ChicagoPride.com Groove Line:

Web Gems
You most likely spend plenty of time on your computer surfing the net. And not just for dates and quickie hook-ups. Two local DJs with web pages of note are Doug Brandt (www.djdougbrandt.com) and Greg Drescher (www.djgregdrescher.com). Brandt is a resident DJ at Cocktail and has made quite a name for himself on the local house music scene. His web page is very cool looking and chock full of interesting info and music. Drescher (pictured), a Halsted Street favorite, recently launched his web site with the help of local web developer Kris Wagner (www.wagdrop.com). Its sleek design is an attractive portal that allows visitors to get to know this talented DJ much better.

Forward Thinking
The special events on the last two Sundays of February at Crobar should be special indeed with two of the biggest DJing names in the world manning the decks. On the 19th, the Evolve party comes back to town with the one and only Victor Calderone heating up the main floor with his sexy and edgy progressive tribal sound. Chicago’s own Chris Eterno will be spinning in the VIP Lounge.

Then on the 26th, the man who has been dubbed the “greatest DJ in the world”- Junior Vasquez - visits Chicago for the first time in five years in support of his new mixed compilation CD, White Party 7 (Centaur Music). The CD has received critical acclaim and been storming up the charts while folks in NYC say that Junior’s recent live sets have been creative masterpieces. February may be a short month, but it will be a fun one.

Lookout Alert
Heather Headley, who starred on Broadway in the musical Aida and who is a proud alumnus of Northwestern University, is out with a new CD called In My Mind (RCA). The title track single is quite good and getting monster play, so hopes for the full album (which I’ll review in my next column) are high.

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About DJ Plez

DJ Plez (aka Michael Pleasants) has been DJing since the late 1980's, sharing his passion for dance music with dance floors and listeners around the world. After many years of successful toil in the financial services industry, he’s now spending much more time in a DJ booth instead of an office cubicle.
DJ Plez has quite a diverse range of dance music “likes” to accompany his true love of house music.
The incredibly wide variety of records and CDs that DJ Plez possesses helps explain the unique style he has forged: one that melds various forms of dance music - Chicago house, progressive, tribal, underground, and club - into a cohesive presentation that is rhythmically exciting, sexy, and energetic.
DJ Plez uses fresh approaches for each of his live sets, skillfully producing intricate mixes on the fly, creating a sense of dance floor drama with his in-booth programming, and most importantly to him, making sure his sets have one abiding element: GROOVE!

As would be expected from his wide ranging style, the DJs that have most influenced DJ Plez represent the vast global dance music scene and include: Victor Calderone, Derrick Carter, John Digweed, Danny Howells, Frankie Knuckles, Susan Morabito, Ralphi Rosario, Danny Tenaglia, and Junior Vasquez just to name a few. However, the most significant influence on DJ Plez’s abilities in the DJ booth are the experiences he has when he’s out dancing at parties and in clubs, staying intimately connected to the dance floors and partygoers populating them.
It’s this connection that allows him to truly find out and understand what makes a dance floor tick, thus leading to his success in the DJ booth.

DJ Plez sees himself as an ambassador of house music on a mission to help perpetuate and grow this Chicago-born art form. During the past year he had gigs in Zurich (Nuts & Bolts Party; Labor-Bar), Montreal (Unity 2; Chrome), and Miami (Cactus) and will be adding Amsterdam, Detroit, and Los Angeles to his travel itinerary. Locally, DJ Plez has residencies at Cell Block and Ezuli in Chicago and has made several appearances at PUMP!Milwaukee. In addition to numerous private and corporate DJing gigs, DJ Plez is the Music Editor of ChicagoPride.com.

Mixes of DJ Plez have been played on internet radio at www.circuitmix.com since June 2003. Additional opportunities to listen to more mixes by DJ Plez will come about in the near future on his web site www.djplez.com.