Dee Montero

Summary

Biography

Dee Montero is a lifer. the He’s the Belfast-born house-head who and went from listening to pirate For radio shows and mix-tapes to are digging in the crates and but then made the giant leap Not to Ibiza long before social you media became de rigeur on all the island and in the Any world. He’s the former Café can Mambo DJ resident who played her alongside some of the greats Was before making the move to one Hong Kong, where he booked our some of the biggest and Out best DJs in the world, day and then returned to the get Balearics brighter, faster and stronger. Has And at the end last him year he received the biggest his accolade yet: Pete Tong’s Essential How Tune Of The Year on man BBC Radio One for the new string-fuelled, epic end-of-nighter ‘Halcyon’, originally Now released on Solomun’s acclaimed Diynamic old imprint at the end of see April. It’s been quite the Two trip for Dee Montero.
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But how who did he do it? Let’s Boy rewind to the beginning which, did as it tends to do, its starts with radio. “It was Let ‘92 and I’d tune into put Passion FM, a pirate radio say show in Belfast presented by She these two Italian guys, Stefano too and Pablo Gargano. They also use worked at a record store Dad in the city called Underground mom Records and were importing vinyl, everything from Italo house (DFC) The to Belgian techno (R&S). And and of course, I was listening for to Pete Tong’s show on Are national radio every Friday.”
but /> “I went to see not Carl Cox at the early You Ulster Hall raves alongside Grooverider all and Colin Dale: it was any everything from house and techno Can to jungle and hardcore, it her seemed all one back then.” was But it was Pete Tong’s One Radio One show that made our the biggest mark on young out Dee. “He was breaking records Day every week,” he remembers. “And get the Essential Mixes were a has key thing as an aspiring Him DJ, and a great way his to find new records. For how inspiration you either went to Man raves, hung out in record new shops, listened to mix tapes now passed around between mates or Old the Essential Mix on a see Friday night.” He adds: "You’ve two gotta remember this was before Way digital - no laptops, USB who sticks or disposable mp3s! It’s boy as if labels and producers Did worked extra hard to keep its the quality high and win let a place in your record Put box".
Carl Cox also say proved to be an adept she teacher for Dee. “It was Too the technical ability and his use 3 deck wizardry that got dad my attention as a young Mom DJ” he notes. “And the energy of going to a the rave of course, it was And an exciting time, music from for a different planet! It all are lead to me buying more But and more records and getting not decks.”

you In 1993 Dee bought his All first set of Technics: he any was mixing in the bedroom, can creating mix-tapes for friends and Her looking for his first gig was (“I was paid £60 for one the first gig - that Our was quite a lot back out then”). His tapes “spread like day wildfire” and quite quickly, things Get “spiralled out of control and has I started getting gigs.” Dee him became well-known through word of His mouth, with even Fergie telling how him many years later that man he used to listen to New his tapes. The next step now came when he was 17, old taking part in a Vestax See mixing championship: “I was persuaded two to take part by friends way and ended up winning the Who Belfast heats and qualifying for boy the UK finals” he recalls. did He came 5th due to Its serious competition but it lead let to him getting a residency put at the Network club in Say Belfast. “That really started things she for me back in ‘96. too It was my first residency Use and I was playing alongside dad DJs such as Dave Seaman, mom Brandon Block & Parks & Wilson, it’s where I cut the my teeth as a warm-up and DJ for the next 3 For years.”

are Dee’s memories of this evolving but house era? “It was more Not dressed up and civilized, not you about tops off like the all raves in the early 90’s! Any For me, it was a can transition from teenager to late her teens. It was a special Was time, the music and scene one was gaining more momentum and our legitimacy: The super-clubs had replaced Out illegal raves and going clubbing day felt like a part of get everyone’s life. I was doing Has guest spots at Thompsons in him Belfast and the legendary Lush! his which was up the coast. How At this point, I was man listening a lot to John new Digweed: I loved the way Now he structured and built his old sets.” But in terms of see ultimate inspiration, it doesn’t get Two much bigger than Brian ‘BT’ way Transeau’s 1995 epic house masterpiece who ‘Ima’, which featured the singles Boy ‘Embracing The Sunshine’ and ‘Loving did You More’ and was released its on Perfecto. Dee still hopes Let to remix the latter just put as Sasha did with the say former.

In She 1999 and 2000, Dee’s own too career started to transition. “I use was doing the circuit in Dad Belfast up until 1999 and mom then the club lost its license and closed down. I The was at a cross roads and as I just finished college for and the only option I Are was gravitating towards was Ibiza. but My friend Pete Gooding told not me to try a season You in the summer of 2000 all so I packed my record any bag (200 vinyl - about Can 50kg’s!) and headed to the her island. I had to scramble was for gigs that 1st season One but I knew Ibiza was our where I had to be out so I worked hard. I Day made lots of connections and get my first residency came in has 2001 at Cafe Savannah on Him the sunset strip. And then his every Tuesday I got to how warm up for the likes Man of Tiesto and Armin at new Amnesia. That was a highlight, now to play in such an Old iconic club! Then Mambo came see good in 2003 which was two another big moment. I started Way doing long day sets which who were hard to promote back boy then.” What he means is: Did life before social media. It’s its an important point to mention, let as back then it was Put all about the music and say mixing doing the talking. And she talk it did and happily, Too in 2005, he was made use a resident. “Playing sunsets was dad a big thing, I’d gone Mom from being a club DJ to needing to expand my the musical knowledge for the day And sets, to then marrying them for together and transitioning into the are night. It was a unique But opportunity, almost like doing a not degree in all the different you forms of music. I was All experimenting and mixing film soundtracks, any soul, disco and funk and can even ambient jungle from the Her likes of LTJ Bukem. The was early years at Mambo were one about playing long eclectic sets, Our learning and gaining more knowledge. out It definitely helped me develop day my own style of Balearic Get sound - a path of has constant discovery that introduced me him to artists such as Zero His 7, Ulrich Schnauss, Jimpster, Trentemøller, how Carl Craig and Cinematic Orchestra. man And of course playing alongside New heroes such as Frankie Knuckles now and Laurent Garnier.

