Ariel (DJ)

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Ariel
Background = non_vocal_instrumentalist

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Img_capt = Ariel performing in London's Bagley's Studios nightclub at King's Cross, 1998.
Img_size =
Birth_name = Ariel Belloso
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1967|9|14|df=y
Origin = Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina
Genre = House, trance, hard house, Latin tech house
Occupation = Disc jockey, Record producer
Years_active = 1983–present
Label = MyDust
URL = [http://www.djariel.com/ www.djariel.com]

Ariel Belloso (born 14 September 1967) is an Argentinian, UK Based DJ and record producer. He began his career playing new wave music and disco music at clubs in Rosario and Buenos Aires during the early 1980s and moved to London in 1991, after spending 8 months in Ibiza, where he was influenced by the early house music and acid house sounds.

While DJing in London and throughout the world during the 1990s, he developed a personal unique style, combining the sounds of hard house and trance, influenced by the rhythms of his Latin music background with main focus on polyrhythm grooves and energy flow. This sound proved to be an integral and vital element for the evolution of London’s hard house and trance scene throughout the 1990s. He was also the first Argentine artist to enter the UK Top 30 Singles Chart with his record “A9”.

Since 2001–2002 Ariel had moved on musically. He abandoned the hard house and trance of the 1990s for a new, Latin influenced house and techno sound, which he produced and performed through his 7 year weekly residency at London’s cutting edge club, Fabric.

History

Early years (1983–1991)

Ariel was born into a nightclub owning family known as Katanga in the city of Rosario, Argentina. Inspired by his older brother, he followed in his steps and before long had taken up his first residency in ‘Dimension’, Rosario, a 2000 capacity nightclub. More residencies followed, including Mengano, Metro, Lager and Damasco. On New Years Eve, 1985, Ariel ended his residency at the nightclub Dimension with a set performance of 17 hours.

Ariel’s early musical influences and DJ style include early new wave music and the disco sounds of Talking Heads, Blondie, Kat Mandu, The Clash, The B-52's, Flash and the Pan, and Gino Soccio, as well as South American music like Tango and Cumbia.

Early 1990s (1991–1996)

After completing secondary education top of his school Ariel attended Rosario University of Economics, studying for 2 years before making the decision to leave for Europe.

He arrived in Europe in the spring of 1991, more specifically in Ibiza. In a short amount of time he discovered the newly established rave scene, house music and the Balearic Beat and met the Pacha resident DJ Alfredo, also from Rosario. Soon after Ariel played his first European set at club Pacha in Ibiza, this was followed by guest spots in Lola, Es Paradis, including one gig at the recently launched terrace at Space.cite web|title=Ibiza 1991|work=Djdownload.com |url=http://www.djdownload.com/mp3-detail/Ariel/London+vs+Sydney/DTPM+Recordings/94725 |accessdate=2007-05-16]

As his reputation grew so did the bookings and during 1993, after basing himself in London, he began his residency at Crews in the heart of Covent Garden. Regular sets at Tribal Gathering, Limelight, Club UK and Tunnel Club together with an arduous touring schedule saw Ariel become a pioneer of the UK hard house and trance scene of the early nineties . During these residencies Ariel was photographed by art designer ‘Trademark’ making him a pin-up on the London scene and adding to his public profile.

Mid 1990s and the “Freedom Era” (1996–2001)

In 1996 Ariel decided to try something new, a weekly residency in London where he could play all night instead of two hour regular guest slots. Very soon he was offered a ten hour long set in the second room of London’s largest venue, Bagley’s Studios in Kings Cross (now renamed Canvas) for the weekly Saturday night named “Freedom”. Three months later he moved to the main room, where he performed for 8 hours, from 11pm to 7am playing a fusion of hard house, trance and techno rhythmically inspired by his Latin roots.cite web|title=Freedom @ Bagley's|work=Oag.com |url= http://www3.oag.com/Cities/Detail?city=1&cat=25&item=46985|accessdate=2007-09-26] For that period, Freedom was one of the busiest Saturday nightclubs in London. cite web|title=Freedom @ Bagley's|work=Oag.com |url=http://www3.oag.com/Cities/Detail?city=1&cat=25&item=46985 |accessdate=2007-05-14] Over the next 5 years (1996–2001) many music magazines and websites started labeling Ariel's 8 hour sets at Bagley’s Studios "legendary".cite web|title=Legendary 8 Hour Sets|work=Htfr.co.uk |url=http://www.htfr.com/more-info/MR87685 |accessdate=2007-05-14] cite web|title=Legend Reference|work=Live.Gayrradio.com |url=http://live.gaydarradio.com/nightlife/detail.asp?iData=14852&iCat=113&iChannel=18&nChannel=Nightlife|accessdate=2007-05-16] Enhancing the above notion was also a phenomenon observed in many music related virtual communities and internet forums such as Harderfaster.net and Dancemuzik.com which was comprised by a sequence of numerous nostalgic posts discussing the night cite web|title=Ariel 8 Hour Sets @ Bagley's|work=Harderfaster.net |url=http://www.harderfaster.net/?sid=d4e6103dfc305fae5c3ff8ad9f69867f&section=forums&action=showthread&threadid=3&threadid=102571&forumid=3|accessdate=2007-05-14] and praising it as "London's Biggest Clubbing Landmark" cite web|title=Clubbing Landmark|work=Dancemuzik.com |url=http://www.dancemuzik.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2500 |accessdate=2007-05-14] along with reunion messages by fans and lovers of the Freedom club and Ariel's 8 hours sets. This Freedom "reunion-comeback desire" was ignited a few years after the club ceased in 2002. However as of May 2007, those attempts were unsuccessful.

