Given the godlike status enjoyed by superstar EDM DJs today, it's easy to forget their profession's humble roots. Before DJs were selling out global festivals, arenas, and mega-clubs, many of the veterans cut their teeth on the illegal rave scene of the '80s, playing under motorways and in abandoned warehouses.
Take UK heavyweight Carl Cox, for instance. He practically set the precedent for DJ superstardom in 1997 when he took the number-one spot in DJ Magazine's very first Top 100 DJ poll -- nowadays a benchmark for commercial success in the industry. A decade earlier, though, Cox was spinning records for rave kids during the UK's infamous Second Summer of Love. And it was then that he began honing his signature sound -- energetic, percussive big-room beats rooted in the intensity of UK hardcore.
Brush up on your classic Carl Cox before catching him live at Mansion on November 5.
1. "I Want You (Forever)"
2. "Does It Feel Good To You"
3. "The Planet of Love"
4. "Sensual Sophis-ti-cat"
5. "Tribal Jedi"
Carl Cox with Laurent Simeca. Saturday, November 5. Mansion, 1235 Washington Ave., Miami Beach. Doors open at 11 p.m. and tickets cost $50 plus fees via wantickets.com. Ages 21 and up. Call 305-531-5535 or visit mansionmiami.com.
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