DJ Ray Velasquez presents Harmonic Dissidents-Dreamatorium (1989)

A highly accomplished New York City DJ, Ray Velasquez is historically widely recognized as the godfather of post disco era DJ culture of his native Kansas City , and as a tireless arbiter and torchbearer of advanced music worldwide. 

As Kansas City's cultural provocateur in clubs, on radio, and in print since 1983, Ray helped introduce, nurture, and elevate from the underground into the mainstream genres from 80's post punk, synth-pop, alternative rock, industrial dance, and acid house, Madchester, and acid jazz, to indie, shoegaze, techno, rave, drum & bass, ambient,  deep house, downtempo, and Brazilian, Latin, and jazz kissed lounge electronica. 

Although fiercely proud of his Kansas roots, Ray's early career as a DJ, artist, and music journalist was irrevocably linked to New York City music, art, culture, and nightlife, from his first visits  throughout the '80's  attending the New Music Seminars, dancing until dawn at Danceteria and The World, seeing New Order at the Paradise Garage, Madonna at the Ritz, the Beastie Boys at the Cat Club, and being waved past the velvet rope at Red Zone by NYC nightlife impresario Steven Lewis who would gleefully shout, "Hey Kansas! I spent a year in Kansas one night!".

Ray's  first NYC DJ gig was playing with Paul Oakenfold and Josh Wink at the Building in '90. Numerous club and rave gigs followed throughout the 90's with the likes of Keoki, Moby, Dmitry from Deee-lite,and Doc Martin.
 
But perhaps the most anomalous and even surrealistic association with New York City culture experienced before he relocated to NYC in '99 is with William S. Burroughs who resided for years on the Bowery in an apartment notoriously known as "The Bunker".   In the 80's Mr. Burroughs left New York City and moved to Lawrence, Kansas where he lived out his remaining years.  Mr. Burroughs passed away in '97, and Ray was commissioned to program the music for his wake.  He actually DJ'd behind the open casket of the iconic Beat Generation writer on the stage of a 19th century opera house in Lawrence, Kansas.

Ray's reputation as a DJ is one of extraordinary musical, artistic, and creative vision, versatility, and virtuosity, illustrated in large part by the variety of artists with whom he's had the opportunity of sharing a stage or DJ booth including New Order, Public Image Limited, The Sugarcubes, Killing Joke, Suicide, Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Marshall Jefferson,  Paul Oakenfold, Mixmaster Morris, Tom Middelton, Ben Watt, Josh Wink, Sven Vath, Hybrid, Moby, Keoki, Dubtribe, Ian Pooley, Derek Carter, Autechre, Spacetime Continuum, Skylab,DJ Pathaann, Bugz In The Attic, Mondo Grosso, Fauna Flash, Swayzak, Afrika Bambataa, 
Deee-lite,'s Supa DJ Dmitry Doc Martin, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, Moev, Nine Inch Nails, Legendary Pink Dots, Genesis P. Orridge of Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, Die Warzau, David Holmes, Bebel Gilberto, Gotan Project, Mum, Jazzanova, Kruder & Dorfmeister,  Fila Brazillia, Chari Chari, Nuspirit Helsinki, Da Lata, Yukihiro Fukutomi, Nouvelle Vague, Stacy Pullen, Erik Truffaz, and Nookie to name a few. 

Generating hip, sophisticated yet accessible music environments for some of the finest clubs, lounges, and listening rooms in the city is my specialty having performed or established residencies at such celebrated venues as Cielo, Norwood, Lot 61, Bungalow 8, Union Square Lounge, Bed New York, Aspen Social Club, Sushi Samba, The Galapagos Artspace, the Soho and Tribeca Grand, The Cabanas at the Maritime Hotel, Thom's Bar at The Thompson Hotel, Hudson Hotel, The Standard Hotel, and Room 55 at the Dream Hotel.  The summer of 2010, Ray held a poolside residency at  Sole East in The Hamptons. 

As a music stylist/audio architect He has designed or performed music environments for the retail, events, or public spaces of corporate clients such as Hugo Boss, L'Oreal, Studio Dror, Porsche Design, American Outfitters, Club Monaco, Gordon Ramsay NYC/LA, Bloomberg, Cafeteria, Hyatt Hotels, Eaglewood Resort,  El San Juan Hotel and Casino, Sprint, New York Film Festival, Premiere Brazil Film Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival, and the Gen Art Film Festival.

Ray even DJ'd an erotic ball whose events had been televised on HBO's "Real Sex". Essentially an orgy, he literally generated the aural lubrication for a room full of swingers enjoying public sex at a private event, which is kind of funny considering that Ray often describes what he does as "generating cultural lubrication for deeper penetration".

Whether playing bossa nova and samba electronica on Ipanema Beach in Rio De Janeiro, deep house and downtempo poolside at private extravaganzas in Tel Aviv or the Turks Caicos Islands, ambient electronica in the chill out tents at raves hidden deep in a Wisconsin forest or a Kansas field, ferocious and nihilistic post punk, disco pogo at a beer soaked basement dive bar in the Lower Eastside, or deep and voluptuous house and techno at an urban rooftop cocktail party blanketed beneath a starry New York City sky, Ray's mission is multi-tiered: 

1. To exercise an enhanced sense of empathy, critical judgement, unparalleled good taste, and a vast musical frame of reference that transcends genre, to generate an emotionally engaging musical narrative.

2. To musically and culturally celebrate the past, define the present, and explore the future.

3. To act as a catalyst between music, my clients, and the audiences they intend to impact, thereby branding their musical identity and setting the tone for increased revenue.

Grooveselector