Published — 07.26.08—
* ARTICLES REPOSTED FROM WWW.ACTIVEDAYTON.COM *

By Amy Tiedge

Contributing Writer

Friday, July 25, 2008

For nightclub DJ Dave London, the six years since he last played in Ohio have been busy ones.

From Canada to Spain and back, London has been spinning records for dance clubs all over the world. He's internationally known for his breakbeat style of music and his original mixes of well-known songs. London is bringing his DJ skills to Dayton on Saturday, June 26.

London will be playing at "Floorplay," a party celebrating the newly renovated Club Aquarius. The club at 135 E. Second St., Dayton, invested more than $200,000 into its upgrades.

The last time London was in Ohio was more than six years ago. Since then, he's been gaining fame and momentum by spinning tracks all over the world. He's well-known for his funky mixes of hit songs and breakbeat sounds, putting a creative touch onto the typical house music played in nightclubs.

London also owns Yes Mate Recordings, a record label based in Orlando, Fla., dedicated to giving unknown artists a chance to explore music in their own original way. Yes Mate Recordings is responsible for artists like DJ 43 and Filthy Rich, well-known in the nightclub scene.

London says he's excited to be back DJing in Ohio.

"I think the Midwest is great," London said. "People are very open-minded about the types of music up there, which I love."

We talked with Dave to get his "spin" on his music, his style and what it's like being back in the Midwest.

Q How long have you been DJing/producing?

A I've been in the DJ business professionally since about 1995.

Q How would you describe your style of music?

A My style is primarily a genre called breakbeat, which is to the masses akin to somebody like Fatboy Slim. It's techno, but the beats are hip-hop, faster, rather than sort of structured like a techno "four to the floor" beat.

Q Do you still spin vinyl or do you use other sorts of equipment?

A It used to be where DJs used primarily vinyl, but with the age of MP3s and digital downloads, it's become a mix. I play anything I can on vinyl, but most of the music that's released now isn't released that way. A lot of DJs nowadays buy MP3s from various sites and compile them onto a CD.

Q How did you get involved with the club scene?

A I was introduced to DJing through a very good friend of mine in college who was a hip-hop scratch DJ, and I learned from him. Now he's primarily a hip-hop producer for old-school type stuff, but he introduced me to it, and I sort of developed my own style from there.

Q Tell us about Yes Mate Recordings.

A It's an independent label that was formed back in 1998 as an avenue to release not only my original music that I produce, but also for my friends that wanted to release records. Now it's more weighted to what I do just because the music business has taken a very severe hit financially so we try to keep it geared toward unknown musicians.

Q How did you get involved with that?

A For what we do in our genre, that's kind of the normal route to go. Trying to get a record deal through a big label is very difficult, and the best way to release your own music is to get involved with the process. We release vinyl so our names would get picked up in the business of the music we like to do.

Q What recent releases has the record done?

A We just did a mix of a Coldplay song, which I think people will definitely know. There was also a song a mix of a Dido song called "Take My Hand" in the UK that was pretty big, too.

Q What projects do you have on the horizon?

A I'm working on a new album with a production friend of mine, Filthy Rich. We're releasing a double CD album at the end of this year. It's going to be a "best-of" collection — kind of a combination of old school and new school. It'll be a collection of releases from the past 10 years on the first disc, and then on the second will be the new stuff we're doing.

Q Your newest release, "Message in a Bottle," is set to premier at "Floorplay." What's that track like? How long have you been working on it?

A It's essentially a remix of the Police song. It's a song everybody will recognize. It's done in our special way, the type of music we produce. That's been a slow one, probably about eight months.

Q How long does it typically take to complete a project?

A The time to produce a record can vary. I'd say two to three weeks is the minimum and some have taken up to a year to finish.

Q You recently did a radio show for Sirius Satellite Radio. What was that like?

A That was great. It was an opportunity to let the people out there know what we're doing, to widen our audience.

Q Do you have any other radio performances on the horizon?

A We're working on doing a few Podcasts, and we've done a lot of local radio. If we DJ in cities we do local radio there, but we don't have anything we do on a regular basis just because our schedule doesn't permit being in one place for very long.

Q Can you highlight some of the coolest places you've played, nationally and internationally?

A We've been all over the place. I've recently been to Spain, Canada, the West Coast, the Midwest — all over.

Q What's been your favorite?

A For DJing, I would say the most memorable travels have been to southern Spain and Canada, and just for down time, Monte Carlo. I went to a music conference there so I had an opportunity to travel down and see the Italian coast. So it was sort-of a work-related trip.

Q Anything else you want to add about why people should come check you out on the 26th?

A I hope that people can go to my Web site, yesmaterecordings.com, and I think a lot of people will know some of the music. For people that don't know it, ("Floorplay") will be a great opportunity for people to hear some original music and get a taste of something they may not have heard before.

— STAFF WRITER STEPHANIE COLLIER CONTRIBUTED TO THIS STORY

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By Amy Tiedge
Contributing Writer

Friday, July 25, 2008

If you're looking for a reason to celebrate, Dayton's Club Aquarius has a reason for you.

On Saturday, July 26, the downtown club is hosting on its upper level "Floorplay," a celebration of all the club has to offer including a $200,000 renovation.

The party will be hosted by Give Us a Break! Records, an independent label dedicated to artist management and event promotion, said Stuart Allen, owner.

The highlight of the party will be Dave London of Yes Mate Recordings back to DJ in Ohio for the first time in six years. London will be showcasing his take on breakbeat music and premiering his newest track, "Message in a Bottle," a remix of the beloved song by The Police.

Other acts will be Todd Alan (aka Cyberspeed) vs. Lady Bandit, DJ B N@$ty, Stuart Allen vs. Adam S, Goodvibez and Derek Brandon.

If the music doesn't pique your interest, the venue just might. The double-level venue offers two all-wood dance floors, two full-service bars, a stage, an outdoor patio and a huge VIP lounge complete with plush leather couches. Several plasma screen TVs throughout the bar broadcast music videos, live feed from the club and shots of the DJs.

Club Aquarius is billed as a gay nightclub, but offers a laid-back party feel and a great location that offers something for everyone.

"It's a very comfortable atmosphere," owner Wayne Kelley said. "Gay, straight, whatever. I wanted this to be a place for everybody to come and enjoy themselves."

Cover is $10, but once you're in you can take advantage of drink specials, including $4.50 cherry bombs and $5 Jaeger bombs.

For more information on "Floorplay," visit www.aquariusnightclub.com. For more information on Dave London and Yes Mate Recordings, visit www.yesmaterecordings.com.

Give Us a Break! also will present "Funktion Fridays" in the upper level of Club Aquarius on Aug. 1, Aug. 15, Sept. 5 and Sept. 19 from 10:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

For more information on these events and Give Us a Break! Records, visit www.giveus

abreak.pmrstudios.com or www.myspace.com/stuartallen831.

THELINEUP

DJ TIMESLOTS

8 to 9 p.m.: Derek Brandon

9 to 10 p.m.: Goodvibez

10 to 11 p.m.: B N@$ty

11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.: Stuart Allen vs. Adam S

12:30 to 2 a.m.: Dave London

2 to 3 a.m.: Cyberspeed

3 to 4 a.m.: Lady Bandit