I'm DJ BFAD - love music & have done for as long as I can remember...
PAST
My first memory of "Show And Tell" at school involved a cassette tape of Rick James "Street Songs" and a ghetto blaster. Ever since I can remember it has been my passion and playing all types of great music comes naturally to me - some people have a talent with numbers and become accoutants, some people are athletic and pursue professional sports, my unique talent is finding the perfect music for any event. Originally from Hamilton, ON - I am a child of the 80's, I loved all the one hit wonders - in fact I still do! You cannot beat some of the classic 80's music like Duran Duran, Wham!, Prince, Madonna, Michael Jackson (they still get any party going).
After my formal education, I relocated to the UK for a 6 month sabbatical. Unbelievably, that turned into 10 years (London, Nottingham & Leeds). This is where I met my beautiful wife and was heavily involved in the music scene; from helping operate a pirate radio station, involved in a busy home recording studio and managing an independent record store in central London - "Going For A Song". Many popular DJ's would scour our vinyl bins for the latest tracks and we were located on Charing Cross Road & Tottenham Court Road sandwiched right between the London Astoria and LA2, two of the busiest live music venues in London. We always had access to free tickets/backstage passes to any shows we wanted so I was lucky enough to see and meet amazing acts such as Oasis, Fatboy Slim & The Jungle Brothers. I travelled all across the UK to visit clubs in Glasgow, Dublin and Manchester (where I had the fortune of visiting one of the most famous clubs of all time, The Hacienda). I had some great adventures living in London including being in a video by The Chemical Brothers, living around the corner from the infamous Abbey Road studios and having the singer Bjork as my neighbour...
Brent & Emma Wedding - Havana, Cuba 2003
PRESENT
I can honestly say I listen to everything - every music genre you can imagine...
Some of my all time favorites include the Classic Motown sound (Stevie, Marvin, Diana, Michael) I love The Clash and was lucky enough to once meet Mick Jones! I own every album by Prince, Bowie, The Beatles and Stevie - geniuses! In the 90's I travelled to Paris to witness the emergence of an amazing house music scene with laid back beats (St. Germain) and banging disco house (Daft Punk). Funk & Soul has a huge place in my collection (James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, Funkadelic, Chaka Khan). Jazz (Herbie, Miles, Thelonius, Mingus) - Blue Note & Verve record labels can do no wrong in my eyes. Disco (Chic were so tight and songs like "Good Times" are stone cold classics). Top 40 - you have to keep your finger on the pulse of what's being played, some tracks only last a few months, some like Usher "Yeah" or Flo Rider "Low" stand the test of time. Some other genres I am knowledgable in are Drum & Bass (High Contrast, LTJ), Rare Groove, NY Underground Disco (80's Boogie), House Music (everything from Detroit, Chicago, London, Paris - Bob Sinclar), Punk (Sex Pistols, Misfits), Indie (Pixies, Blur), Heavy Metal (Priest, Motorhead), Easy Listening (Burt Bacharach), New Orleans Funk, Nu Funk, Brazilian, Hip Hop, Old Skool Hip Hop, Broken Beat, Mash-Up's, Blues (love Stevie Ray Vaughan), Classic Country (Hank, Merle, Patsy, Loretta), New Country (Toby, Garth, Keith), Classical (Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi).
To see some of the musical genres I am familiar with, check out my Songs Page
DESERT ISLAND DISCS
Some of my desert island discs include:
- The Clash - London Calling
- Miles Davis - Kind Of Blue, John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Charles Mingus - Mingus Ah Um
- Stevie Wonder - Innervision/Songs In The Key Of Life (classic era Stevie!)
- The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays - Pills, Thrills N Bellyaches, The Specials - The Specials
- Prince - Parade/1999/Purple Rain (classic era 80's Prince!)
- Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
- The Rolling Stones - Exile On Main Street
- Diana Ross - Diana, Chic - Definitive Groove
- Daft Punk - Homework, Chemical Brothers - Exit Planet Dust, De La Soul - 3 Feet High & Rising, Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
- Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back, Dr. Dre - The Chronic, Snoop Doggy Dogg - Doggystyle
- Michael Jackson - Thriller, Madonna - Immaculate Collection, Duran Duran - Rio
- David Bowie - Alladin Sane/Diamond Dogs/Ziggy Stardust (classic era Bowie!)
- Bob Marley - Legend
- Boyz II Men - Motownphilly, Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel
- New Order - Substance, Massive Attack - Blue Lines
- Johnny Cash - At Folsom Prison, Elvis - #1's
- Jamiroquai (everything!), Mylo - Destroy Rock And Roll, Mark Ronson - Version, Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
- J Dilla - Donuts, St. Germain - Boulevard
- Nina Simone - basically anything by Nina...
- Beatles - White Album/Abbey Road/Revolver
- Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction, Metallica - Black Album, Sex Pistols - Nevermind The Bollocks
- AC/DC - Back In Black, Led Zeppelin - II, IV, Physical Graffiti, Pink Floyd - The Wall
CONTACT ME
Get in touch - you can either drop me a line or give me a call to discuss what type of music you want for your special event.
