- DJ Dan was born and raised in Seattle before eventually settling in Pasadena and San Francisco, California. Living in California exposed Dan to a wide range of different styles of music; everything from high energy, hip-hop and rap from Los Angeles and disco and house from San Francisco.
Commencing his DJ career in L.A.'s early '90s rave scene, DJ Dan then became the main DJ for San Francisco's aptly-named Funky Techno Tribe. Since that time he has headlined both raves and clubs all over the world as well as remixing artists such as Cirrus and releasing singles and albums on labels such as Ultimatum, Kinetic and Moonshine, including 1998's Beats 4 Freaks, 1999's Funk The System and 2000's Put That Record Back On.
2004 sees the man is returning stronger than ever with an energised mix of funk-fuelled uplifting house on 'Accelerate'. Released on Kinkybeat, a label infamous for its elaborate packaging, 'Accelerate' includes a second retrospective disc of remastered and unedited remixes and rarities - comprised mostly of remixes of DJ Dan's biggest production to date, "That Zipper Track."
DJs aside, the first disc is going to be the focus of the set for the majority of punters. As to be expected, DJ Dan's mixing is flawless utilising his signature combination of well honed beat mixing and EQ manipulation that fans have become accustomed to thanks to his numerous earlier releases. The energy is apparent immediately - there's no warm up tracks here with Dan literally cranking his unique blend of funky house from the very first track. Getting proceedings underway with Ikon's 'Do You Dream (Steve Angello Remix)', the high tempo funky house is certain to have listeners literally bouncing in their seats.
Dan's combination of flawless mixing and excellent track selection mean that the average listener will barely be able to discern between tracks with a feeling of constant flow and unrelenting beats maintained for the entire CD. I think that it's fair to say that Dan steps out of bounds and comes back champion of a unique sound that he can call all his own. Handpicked from his favorite labels, tracks come from Hatiras, Antoine Clamaran, Olav Basoski and Sebastian Ingrosso with John Dahlback. Also included is DJ Flex's 'Connected' (favored by house jocks the world over), David Vendetta and his smash 'Party People' and this reviewer's personal favorite - Mischa Daniels and his Subliminal styled 'discofied' stomper, 'Can't Hide Now Baby' that works the DJ Sneak sample from 'You Can't Hide From Your Bud'.
Through this release, Dan effectively conveys his unique style and provides great music that puts a smile on your face and makes you want to get up and dance. Whether you're a long time follower or not, chances are you're bound to enjoy Accelerate, and whilst it doesn't necessarily stand out among DJ Dan's numerous earlier mixes, it's certainly not a disappointment either.