name: kent christopher

locales: berlin [germany] / madison [usa]

musical style: house | tech-house | techno | breaks | atmopheric drum & bass | downtempo | ambient

influences: richie hawtin | sven väth | john acquaviva | scott hardkiss | boo williams | ltj bukem | dj garth

affiliations: nice musique | eucalyptus productions | the shell studio

background: upon discovering electronic music in 1992, i began buying music ranging from the early U.K. breakbeat pre-cursors of drum & bass to the dream-like ambience of aphex twin. in 1995, after witnessing the talents of local electronic music djs, i came to see the act of dj'ing as a means of greater interaction with the music i was so passionate about. i knew it was something i had to do.

the focus of my passion shifted to house music in 1996, and my musical tastes were further expanded when, in 1997, i joined nice musique, founded by prominent madison dj nick nice. upon exposure to the performances of richie hawtin in 1997-1998, my old interest in techno was rekindled and i began incorporating the yamaha 01v effects processors into my sets.

living in london during the winter and spring of 2001, the hard tech-house sounds heard at my regular club hangout the end fueled my harder edged playing style, only to be balanced out by a subsequent trip to berlin, where i fell in love with the subtle but raw style that is the german sound.

now living in berlin for the majority of the year, my musical focus is typical of the sounds heard in berlin, yet with tendency to get more funky thanks to my musical roots.

musical perspective: on a personal level, the process of mixing and blending pieces of music together serves as an emotional outlet: a reflection of my initial mood, amplified by the music i begin with and then explored with each successive piece, creating a journey from one emotional state to another. when performing live, i strive to create this journey through music in hopes of arousing, guiding and challenging people's thoughts as well as providing a release for everyone, tickling the soul and reminding us all that we are living, perceiving creatures, able to celebrate our very existence through music and dance.