kai
alcéi
alcé
live in nyc
visit kai's site @ kaialce.com
kai's
bio:
Observing
the crowd from a dark corner in one of Atlanta's premier Saturday night
hot spots, a tangible fever suddenly permeates the dancing bodies. The
origin of the change in the texture of the evening is understood: DJ Kai
Alce has stepped up to the decks. Positioned behind the tables, Alce wields
the mesmerizing powers of music upon the club-goers and sends them in
to a trance of deep house rhythms. Whether his innate ability to elevate
the souls of the people stems from his Haitian roots or his extensive
house-related upbringing is a question most easily answered as a well-blended
cocktail of the two.
Born in New York, Kai Yuri Alce spent his early years on the island of
St. Croix amidst the sounds of the Caribbean. His parents moved back to
NY just in time for young Kai to experience the birth of hip-hop, a movement
he associates with the beginning of his relationship with music independent
of that of his parents. While seeing Kurtis Blow perform at a nearby school
may indeed have influenced him to delve further into what was slowly becoming
his passion, the strains of his Mother's soca and his Father's jazz can
still be heard in the tracks Kai spins today. Still, as a true child of
the 70s this DJ's penchant for airy vocals and soulful sound exposes his
disco roots.
After moving to Detroit in 1980 Kai began listening to 'Electrifying Mojo',
as well as The Wizard AKA Jeff Mills. When the 'Music Institute' opened
in Detroit in 1987, it quickly became the city's premier underground dance
music location. Kai began working there at the age of 16 and subsequently
witnessed the evolution of house alongside it's most formidable DJ's:
Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, D. Wynn, Alton Miller, and kin Chez Damier.
Among the benefits of working at the club was Kai's easy access to the
studios as they created such hits as Innercity's 'Goodlife' and Rhythim
is Rhythim's 'It is what it is'. Surround by such mastery one can't help
but be inspired.
After completing high school, Kai moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse
College. Having maintained contact with relatives in Florida, he was prepared
for the obscurity of the house scene in Atlanta. Whether out of saintly
benevolence or mere concern for his own sanity, Kai set out to cultivate
it. He began spinning at Club Velvet while still attending college, and
it was simply a matter of time before he had set the vibe at Atlanta's
Traxx, Kaya, 688 Madhouse, Oxygen, Nomenclature, Ying Yang music café
which paved the way for people such as India Arie, Donnie. He now is the
main resident at DEEP: Saturday nights at world famous MJQ concourse which
is now in it's sixth year, hoisting the like of Phil Asher, Tedd Patterson,
Jovonn & King Britt to name a few. It was at the latter that he decided
to solidify a direct link between the South and D-town roots by creating
"Deep Detroit House Sessions." So far Alce has hosted the likes
of Chez Damier, Alton Miller, Brett Dancer, Moodymann, Mike Huckaby and
Theo Parrish. The success of these parties is acknowledged not only by
the crowd, but also by the DJ's themselves, who often ask to come again
soon.
Kai's aspirations continue to soar as he balances overseas tours, travelling
most recently to Milan, with his various projects in Atlanta. Next he
plans to begin producing his own tracks, which will stretch his contribution
from not only spreading the word of house music across the world, but
preaching it. This move will undoubtedly turn this tangible fever into
a global pandemic.
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