"Mention should be made of Diz, [one] of my personal favourite house producers (having recorded for Tweekin', Guidance and a myriad of other superb labels) for [his] set in the main room [at Fabric London]. Beautiful,
cheese and cliche-free house music, re-affirming my belief that [he is] amongst the best in the world at what [he does]."
- www.spaced.co.uk, October 2001
If life is about "being in the right place at the right time," then Diz's
timing could not have been better. Born and raised in Chicago, the original
epicenter of the House Music universe, his adolescence coincided with the
beginnings of that city's legendary scene. Nowadays, if you mention Diz's
name amongst House aficionados, you are almost certain to hear adoration and
respect for his insane DJ skills, stage presence, and warm-hearted persona.
Diz's musical influences started at home, where his mother's love for Jazz
led him to pursue the saxophone for many years. His DJ beginnings were about
whatever he could get his hands on, like Disco and old Breaks records
inherited from family members. When he was 14, his older brother took him to
The Music Box, where Diz witnessed the true potential of House Music: to
affect people's emotions and bring them together on a collective journey.
He's been striving to do just that ever since, and in the process, has become
a faithful participant in the music, the culture, and the times.
Throughout high school, he frequented parties featuring DJs such as Frankie
Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Farley and many other masters, and finally had a chance
to break into the scene at age 19 after meeting contemporaries Mark Farina,
Derrick Carter and Spencer Kincey (Gemini). His early gigs were at Alcazar
with Gemini, and at one-off parties. At his Wicker Park loft, what started
as a means of paying the rent developed into a two-year run as a nightclub,
featuring Diz, Farina and Mark Grant on the decks. Soon afterwards, he and
his friends took over Shelter, one of the city's "most severe night spots."
>From roughly 1993-98, Diz was the Friday resident at Shelter, and the
Saturday resident at Red Dog alongside Johnny Fiasco, and since then has held
many residencies at other legendary Chicago spots.
In 1995, Diz accepted a job working for his brother's friend, Anthony Pearson
(Chez Damier), at PRESCRIPTION (the label founded by Chez and Ron Trent).
PRESCRIPTION conducted distribution business with CAJUAL, and that is how Diz
met his future producing partner and close friend, Joshua (whose nickname as
fate would have it, was "Iz").
In 1995, Iz & Diz produced their first record together, "Ghosts in Detroit,"
released on PRESCRIPTION's sub-label, BALANCE. A year later, Joshua/Iz moved
back to San Francisco, but he and Diz maintained a close friendship over the
years and continue to produce together for labels like CLASSIC, AESOTERIC,
GUIDANCE, TWEEKIN', SILVER NETWORK, and PANHANDLE.
Recently, Diz lent his vocal stylings to a Home & Garden (Tim Schumaker)
track called "Parliament" on CLASSIC. Additionally, he has begun solo
production work, such as the "Yokoona Skateboard" project recnetly released
on Greenskeepers label STATIC. Diz has also recently co-founded an new
Chicago-based record label called IGLOO with Greenskeeper James Curd.
In addition to DJ'ing regularly in Chicago, Diz travels extensively both
nationally and worldwide, occasionally paired with Joshua/Iz in a two-up
format. His club credits span the United States, Canada, and in Europe cities
such as London, Glasglow, Paris, Montpellier, Marseilles, Avignon, Brussels,
Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Corsica.
Over the past two years, Diz has won over a particularly loyal following in
Los Angeles, where he plays at least once a month at clubs such as Deep,
Dynagroove, and Deep Funk, and is unrivaled in his stature of LA's most
popular out of town House DJ. At the 2001 Winter Music Conference, he
performed at two of the hottest House parties in Miami - the Hula Groove
"Come Get Lei'd Party," and the infamous Classic Recordings Party on the
closing night of the Conference.
Recent press includes the featured Guest House Reviewer in the September 2001
issue of URB MAGAZINE. Coming in spring 2002 will be his first commercially
released mixed CD on Derrick Carter's label, CLASSIC, which is sure to take
this "DJ's DJ" career to the next level.
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