Promised Land

BARUZ, ha iniziato a mixare a 14 anni, spinto da una passione viscerale per la musica.
A 18 si prende una pausa, ma nel 2024 torna alla consolle perché non può farne a meno.

I suoi set riflettono questa tensione tra istinto e mestiere: costruiti con amore, vissuti con intensità, suonati come se fossero l’ultimo.

La musica per lui non è un lavoro,
anche se — inevitabilmente — lo sta diventando!

Management & Bookings:
Joesmoothmusic@gmail.com

Armada Music/ Indie Art Music/ Obelisk Production Multimedia/ DJ International / Jack-It/ Trax

Joe Smooth is one of the pioneers of the style of music known today as house music. He is a self-taught musician who, from the age of 12, has been creating music that is inspiring to all that his sound has touched. In 1985 he joined the DJ International family and quickly became a central force behind everything written or produced from the visionary label. He has worked with such artists as Frankie Knuckles, Marshal Jefferson, A Guy Called Gerald, Lil Louis, D'Bora, Tyree Cooper, Fast Eddie, Fingers Inc., The Art Of Noise, Sterling Void, The Pet Shop Boys, Brian Mc knight, Atlantic Starr, The Style Council, New Order, Steve Hurley... and the List Goes On.
At the age of 16, Joe Smooth began having house parties and djing throughout Chicago's underground music scene. At 18, he opened his first night club called east Hollywood Mannequins. In 1983, Joe began dj’ing at the famous Smart Bar nightclub and created an atmosphere and mystique that still lives today. In 1985, the Limelight contracted Joe for their Chicago nightclub as musical coordinator. In 1987, he also started working for the soulful Charlie club nightclub as head DJ/musical coordinator.
In 1988, with musical production work building and traveling abroad Joe Smooth left the club scene for a short break to put his concentration fully into his productions. Joe Smooth is the writer of one of the biggest and most covered house anthems of all time "Promised Land", followed by "They Want To Be Free" recorded for CNN as the soundtrack for Nelson Mendela's release. Joe Smooth has written and released over 150 songs worldwide and can be credited with the involvement of over 10,000,000 record sales. In 1990, Joe Smooth saw a need for a serious underground house club in Chicago and opened the Warehouse nightclub, named in tribute to the legendary Warehouse nightclub of the early eighties. 1995 Joe Smooth looking for new horizons ventured to Rome to work on a label idea with producer Claudio Donato “active bass music” distributed by the now dissolved flying records network. In response to flying's failing and lack of a strong distribution network Joe Smooth returned to Chicago and began searching out new talents to develop and begin his new venture “Obelisk Productions Multimedia”. Thru the nineties til present day   Joe Smooth has done extensive work with Slang Music Group and Nu Soul. Joe's work at Slang and Nu Soul would include projects featuring Whitney Houston, Omarion, Beyonce, Joe, Donnell Jones, Destiny's Child, Sisqo, Vivian Green, Amerie, R Kelly, Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Max-a-Million, Kelly Price, Saleena Johnson, Back Street Boys, Wyclef, Prince and Madonna to name a few.