David Harness is one of the most popular DJ/producers in the San
Francisco Bay Area club scene. He has been described as "a man who
lives, breathes and emanates everything that is beautiful about deep
house music and classic garage." David is considered a "rising star"
within the dance community.
As a military brat, David Harness traveled the world extensively during
his childhood. "Regardless of which country I was in, I always heard
American music, namely R&B. This little bit of familiarity really
helped me feel secure in a lot of different places." With influences
varying from Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra, Harold
Melvin and the Blue Notes, Quincy Jones, the Jackson Five, Stevie
Wonder, Parliament Funkadelic, the Isley Brothers and First Choice, it
is easy to see why funk and soul have always been strong elements in
his sound.
In 1990, David began DJ'ing at the After Dark in his hometown of
Monterey, California. As his popularity grew past the boundaries of
Monterey, he was invited to establish a residency at Tilt and the Sound
Factory in San Francisco. In 1994, David opened and DJ'ed at the hip
and popular club Lift at Club Dv8 in San Francisco.
His success as a club DJ led to a DJ spot on commercial radio. In 1994,
David joined the popular radio show Your Mama's House on the San
Francisco Bay Area's number one radio station KMEL FM. Your Mama's
House was the only "true" house mix show on any major radio station in
Northern California. As part of the Your Mama's House crew, David
played a key role in exposing the masses to House Music in the San
Francisco Bay Area.
In 1995 David kicked off a seven year residency at San Francisco 's
legendary Club Universe -- San Francisco's hottest Saturday night
party. At Club Universe, David had the opportunity to play with many
New York's legendary DJs like Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Little
Louie Vega, Tedd Patterson, Dave Morales, Danny Teneglia, London's
Ricky Morrison, Los Angeles' Marques Wyatt, San Francisco's Miguel
Migs, Mark Farina and Kaskade -- just to name a few.
His growing popularity accelerated David's natural progression into
production. In 1996, David was selected to spearhead the studio
production for a national marketing campaign for the McDonald's Deluxe
Burger. Also in 1996, David begin his ongoing residency at The End Up
Sunday T-Dance -- San Francisco's longest running dance party.
In 1998, he released a CD for Universe Sounds and Twisted America,
"Welcome to the Universe". This innovative CD, recorded live from Club
Universe, reflects San Francisco's unique "sound" and introduced the
world to David Harness. Recognizing his talent, Twisted America quickly
signed him to produce his first single, "Get It Together", for a
Twisted America compilation entitled "A Little Bit of the Old, A Lot of
the New". David also started his ongoing residency at Fag Fridays in
San Francisco in 1998 where he is still rockin' the floor.
In 1999, David started Taboo in San Francisco's Mission District. Taboo
started out of David's love of House music and his desire to provide a
showcase for Bay Area talent as well as internationally known DJs. This
ongoing party attracts a loyal crowd of househeads from around the San
Francisco Bay Area and the globe to the weekly blending of spirit and
soul.
In September 2000, David launched DHJ Productions and has established
himself as a respected producer and remixer. To date, David has worked
on projects featuring artists such as Mary J. Blige, Luther Vandross,
Aretha Franklin, Simply Red, Alicia Keys, Floetry, Donnie McClurkin,
India Arie, *NSYNC and Donnell Jones. A collaborative effort with
DJ/producers Chris Lum of Abitare Music, Jay J of Moulton Studios, and
Charles Spencer of LoveSlap has resulted in several independent
releases. David has appeared in articles and interviews in Billboard
Magazine, Paper Magazine, Surface, XLR8R, Streetsounds, Sweater, HX,
Next, URB, DJ Mag and the SF Bay Guardian.
David Harness' passion, talent and creativity has definitely created a new page in the history of house music.