Events

Mr. V destroyed the dance floor last month at Houspitality, SF's staple weekly party. Now, back by popular demand, Mr. V will be making a second SF appearance for our next installment of Deep Technique. Hailing from NYC, Mr. V will be dropping bumpin' deep house jams sure to set the dance floor a blaze.

We're also excited to have back up in the mix - Marissa Guzman performing an opening set of original works featured on her record label Juicy Lucy Records

Mark your calendars and join us for this exciting and highly anticipated house party!

Artist Bio:

Mr. V (Sole Channel Music, Musik 4 Tomorrow - NYC)

Experiencing Mr. V’s (AKA Victor Font) DJ sets, original productions, or remixes is like taking a trip back in time to dance music’s golden age. Before superstar DJs took over the spotlight, dance music was a cultural phenomenon that did what no other form of music could do – bring people together. It didn’t matter what race or sexual orientation you came from because dance music was all about embracing our differences and creating a homogeneous vibe. The music was built heavily on traditional song structures and lots of heart and soul. DJs played whatever it took to get the party going and the music was never predictable. It is with this classic spirit and enthusiasm that New York City’s Mr. V targets today’s dance music world. Mr. V is a throwback in the purest sense.

Growing up in the 1980’s the open-minded Mr. V was heavily influenced by House, Hip-Hop, Latin, Garage and Disco classics, Rhythm & Blues and Jazz. Mr. V was enamored by the role a DJ commanded over a crowd and was taken by the talents of his friend Lord G., who had a weekly Thursday night party in New York City. Despite wanting to be a professional DJ, it wasn’t until he met the legendary Louie Vega that he found his calling. “Louie used to have his party called “Underground Network,” and that’s where I discovered house music. I always wanted to be a DJ, but Louie’s type of music – that whole soulful sound – is what I wanted to play,” says Mr. V.

Louie Vega saw the drive and potential in Mr. V and hired the young Nuyorican DJ / producer as his assistant at the world famous Masters At Work label. In this position Mr. V was given a rare glimpse into the global dance scene and before long was taking to the decks alongside his mentor. Currently, Mr. V is one of the fastest rising names on the circuit on his own as a headliner and as support for Louie Vega. Stylistically, Mr. V has a wildly eclectic sound that brings spontaneity back to the art of DJing. “Sometimes I just pull stuff [out of the DJ bag] out of the blue. I like to keep people guessing. I play things that I don’t think other people are playing – I’ll play a house-rock record or some classic stuff. It’s always different and depends on the vibe,” he says. Mr. V’s favorite labels include Ricanstuction, Vega Records, Real Tone Records, BBE, Dope Wax, Defected and Africanism.

In addition to his busy DJ schedule – Mr. V has displayed his turntable talents at many popular nightclubs across the globe – he is also making quite a name for himself as a producer. In 2001, along with partner Alix Alvarez, Mr. V launched his own label Sole Channel Music as a way to release music with complete control and artistic freedom. To date, he has released four singles on the label including his most famous track, “Something (Wit’ Jazz).” Mr. V has also released original productions and remixes for other labels including Vega Records (featuring the massive tracks “Jus’ Dance” and Louie Vega feat Mr. V “V Gets Crazy”), Ricanstruction Label, Underground Collective Recordings, King Street Sounds, Hustle Music, City Deep Music and Large Music. 2006 is set to be a big year for Mr. V as it will see the release of his much anticipated debut album, Welcome Home. Combining his multifaceted skills as a DJ / producer / remixer, and with an ear towards dance music’s roots, Mr. V is a name to watch out for!

MARISSA GUZMAN

Raised in Detroit with a father who was on the Motown label (Eddie Guzman of Rare Earth), Marissa had quite the artistic upbringing. Having her dad constantly on the road touring with the band was difficult, but the excitement that goes along with a father who is a well-known musician deeply inspired her. Especially as a little girl while at concerts with thousands of screaming fans, the members of Rare Earth would call their kids on stage to help them sing their biggest hit, “I Just Want To Celebrate,” and Marissa knew then that she wanted to pursue singing.

With a strong passion for writing, Marissa majored in Journalism and landed her first job in advertising, devoting her life to Ford Motor Company. With such a demanding career, she had little time for her true passion: music, but in her free time she still managed to develop a huge appreciation for Detroit’s infamous underground electronic music scene, and started writing vocal tracks over instrumental house tunes. She became friends with the legendary Detroit techno pioneer, Derrick May, who convinced her to start her own label to get her music out there, which she did in 2007. Marissa’s mom, Barbara named it Juicy Lucy Records.

Around this time she decided to move to San Francisco, and after a spiritual retreat in 2009, Marissa had a revelation to quit her job in marketing to learn how to produce, and work on her first album. In spring of 2011, the first single, “Time To Go” was proof to the world that she made the right decision. Black Coffee’s remix went straight to #1 on Traxsource after being available for less than a week, and gave Marissa instant exposure internationally, setting the stage for a bright future.

A few months later, on 11-11-11, Marissa released her debut album, Joy Road.

As she feels very strongly about the importance of using music as a platform to help those less fortunate, Marissa is graciously donating 50% of her album sales to NextAid, a Los Angeles based nonprofit organization that harnesses the power of music to support sustainable development projects that serve vulnerable children, youth and women in Africa.

Guzman notes, “I am hoping to spread awareness through my music and make a positive impact in Africa. While we here in the US are trying to get a fair shake for our 99%, in Africa, the global income distribution is even more skewed with hundreds of millions of people living on less than $1 a day.”

March 2012 was a very exciting month for Marissa, since “Time To Go” was nominated for Remix of the Year at the SAMAs (SA version of the GRAMMYs), and also in SA DJ Mag! Also in March, the Joy Road Remix album was released with remixes from Kerri Chandler, Black Coffee, Mr. V, Liquideep, Demarkus Lewis, Paul Randolph, Corduroy Mavericks, Doc Link, Hallex.M, and many more, and after being available one week it went to #2 in the Top 100 Albums on Traxsource. Plus her first official music video was also released for the song Magic Door: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1K_5kvXA_0

WMC 2012 was her busiest conference yet, with 10 gigs in 5 days, and she proved to the world that she can also add DJ’ing to her abilities, singing over her sets ranging from 45 min – 3 hours, getting everyone on their feet dancing with her!

Stay tuned! The future is looking bright for this multi-talented songbird.