized for his signature sound combining bass-heavy beats with ambient chords alongside edgy electronic elements, Sage began receiving new music from like-minded producers all over the world. Some of it was so incredibly good that he was inspired to start a record label to create a place for music that other labels were loath to take a chance on. In 2010 he established Noisy Meditation, a Baltimore-based imprint featuring lush chords, deep atmospheres and syncopated beats, all set to a pace that creates vibes on the dancefloor. The label made its debut with the 2010 release of DJ Nav’s The New Dawn EP. Upcoming releases for 2011 include two singles (plus remixes) – “P.E.A.C.E.” by Godfather Sage and “Aurora” by Evrae and DJ Nav – as well as The Amberscape EP by emerging Aussie producer Amberscape.

To date, Godfather Sage has rocked crowds in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Pittsburgh, Houston, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco. He will tour Europe over the course of the next year, with show dates beginning as early as October 2011.