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Becoming DJ Gray . . . My Life, Then & Now!
By DJ Gray
Born in San Francisco, I am the only child of an interracial couple - Mom is Chilean and Dad, who hailed from New Orleans, was Creole. My dad passed away during the year I was born, so my mom decided she wanted to move back to Chile to raise me.
When I was seven, Mom felt we should move back to the US. She selected the New Orleans area, so we relocated there, and I started school. Mom and I lived in New Orleans until I finished high school. Then, she and I moved to Los Angeles, where I went on to college.
Growing up, I was always interested in music and played piano and guitar. I learned about music played on the radio from the older kids in our neighborhood, and made a point of keeping on top of what was most popular and current.
I moved to San Francisco after college during the early 1990's, and I remember that Act Up had started popping up in suburban malls. A new era in the San Francisco gay community had begun.
Arriving in San Francisco, I discovered a great subgroup of people, both
gay and straight, who were about going out to hear dance music. They enjoyed a vibe of unity through music, and this was the origins of what we now know as Raves. Back then, the Rave was a sophisticated event. The age range attending was broad, and included those in their 20s, 30s and 40s.
There were a lot of artists involved in producing raves and many attended as well. It felt like the gap between years were just light shades of "gray." Parties like ToonTown, Rave Called Sharon, Community and CareFree . . . those parties were very universal. There was also the big alternative gay scene where parties like Screw, Uranus, Faster PussyCat and Fusion took place. Those were the days!
By 1996, the city was changing. The dot COM's were soaring. The city was getting expensive and the scene was changing. A split occurred in the underground scene, and the result was that separate gay and straight parties
began popping up. Also, there was a down swing in the quality of the music coming out.
In 1998, I decided to changed my focus away form business and management, and follow my dream of creating and delivering happy, feel good music to "ears at bay." I began buying vinyl and dusting off my mixing skills. I began to find the music I was comfortable with.
Finally, in 2000, there was a breath of fresh air with new lounging sounds from small record labels like Naked Music. I began to play at friends parties in the lounge, and then I moved on to restaurants private parties and bars, both in the US and back in Chile.
As I gained experience producing a few parties in San Francisco, I learned that I would prefer to focus my energy on DJ-ing rather than promoting. I realized how much I enjoy making mix cd's, and my hope is to market them. Over the past year, I've begun learning music software, and I look forward to creating my own sound with both remixes and original work.
For future articles I hope to bring a fresh view of music to Betty's list readers. A little POP, R&B, Live, and my favorite Underground Music. I will review songs, albums, artists and compilations that I feel moved by one way or another.
Bio & Past Articles
Past Articles
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Betty's List 'Soaring with the Music Pilot'
Columnist DJ Gray
DJ Gray, Music Pilot, is a Chilean transport who moved to New Orleans at age 7. She grew up playing piano, guitar and records. Gray chose to move to Los Angeles for college. After finishing school and exploring California she found herself most comfortable in the Bay Area. Gray is inspired by the soulful grooves and Jazz of the 40's, 50's, 60's, and 70's. The funk, disco, and rock of the 70's and 80's, and the house beats of the 90's and present which she plays so eloquently. Gray has been playing music for private events for 7 years. Gray keeps abreast on the latest tunes in electronic, house and hip hop to give her listeners a taste of the musical fusion she provides to make your body groove.
Gray is available for bookings at ggray@djgray.net.
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