DOWNTOWN - MARCH 24th

As the next Downtown approaches (March 24th @ Wedgewood Rooms) we thought we would get into the spirit of the event, and leading up write a couple of short articles to highlight the ideals of the event, to promote the DJs and their respective promotions & events. Portsmouth has a great dance music scene and a fantastic musical history from ambient to techno, drum and bass to hip hop...

MARCH 24th - ROOM1 - THE DJS PART 2

K8-E
The last two years have seen K8-e come from playing out at her first gig at ELEV8 in Portsmouth to gaining residencies and regulard slots for Out of Order, TXTURE, Hardnutz, The legendary CyberKitten and also for Harderfaster.net Thirsty Thursdays and other top events. Kate has also played for nights like Fusion, Totally ‘Ardcore and U-T-I. With gigs for Contact, Higher State, Electrolysis and SubTechment under her belt last year, 2007 is shaping up to be her biggest year yet.

Says Kate: I’ve always had a passion for music. From as young as I can remember I’d tape songs from the radio and put them altogether on mix tapes. I’d know the names of all the tunes and I’d be able to recognize them from the first 5 seconds pretty much. When I first started clubbing in 1999 I sort of had an inkling I would like to dj but didn’t have any idea how to get started. I was always the one at the after party who sorted the playlist out on the PC or chose the CDs. Then 4 years ago I started seeing someone who had been mixing for a while and we’d go clubbing and come back and he and his mate would mix for hours. As I got into hard dance I started to learn what tunes I liked and I’d be regularly asking them to play the ones I wanted to hear; in they end they suggested I learn to mix. Given I’d always wanted to learn I set about watching and listening and learning. I bought my decks two months later and haven’t looked back.

Kate's versatility sees her spinning techno, hard house, hard and tech trance and electro house.
www.k8-e.com

CHRIS VAUX
“I just love making people dance. The energy and smile I have is all about that!”

Things just don’t stop for Chris.. Since Jun 2004 he has set up one of the UK’s brightest and most exciting parties and launched what has started out as a very successful record label. In amongst this he has become a rising star on the scene with his groundbreaking tough, jackin’ and energetic sets. He won DJ of year 2006 in the Guide Awards, whilst PunchFunk recieved runner up in a poll in Mixmag for best night of 2005 going on to be the Winner Best Night in Portsmouth 2006 (Guide Awards). Since 2004 Chris’ Djing CV has experiences from London clubs such as The Cross, Ministry, Turnmills, The Key and Hidden, with artists and DJs across the globe including Fergie, Phil Kieran, Mauro Picotto to name just a few. Dates abroad have been coming through with a mini tour of Lithuania after his successful date in 2006 and also a date at Amsterdam’s finest club Panama to come. He’s also been busy in the studio with releases on PunchFunk Digital, which have seen plays on Radio 1 and maintained the top spot in popular download charts.
www.punchfunk.com
www.myspace.com/chrisvaux

SIMON BLANN
Simon is a resident DJ and the co director of PunchFunk Promotions Ltd, with Chris Vaux. They have been running PunchFunk parties for 2 years now, see above. Simon has traversed through the genres as a DJ now settling with his big party dancefloor electo, techno, and house sounds. He has played parties at a plethora of events and venues across Europe inlcuding: HIFI Festival, Global Gathering, The Opera House, The Cross, The Key, with DJs and artists including Fergie, Mauro Picotto, Valntino Kanzyani, and many more! Recently Simon has been spending time in the studio working on solo productions, and alongside other artists, with excellent results. Releases have gone out on Punch Funk Digital and seen fantastic support, with more projects always on the horizon!
www.punchfunk.com

TOMMY
Tommy has a true passion for the music scene, always a man who will turn up at evey event wherever he can. He is part of the Punch Funk and Downtown crews, offering invaluable support for both. Tommy has stormed the dancefloor at events including Subtechment, as is a techno wizard behind the decks and his sets show his influences with stlye, from Chris Liebing, Carl Cox, Sven Vath, Speedy-J, Michel de Hey, Joris Voorn, Adam Beyer, Timo Maas, Lottie & Eric Morillo....

"I love tough, dirty, techno with ass-shakin' bass lines. Im well into latino percussion type sounds. I practice the art of mixing techno and you'll find me playing exclusive sets..."

TOMMY MUNDELL
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