In the early days of my nightclubbing it was common for the dance palaces to bring in guest DJs. Sometimes they were nationally known, sometimes they worked in clubs in neighboring cities and had a reputation for turnin’ the party at their home bar. Either way, it was always exciting to be on the dancefloor under the command of these new captains.
I remember that each weekend my friends and I would scour the ads in qnotes and The Front Page to see which guest DJs were spinning where. The draw was the chance to discover new music, experience different styles of mixing and plug into the unique energy fields generated by these guys — and rarely girls.
As the circuit party scene grew in the mid-’90s, clubs began to focus their DJ bookings around these events more exclusively. By the latter part of the ‘00s if you wanted to hear someone spin besides the bar’s resident jock, you’d probably have to wait until The Blue Ball, The Red Ball, The Yellow Ochre Ball, etc. came around.
It’s an unfortunate change because as the circuit has collapsed, due in large part to the economy but also drugs and the emergence of social networking sites that keep people home more and in the clubs less, there are fewer opportunities than ever to experience the bliss of dancing with abandon to the beat of a stranger.
For this reason, it’s a consolation for me to see that here in North Carolina one club bucks the trend and brings in special DJs with some regularity. The bar is Wilmington’s Ibiza and the next mixmaster scheduled to take over their decks is N.Y.C. DJ/producer/remixer Hector Fonseca.
His winding path to DJ stardom began with a brief career as a fashion model followed by a three-year stint at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pursuing a business administration degree. However, Fonseca’s passion for music ultimately led him to abandon his studies to focus on the tribal and house music scene exploding in New York during the mid-1990s.
His growing reputation and list of residencies led Superstar DJ and label mogul Peter Rohaufer to take Fonseca under his influential wings. In 2004, Fonseca’s remix of Jahkey B’s “Heart Attack” helped the song reach the #8 spot on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Songs chart. His follow-up, Shelia Brody’s “U Ain’t that Good,” soared to #3 and Fonseca’s standing in the industry was cemented.
Fonseca will be making his first-ever appearance in North Carolina when he rules over the dancefloor at Ibiza on Sept. 11 for The Party 2010.
For more details on the event, visit ibizawilmington.com. : :
wow, absolutely atrocious writing. it’s obvious my friend that you’ve partying since the early 90s. i wonder how many brain cells you have left;your writing style is amateur at best..