Keeping in mind London’s influence on the musical evolution of the electronic dance music scene, many of the period's crossover tracks exposed on Ariel's dance floor became worldwide hits while being played repeatedly over a long period. Records such as DJ Sandy Vs Housetrap “Overdrive”, Latin Thing “Latin Thing” and Groovezone “Eisbaer” were first heard on Ariel’s dance floor.

Early – mid 2000s (2001–present)

Ariel has been a resident DJ at London's Fabric since its opening in 1999; furthermore it was the first place he showcased his new Latin tech house sound, playing many of his own productions and performing with live instrumentation provided by percussionists and various musicians. An example of this sound is featured on his recent compilation for DTPM Recordings "Sydney Vs London" cite web|title=Sydney Vs London Compilation|work=Amazon.com |url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sydney-London-Mixed-Thompson-Ariel/dp/B00097HE1W |accessdate=2007-05-14] Ariel left Fabric on 8 October 2006 after a 7-year long residency (approximately 350 gigs), the longest in his career.cite web|title=Ariel leaves Fabric|work=Discodamaged.com |url=http://discodamaged.typepad.com/ddnews/2006/10/dj_ariel_leaves.html |accessdate=2007-05-14]

Moreover, Ariel exposed his new style in other London’s cutting edge clubs, such as Turnmills.cite web|title=Latinaires @ Turnmills|work=Thisislondon.co.uk|url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/article-894591-details/A+mischievous+Latin+spirit/article.do |accessdate=2007-05-14] His party “Latinaires” took place once a month, along with the weekly event “The Gallery” for 2 years (2002–2004). In 2004, Ariel launched “Manteca” a weekly Latin music club, at Freedom bar in London’s Soho,cite web|title=Manteca @ Freedom Bar|work=Rainbownetwork.com|url=http://www.rainbownetwork.com/Nightlife/detail.asp?iData=22145&iCat=113&iChannel=18&nChannel=Nightlife |accessdate=2007-05-14] introducing a wide range of traditional Latin sounds and styles to the London crowds, such as Rumba, Salsa, Cumbia, Plena and Brazilian Music along with live percussionists.cite web|title=Manteca Music|work=Discojunkie.net|url=http://www.discojunkie.net/clubs/manteca.html|accessdate=2007-05-14]

In 2005 Ariel began a partnership with young producers Alex Celler and X Green to co-produce further music projects, and in March 2007 he officially launched his digital record label MyDust.

Music

Influences

Ariel's distinctive electronic sound, during both the ‘90s and ‘00s, is formed by his knowledge and understanding of World and African rhythms cultivated into his sets. His percussive, Latin based groove is heavily influenced by the dynamics of Rumba Music and the traditional Cuban roots.

Moreover Ariel’s 1990s influences include the Balearic Beat, the early 1990s Hard House sound of labels such as Strictly Rhythm, Touché Records, UMM Records and later on Dutch labels Aspro Records and Work Records. His post-millennium sound is directly influenced by labels such as Mosaic, Camouflage, Mango Boy and Ibadan.

Throughout his career Ariel was inspired by artists such as George Morel, Todd Terry, DJ HMC, S ‘N’ S, Marmion, Patrick Prins, Silvio Ecomo, Samuel L Sessions and Bear Who.

The Ariel sound

From the beginning Ariel always forged his own path as a DJ. He did not follow any mainstream music current and stayed intact with passing trends. Furthermore, he managed to create his own personal sound by choosing the records he played according to his taste, not with regards to the artist’s or label's popularity and success status.

However, Ariel’s sound has progressed through the last 3 decades beginning as disco and new wave music throughout the '80s, hard house and trance in the '90s and Latin tech house in the '00s.

Ariel DJ sets and track selection are always performed live, guide solely by instinct and consist of various mood changes and techniques aimed to create energy flow and atmosphere on the dance floor.