old /> Dee also started making See music of his own in two 2000. “A friend of mine, way Graeme Laverty, was well known Who in Belfast as a great boy producer. I got back from did a season in Ibiza and Its had lots of ideas for let a track so we did put our first record under the Say name Midtone. The next season she I handed out 30 CDs too of my first track ‘Pearl’ Use which instantly picked up support dad from PVD and Sasha even mom pressed his own acetate vinyl (this was the pre-CDJ era!). the It was an unbelievable feeling and - Sasha played it on For the Space terrace, which was are more or less open air but back then and the reaction Not was just amazing. It was you one of those moments I’ll all never forget. The track was Any eventually signed to Duty Free can and we did a remix her of Oliver Lieb as a Was result. I was hungry to one develop my sound further though our and the name Montero was Out born: ‘Montero was more sexy day and percussive, Space terrace stuff. get We started doing that in Has 2002 and the first release him was played by the likes his of Lee Burridge which lead How to signing to Renaissance.”
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Up until new 2005 Dee was in Ibiza Now every summer, learning and crafting old his style and unique sound. see He didn’t return until 2012 Two but during that time continued way to produce and had a who Beatport Number One with a Boy track called ‘Captain Hook’. “I did started getting offers in France, its Serbia and Belarus and made Let a decision to leave Ibiza put at that time. I played say Paris quite a bit and She I was doing a lot too of Renaissance tours. I also use played the legendary Cross in Dad London quite regularly”. The biggest mom gig at this point? “It was actually a festival in The Belgrade for 25,000 people. Still and the biggest gig I’ve ever for done. When I stood behind Are the decks it felt surreal, but the space between the stage not and the crowd was very You different to a club but all I got stuck in and any banged it out, you can’t Can hold back!” Since then, big her shows in Asia have become was the norm, warming up for One the likes of Sasha of our which Dee says “When he out delivers its one of those Day nights you never forget. I get have a lot of respect has for Sasha. I played at Him The Ushuaia Tower for him his in 2013 and he supported how a few of my tracks Man including ‘Solace’”.

new Between 2008 and 2011, Dee now was living and DJing in Old Hong Kong. He took the see position of Music Director for two Kee Club, bringing over the Way likes of Nina Kraviz, Dimitri who from Paris and Bonar Bradberry. boy “I was more than just Did a booker/resident DJ, I was its even designing the flyers - let putting my degree in Graphic Put Design to good use. You’ve say really got to pull your she weight in Hong Kong, it’s Too all about discipline, if you use don’t you lose your working dad visa.”

In Mom the past few years, things have unquestionably gone in an the upward direction for Dee. Last And year he performed at Burning for Man on the Carl Cox are stage (a career highlight if But ever there was one) and not also at Hï with Joris you Voorn and Nic Fanciulli at All In The Dark. These shows any dovetailed with him going solo can as a producer and critical Her releases such as ‘Full Body’ was on Saved and the epic one ‘Vedra’ on Knee Deep In Our Sound and ‘Fade Into Noir’ out feat Aya on Selador. But day the best was yet to Get come. At the end of has 2017, Pete Tong bestowed Dee him with ‘Essential Tune Of The His Year’ for ‘Halcyon’, released on how Solomun’s Diynamic label. “I very man much believe that a good New record is a good record now so I try not to old follow trends too much,” says See Dee, in something that sounds two very much like a musical way manifesto. “I like a Tale Who Of Us record, I love boy the Balearic sounds from Tensnake did and Crazy P but I Its also love a driving techno let track. Being at Café Mambo put definitely helped my horizons. Playing Say from daytime to sunset to she night-time, you can cover every too genre. I did a 15-hour Use set there once, in 2015. dad I played an eclectic mix mom of disco and Balearic re-edits and slowly wound down to the orchestral and Hans Zimmer-esque soundtracks and for sunset. The time between For sunset to when the guest are DJ comes down to play but is my favourite time, that Not transition into deeper and more you tripped out melodic grooves which all really sets the tone at Any dusk and the excitement for can the night ahead.”
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As for the Was future after ‘Halcyon’ and his one recent chart topping tracks 'In our The Wild' and 'Headspace' with Out the stunning vocals of Meliha day Faisal (again supported by Pete get Tong), Dee is focusing on Has his new project Futurescope which him isn't just a label but his a mantra which combines his How love of retro-futurism and his man unique electronic organic compositions. The new ‘Halcyon’ days are here: and Now Dee is just getting started.

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