The Middle Hour

A&R @groundidmusic

Resident DJ: @kenyanights & @muzeclub

Radio Show DJ / Presenter For @hoxtonfm

Contact & Promos: l.a.dave.official@gmail.com

Bookings: riz@kenya-nights.com

L.A. DAVE has been putting Nairobi on the Map for over fifteen years with a forward thinking mix of Minimal Techno and Afro House. He’s lived in London, California and Tanzania where he was exposed to many different music scenes and sounds, helping him build a foundation and an idea of what he wanted to do in Kenya.

Dave is also the A&R of Groundid Music. Groundid Music started off as a streetwear boutique created by his good friend Moria in Long Beach, California. Unfortunately, the boutique closed down in 2008, but Dave wanted to continue spreading what Groundid stood for. “The meaning of Groundid,” Dave says, “is to be down to earth and to stay true. This was always the ethos behind Groundid and what it stood for.”

The significance his label has, is that it truly stands for something and he tries to translate that message directly to the music he puts out, the way he operates and the label’s overall image. Although for him, his main focus is to develop new and emerging talent looking to release music on a strong platform. Dave wanted to discover new talent and push the talent where the artists would seamlessly integrate into the already thriving and established production and release realm and so far he's successfully been able to achieve this. 

Realizing that no promoters were consistently pushing a truly underground rhetoric, which focused on educating a crowd in an intimate setting, Dave co-founded Temple Nairobi, a party which for the past 7 years has been a key building block in developing the more serious side of electronic music in the Kenyan capital, inviting artists such as Oliver Deutschmann and Per Hammar to showcase their sounds. Temple focuses on an techno and house sound. Temple is held at Shelter in Westlands, Nairobi, a perfect rooftop location for their sonic ventures and endeavors. Temple's continued mission Dave states "is to create a party that’s all about the music and the people coming together."

Dave has also built very strong relationships in the music industry being the Resident DJ and Operations Manager at 'Kenya Nights' as well as a Resident DJ at MUZE Club and has played in Kenya alongside the likes of: Black Coffee, THEMBA, Prince Kaybee, Enoo Napa, Caiiro, Argento Dust, Kususa, Desiree, Mobi Dixon, DJ Merlon, Shimza, Major Lazer, Da Capo, Culoe De Song, DJEFF, Hyenah, Pablo Fierro, Esa, Auntie Flo, Mr Raoul K, Archie Hamilton, Subb-An, Nick Curly, Jeremy Olander, Rodriguez Jr., Marco Bailey, Stephan Bodzin, Guy J, Kid Fonque, Oscar Mbo and many many more.

Dave is also a vinyl enthusiast who collects regularly. "Digging and finding that sound you were looking for is very rewarding. Being able to include something you have spent ages looking for is special and in this way my sets are more unique and distinctive.” He prides himself on being able to introduce new sounds to new people in Nairobi through constant digging. “East Africa’s scene is thriving with a vibrant nightlife encapsulating a vast array of sounds,” he says.

“Years ago you had the majority of fans listening to what they knew and what the radio played,” Dave continues. “Today, Kenyans have stepped out of their comfort zones and into a new dimension they feel a part of."

- Pulse Radio Feature.