It’s tough to say more about DJ Dan than what is most likely known by just about any dance music fan that has ever taken interest in the genre. Just take a look at what some other legends have said:

“Dan is a pivotal ingredient to live DJing and production, a real teacher to all."-DJ Sneak

"The thing I love about Dan is that he's always had a funky spirit and he always pushes the elements of music."-Carl Cox

To those who still may not know all that much on Dan, we’ll help you out from under that rock. As you can tell from just a bit of the praise from musical icons DJ Dan has received, our West Coast bred friend has been around the block a few times (and turning heads all the while). Music has been forever entrenched in Dan’s life, having garnered a superior record collection at the age of 8 that would give Amoeba Records a run for its money. Starting his professional musical career with some smaller clubs in Seattle and then Los Angeles, DJ Dan had a rise to recognition in the dance music community that could be considered meteoric. Forming the Funky Techno Tribe in 1993, DJ Dan fused together breakbeat, house, dub, and techno to create a sound that later was fittingly crowned, “West Coast House”. And with renowned tracks like “Needle Damage”, and remixes for everyone from Depeche Mode to Duck Sauce, Dan’s production prowess is undeniable. The journey that Dan’s talents have taken him on could go on for pages and pages. He has played alongside the likes of fellow legends from Carl Cox to John Digweed with a mission of making club goers unable to fight the urge to dance the night away.

And it’s not just party goers and fellow DJ’s who bow down to Dan, the press have drooled over his music. DJ Mag named DJ Dan the #1 House DJ in 2006 while Urb Magazine named him “America’s Favorite DJ” and “America’s Hardest Working DJ” while he was also DJ Time’s ‘America’s Best DJ’ 2014 Top Ten Finalist. The media has never been more accurate. But one of the proudest moments could be said when THUMP warned partygoers to ‘never fuck with DJ Dan’ much like one unfateful attdendant did this year in Baltimore to which Dan had the most powerful of responses.

Dan’s widely renowned Los Angeles based label Instereo Recordings,has further etched his name into dance music’s core. With TJR, Phunk Investigation, Wolfgang Gartner, DJ PP, DJ Sneak, Hatiras, and DJ Dan being amongst the many artists featured on the Instereo Recordings, the label is hard to ignore in the industry. Dan also has releases on Toolroom, Pacha Recordings, Ultra, Guesthouse, Work, XL Recordings, Magnetic, Rising, and many others. 

In 2014 Dan shows no signs of slowing down. His EDC set was rated as one of the best sets of the weekend by DJOYBEAT.com as well as Magnetic Mag. Similar buzz had Insomniac President/ CEO Pasquale Rotella chiming in:

"We go back since the early 90′s and he DJ’d some of my first warehouse parties. He’s an LA underground staple and music legend.”

And if that wasn’t enough, in the recent major dance music poll ‘America’s Best DJ’, DJ Dan clocked in at #9 in a extremely competitive field; beating out some of the largest names in electronic music.

As this dance music world continues to evolve, it is safe to say that DJ Dan will continue to be one of its strongest voices and most powerful influencers.

Erdin Richards is following