Music productions

Ariel’s debut single “Deep”, released in 1997, was a hardhouse/trance record, released on Wonderboy Records and entered the number 1 spot on the UK Official Dance Chart straight after its release. Following the success of “Deep”, Ariel had multiple commissions for remixes. Some of these remixes include some trance classics as Marmion “Schöneberg”, Vincent De Moor “Flowtation” Dj Sandy Vs Housetrap “Overdrive”, Storm “Time to Burn”, Lil Louis Vs Josh Wink “French Kiss” and Darude “Sandstorm” which became the biggest selling 12” of 2000. cite web|title=Sandstorm No.1 |work=Popgram.fi |url=http://www.popgram.fi/artistit.php?artisti=darude|accessdate=2007-05-17]

Meanwhile Ariel also released a series of more underground records, including “The End EP” and “Icebreaker/Time”. In 2000 Ariel released “A9” which went on to become the first UK Top 30 hit by an Argentine artist.(UK Singles Chart #28)cite web|title=Chart Stats: Ariel |work=Chartstats.com |url=http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=28282|accessdate=2007-05-13]

Lately, in March 2007 Ariel started releasing a large number of tracks on his digital label ‘MyDust’. Some of those tracks were made during recent years but were never released.cite web|title=MyDust Records|work=Discogs Entry |url=http://www.discogs.com/label/MyDust|accessdate=2007-07-16]

Gigs

Throughout his career Ariel's has combined his weekly residencies with international appearances around the world.

Residencies

Guest spots

His music has taken him to more than 40 different countries over the last 15 years, including the whole of Europe and main spots in North America and Asia, playing some of the greatest venues and music festivals around the world. Ariel was also one the first international DJs to play the Middle East and Asia, visiting other places such as Israel, Turkey, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.

Ariel headlined the first ever Gay Pride in Africa in 1997 in Johannesburg and was also invited to performed at the Summer Stage in New York City's Central Park the same year. Ariel's 2005/6 Latin American tour saw him play in front of thousands on Rio de Janeiro, Ipanema Beach, Punta del Este in Uruguay and Santa Cruz in Bolivia.

Lastly, Ariel is regularly asked to perform at the private parties of Madonna, Prince, and Bon Jovi among others celebrities.

Honors/Achievements

He was the first Argentine artist to enter the UK Top 30 Singles Chart with his record “A9”.

In November 1999, "Muzik" magazine listed Ariel in their Top 50 best DJs in the world.

He was the first international DJ to be broadcast on Cuban radio, following his 2002 'Dia de la Revolucion' street party in Havana.

In 2004 and 2005 Ariel was honoured by playing two exclusive sets at the Argentine Embassy in London's Belgravia.

During his career,Ariel played repeatedly for charity events such as HIV Research and London’s "Big Issue".cite web|title=AIDS & Charity Gig|work=Djdownload.com |url=http://www.djdownload.com/mp3-detail/Ariel/London+vs+Sydney/DTPM+Recordings/94725 |accessdate=2007-05-16]

Trivia

In Friday, 21 August 1998, The Evening Standard newspaper in London ran a 2 page article citing Ariel’s “Techno set at Bagley’s” as the main responsible cause of Class A drug consumption in the King’s Cross area of London.

In 1997, BBC’s Radio 1 DJ Pete Tong described Ariel as the most underrated DJ in the UK.

Ariel’s live interview on South African national TV in the summer of 1997 shocked audiences as Ariel expressed his views on recreational drugs.

elected discography

Some selected discography: [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ariel+(3). As presented in Discogs online database]

Albums

*1999: "The Sound of Freedom" (Automatic Records)
*2000: "Freedom – 4 Ultimate Years Of Clubbing" (Wax Records)
*2003: "Nu Latin Live (Red and Blue)
*2005: "DTPM - Sydney Vs London" (DTPM Recordings)
*2006: "Mandarin (MyDust)

ingles/EPs

*1996: "Deep"(Pilot Recordings)
*1997: "Deep" (I'm Falling Deeper)"(Wonderboy)(UK Singles Chart #47)cite web|title=Chart Stats: Ariel |work=Chartstats.com |url=http://www.chartstats.com/artistinfo.php?id=6748 |accessdate=2007-05-13]
*1997: "The End EP" (Pilot Recordings)
*1999: "Icebreaker/ Time" (Pneumatiq)
*2000: "A9" (Automatic Records)(UK Singles Chart #28)cite web|title=Chart Stats: Ariel |work=Chartstats.com |url=http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=28282|accessdate=2007-05-13]
*2000: "A9" (Essential Records)
*2000: "Ariel Presents: Tools Volume One" (A7 Records)
*2000: "Sampler One - Out Here" (A7 Records)
*2003: "Central" (Phoenix G)

Remixes

*1996: "Vincent De Moor - Flowtation" (XL Recordings)
*1997: "Kool World - In-Vader" (Kool World Records)
*1997: "The Vinyl Frontier - Vibe to the 7" (Sound Design)
*1998: "Marmion - Schöneberg" (FFRR)
*2000: "Josh Wink & Lil' Louis – French Kiss" (FFRR)
*2000: "Angelic - It's My Turn" (Serious)
*2000: "DJ Sandy vs. Housetrap – Overdrive" (Positiva)
*2000: "Darude – Sandstorm" (Neo Records)
*2000: "Storm - Time to Burn" (Data Records)
*2000: "DJ Jean - The Launch" (AM-PM)
*2001: "Warp Brothers - Phatt Bass" (Nu life)
*2001: "Nigel Gee - Hootin' Harry" (Neo Records)
*2001: "Joshua Ryan – Pistolwhip" (Nu Life)

References

External links

* [http://www.djariel.com/ Official website]
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