Peo de Pitte

MoPo (aka Robbie Kowal) is one of America's most versatile,
experienced and flat-out joyous party rockers. His decade long mission is to 'put the party back into the party', and to connect the casual music fan with the hard core dance music mavens; proving that music is more than just beats. San Francisco's bootleg indie remix partypusher, is known for a rare ability to play exactly the right music for the moment and an expertise with a wide variety of genres that he seamlessly melds into a coherent blend. Since breaking out as a rare groove Dj in the 90's he has spent the 21st Century using eclectic club styles, break beat, trip hop and tech funk as a backdrop for his genrebending experiments. From a near religious love of funk and hip hop, to a lifetime study of rock and roll to a massive aptitude for latin, reggae and other outernational formats, MoPo incorporates bits and pieces of music culture into electronic edits that slam the dancefloor. As a backdrop, he creates, edits or chooses only the biggest baddest breaks, hooks and drops to create a sound that truly slams. To the dancer, MoPo is a breath of fresh air, often transforming a room into collective song or crowd chant that connect the audience to the DJ.

These abilities have seen him preceding, following or tagging with a
who's who of breakbeat heroes like Afrika Bambaataa, DJ Icey, Cut
Chemist, Grandmaster Flash, James Lavelle, Bassnectar, DJ Vadim, Tipper, Kraak & Smaak, Aquasky, Fort Knox 5, Z-trip. He's also been among the first DJs to play many a rock festival including an unprecedented 6-year run at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and the first DJ sets ever at Gathering of the Vibes, High Sierra, Berkfest, Caribbean Holidaze, Mid Atlantic Music Experience, and Rothbury festival. He even played at Govt Mule's legendary "Deepest End" show, called one of the Top 10 shows of the Decade by Jambase. A live turntablist for the indie techno circus The Mutaytor, MoPo has sat in with Parliament-Funkadelic, Galactic, Rebirth Brass Band and BLVD. He has opened for live music legends like James Brown, Maceo Parker, Widespread Panic, String Cheese Incident, Femi Kuti, Sheryl Crow,
Spearhead, Jurassic 5, Isaac Hayes, Blackalicious, and Pendulum.

Prolific in the studio and tireless behind the decks, Eric Sharp’s energy and dedication have given him opportunity to share the stage with the likes of Green Velvet, Neon Indian, Diplo and Afrika Bambaataa, while his tunes have turned up in sets by top international DJs such as Roy Davis Jr, Drop The Lime, Donald Glaude and Santiago & Bushido to name but a few. After meeting him at WMC, Tommie Sunshine immediately signed Sharp for the first offering on his brand new label, Brooklyn Fire (released November 2010).

2010 was a banner year for Eric, beginning with the launch of his independent label Rock It Science Laboratories, which he runs with NYC counterpart DJ Fame. Initially devised to provide an outlet for his own extensive output and collaborations, Rock It immediately grew in scope and now has a range of releases slated for 2011. With this auspicious start to a new year, Sharp is raising the bar for himself with a flurry of activity including a remix for Dirty Vegas’ forthcoming album on Om Records and a track licensed to appear on CSI: Miami. Add to this an aggressive release schedule for his own imprint, an artist album in the works, a bevy of original productions and remix work, and a substantial gig schedule around the nation (including Outside Lands, SXSW & Ultra Week performances) and one can get a small taste of Eric’s steadfast commitment to the dance floor.

Without doubt, DJ ICON has become an iconic figure in the U.S. dance music industry and beyond. With a career spanning well over a decade, she has captivated audiences the world over with her signature bass-heavy vocal-infused cross-genre DJ sets consisting of Breaks, Electro House and Dubstep; not to mention her magnetic stage presence, skillful DJ mixes and productions on Illeven Eleven Recordings. It’s no wonder why she’s been dubbed one of the leading ladies of this domain.

Starting in 1996 at age 16, ICON diligently rose through the ranks of the San Francisco underground at a time when female DJs and promoters were few. In just a few years, her skills and growing reputation had already landed her numerous residencies in San Francisco, as well as a steady flow of multi-national bookings. ICON has also gained success in radio and television in addition to rocking dancefloors worldwide. Among her accolades are stellar reviews for her productions on Illeven Eleven Recordings, a spot in Shejay’s “Top 100 Female DJs”, being voted one of San Francisco’s best in the Nitevibe “Top 10 DJ Dreamteam” Poll, and also scoring a coveted sponsorship from Pioneer Pro DJ.

Throughout her career, ICON has regularly toured throughout the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Europe and Asia at world renowned clubs such as 1015 Folsom and Ruby Skye in San Francisco, Limelight in NYC, Fabric and Matter in London, and Avalon in LA; as well as massive events such as Coachella Music Festival, Ultra Music Festival, Burning Man and Fuel Festival in Singapore. ICON has shared stages with top tier artists such as Underworld, The Chemical Brothers, The Crystal Method, Ladytron, Paul Oakenfold, Adam Freeland, Armand Van Helden, Deekline & Wizard, The Stanton Warriors, The Freestylers, Evil Nine, Elite Force, Uberzone, Bassbin Twins, DJ Icey, DJ Rap, Baby Anne and many more.

In addition to performing at events, ICON has also promoted many events in San Francisco and New York City over the years, most recently, her Weapon of Choice monthly featuring the best in local talent alongside internationally known Breakbeat and Electro House talent. This led to her popular Weapon of Choice DJ mix series that has accumulated over 20,000 downloads and thousands of plays on Soundcloud and Mixcloud. She is also an integral member of the first female DJ collective, Sister SF, and the longest running large-scale sound camp at Burning Man, Opulent Temple.

For many years, ICON dominated the radio waves with residencies and guest spots on a plethora of successful long-running dance music programs such as Thump Funk on XM, Boombox Mix Sessions on Sirius, Solid State on K-ROCK in NYC; IBreaks in the UK; and a myriad of shows in the San Francisco Bay Area, including House Nation on Wild 94.9 FM, Subsonic on Live 105, Zendada on Energy 92.7, and Future Breaks on KUSF. She has also made her way onto the small screen: In 2001, she was featured as one of twelve up-and-coming American DJs in “Disc Jockey,” a 12-part documentary series that aired on Showtime™ and ShoNext™. In 2004, she was the DJ on the internationally syndicated MTV™ series “The Wade Robson Project,” a dance competition hosted by the self-titled super choreographer.

ICON’s production endeavors have proven to be as exciting as her DJ career. Her first release on Illeven Eleven Records “Welcome To My Dancefloor”, a collaboration with Dustin Hulton featuring vocals by Nikki Carabello, had huge support by leading artists in the industry. It charted at #8 and #22 on the Beatport Breakbeat and Electro charts, also getting stellar reviews in Mixmag and Beatport top weekly picks. Her second release, “Wha?”, with studio partner Ground_Control, had equally stellar support and reviews; the Keith Mackenzie & DJ Fixx remix charted at #12 on Beatport. So what’s next for this powerhouse bass princess? More DJ ICON & Ground_Control originals and remixes as well as a promising slate of collaborations are in the works, as she continues to make her mark in the worldwide dance music industry. And if the last fourteen years have proven anything, 2012 will continue to bring big things from this driven and versatile performer.