This week at Killswitch: Mike Khoury (listed,Varsity All Stars), Brian Walls (Soft Target) & Mossmoss!
About Mike Khoury :
It’s hard to believe that once upon a time, Mike was growing up dance music deprived in suburban America. Fortunately, that all changed when friends dragged him to his first underground EDM event in Chicago. It wasn’t long before he bought turntables - and started spending more money on his records than his rent. And so began Mike’s journey into vinyl junkie-ism.
Five years later, Mike’s sets span the spectrum of techno, from deep and housey to driving and percussive. Think wicked basslines, constant groove, and plenty of dance floor funk to keep late night revelers on their toes. Mike draws inspiration from the cutting edge sounds coming out of Berlin without forgetting his Chicago roots.
Mike has an extensive history of opening and headlining gigs, having shared the decks with artists including Lee Burridge, Gaiser, Matthew Dear, Anja Schneider, Chris Liebing, Pan-Pot, Sebo K, Exercise One, Cassy, Ambivalent, Adultnapper, Ryan Elliott, Misc./Niederflur, Sian, Touane, Maetrik, and Jason Emsley.
As a resident for listed, Mike’s played in San Francisco, LA, NYC, and Miami, plus countless gigs in Chicago. In 2007, he founded the Varsity Allstars – a dayraving extravaganza with quarterly parties across the US. Having launched listed in Chicago, Mike has combined DJ’ing with promotion – giving a swift jolt to Chicago’s warehouse party scene with some of the year’s most unforgettable nights.
With a recent move to London, Mike began a residency with the Lost Souls crew – giving him the chance to show his stuff for clued-in techno crowds at infamous underground venues Unit 7, The Key, and Bar 54. Mike’s become a regular favorite at Public Life, the city’s beloved underground toilet-turned-club, where his closing sets have twisted the heads on London’s most notorious dancefloor.
2008 was a big year for Mike, with bookings from Europe to Tahiti and everywhere in between. Mike capped off his summer with a 7 hour back-to-back marathon with Lee Burridge at Kudo’s Beach in Romania and a slamming set with fellow listed resident Hac Le to close out the Lovefest Festival in San Francisco. Mike has recently been selected by Burridge to open for him across the US, with gigs including SF, Chicago, and Miami (WMC). Watch for Mike to begin pushing his production work in 2009 as he continues making his mark on the underground circuit.
