I first met Dave Shayman aka. Disco D when I was in college in January, 1998.
While at a record shop on the campus of the University Of Michigan, I picked up a mixtape by an unknown artist named "DJ Disco D". The furious 85 track mix of pitched-up Detroit Electro, Chicago Ghetto House, Miami Bass and Hip-Hop quickly became a favorite to my roommates and I; in heavy rotation at our apartment. It was straight-up "Booty Music" (as it was known at the time), a style that evolved in the inner-city strip-clubs as a soundtrack for the dancers to shake their asses to, the genre eventually made it's way on to late night mix shows on Detroit urban radio. A few weeks after I bought the mix, I decided to check this unknown DJ out at the opening of a weekly club night called "Solar" (which I believe was his first professional DJ gig). When I got to the club, I was quite shocked to see that he was a not only a white guy, but he didn't even look old enough to get into the club that he was performing at! As the weeks went by I got to know Dave personally. When he dropped his first 12", "The D-Down EP" only a couple months later, I really got a sense of how driven and ambitious he was. He had only performed at his first rave a short time prior to the release of his record! It wasn't long before Dave would make a name for himself as a creative musician, extremely skilled DJ, and talented producer. After launching his own label, and later moving to New York, Disco D went on to remix and produce many artists as disparate as Lords Of Acid and Eminem. More importantly, he was a very instrumental catalyst that helped to bring Detroit Ghettotech to a broader audience, both stateside and and worldwide. In fact, he coined the term "Ghettotech" to describe the unorthodox and distinct sound of the genre. Not too long ago, fellow label mate: Darkcube and I had the pleasure to open for Disco at "Hump" a Ghettotech themed club night here in Detroit. After sharing the bill with Dave many times in a handful of cities it was good to talk to an old friend who I hadn't seen in a while. His performance was a reunion of sorts. The audience was jam-packed with his longtime friends, fans and colleagues. Always the consummate performer and personable cat, Disco D hadn't lost a step. We'll miss you Dave. T.Linder Detroit, Michigan. USA January 24, 2007 On 1/23/07, kent williams <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Dave Shayman was an extremely intelligent, talented guy, who was a joy to watch DJ, and great fun to hang out with. He was a huge supporter of the Iowa City scene. He played here several times, as recently as last summer, and was talking about coming back here this spring. http://www.urb.com/permalink/243/Dave-Shayman-(aka-Disco-D)-1980-2007.html
-- Detroit Techno Militia http://www.detroittechnomilitia.com
