Al Mackenzie - D:ReamPlays: House
Al Mackenzie started DJ'ing during the hazy days of Acid House in the late 1980's, finally securing his first residency at the notorious Brain Club, London in early 1990. From there he moved on to the, now legendary, Balearic Haven and Nuthouse that was Love Ranch at Maximus, Leicester Square. It was during his year there that he teamed up with Peter Cunnah to form D: Ream, and a dance/pop monster was born. They had 6 top 40 hits including Things Can Only Get Better, number one in several countries around the world and U R The Best Thing, Pete Tong's essential tune of that year. They also did remixes for Duran Duran, Debbie Harry and EMF, amongst others, the EMF track appearing on the first Renaissance compilation album mixed by Sasha and John Digweed.
After years playing at all the major clubs in the UK (Basics, Cream, Chuff Chuff, Gatecrasher etc.), and world-wide (Sydney, New York, Miami, Wellington, Moscow, Budapest, Geneva, Ibiza, and Beirut to name a few), Al quit D:Ream to concentrate on his DJ'ing and solo musical career. His band Kitsch In Sync were signed to Polydor Records and singles were critically acclaimed appearing on several compilation albums. He also remixed Helicopter's On Ya Way, which reached the UK top forty. An essential mix on Radio 1 followed and three mix Cd's - Pop Tarts with Mark Moore, Boy George and Sister Bliss, Largin' It with Seb Fontaine and Tall Paul and Limbo Records/ 23rd Precinct's first compilation album.
Al now runs his own monthly club night in Birmingham called Retroforward, pulling in some of Europe's top DJ's to guest. He is also monthly resident at Softly at the Medicine Bar in Birmingham, and has played alongside Etienne De Crecy, Jacques Lu Cont and Ivan Smagghe, amongst others there. He has just signed up with God's Kitchen to play regularly for them worldwide. He still guests elsewhere around the UK and the rest of the world and is currently finishing his latest album with Miss Moneypenny's head honcho Jim 'Shaft' Ryan, from which some tracks are already receiving plays in Europe and from Pete Tong on Radio 1 in the UK. He is also remixing tracks for other artists including Soul Central, who's Strings Of Life track is currently riding high in the charts, and Mark Farina and Maurice Joshua for DJ Pierre's new label.
Al's love for the music and the party means he plays a diverse mixture of music for many different type of crowds, ranging from Hip Hop, funk and disco, funky US inspired house and garage to deep house and electronica sets. Even though he takes his music very seriously, Al always tries to give the crowd what they need to have a good time - he never fails to deliver.
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