Do you want to know the difference between those Dj's that feel 'it' and those who wouldn't know what 'it' was even if it came around their house and ran off with their girlfriends? It's to do with baselines. Listen to the myriad of crap house records and its like sitting on a particularly bad fairground ride. These baselines shouldn't just sit on the beat, but ride and slide off it. Its what gives movement and funk to music... and better still its what makes girls wiggle their hips. And lets not forget the carnal desires that go on during any typical night spent on a dance floor - the music is just an excuse!!!

The house bug bit Keith Egan over 12 years ago and at a time when the dance scene was all but non-existent in Dublin. After a period of sneaking into all the parties and venues where he could listen to 'dance' music a very underage Keith soon found himself collecting the very records he had been dancing to that weekend. Although at this time it should be noted he had no turntables with which to play this music on. I'm not making a point of this to embarrass Keith, but rather illustrate that this enthusiasm and passion towards the scene was testament to his young character then and even more so now!

Having bought his halloed turntables, Keith then turned his attention to honing his craft. Spending every moment he could afford delving through the many records he had already amassed and individually piecing them together to create one sonic soundscape. It didn't take long before his efforts got noticed. Through playing various small one off parties and networking with the right people Keith landed his first club residency. This residency was really the period where Keith cut his teeth in the art of Djing. Learning to control a crowd musically, programme a set and create a musical journey. Here he realised how he could manipulate the mood of a room and take a crowd where he wanted and how he wanted. As I said he began to understand the art of Djing.

Unfortunately due to closure of the venue, the residency only lasted one year, but by this time Keith was already guesting at some of the festivals, nights, and indeed illegal parties that were springing up all over Ireland. During this period Keith also got involved in promoting his own nights around the capital. For these nights he'd alternate between warming up for local and international guest Dj's and playing for as long as he could by himself circa 1998/99.

Around this period the scene in Dublin echoed that of the UK and became saturated with trance music. The only problem with this was although trance was now considered to be mainstream dance music, as such it became commercial property, and appeared in everything from the charts to TV adverts. Frustrated by this Keith was unprepared to jump on the bandwagon that so many jocks at the time did and stayed true to his love of the darker and less obvious side of dance music. For the next two years Keith took his music back underground and re-evolved with it. While the main dancefloors all over the world were going off to the current trance explosion, Keith kept it dark, pumping and progressive at select parties up and down the country.

Fast forward another two years to 2003 and trance has suddenly become a bad name. The more progressive leanings and darker, edgier sounds of house are back in vogue. Keith's sound had now evolved to such an extent that he was melding tribal and progressive numbers together in such a way that one of his sets could be bizarrely regarded as being similar to trance record, with ups and downs, peaks and troughs, but ranging over a time period of three or four hours and not six minutes like the average trance record. The dawn of this new musical era allowed Keith to present his take on it on a completely new platform, 'I Feel Stereo!' at the Excise Bar. The exposed interior brickwork and dark looming archways provided the perfect backdrop for his new sound. The art décor, lighting and sound system and most importantly music policy however was entirely Keith's. It was all his own vibe.

This bi monthly slot was quickly noticed by Spain's Z music label. After witnessing one of the parties, Mario Zarate, Z music's label owner insisted on collaborating on the night. Mario, a resident of Pacha in Buenos Aires, felt his tribally influenced house sound could quite comfortably sit alongside Keiths sound. The next 'I Feel Stereo' event saw an impressively packed out international audience, including Spanish, Mexican, South African and Portuguese alongside the original I feel Stereo faithful.

It soon became apparent that a bigger venue was now required. Keith and Mario turned to the cavernous Temple Bar Music Centre and renamed the night Funkedelica in summer 2004. Marios house and tribal house sound early doors gave Keith the warm up platform he needed to deliver his heads down main sets. Testament to his never diminishing enthusiasm to search out new music, Keith was travelling across to the UK one weekend a month and record hunting in London, Birmingham and Liverpool to keep his sound fresh and always cutting edge.

In 2005, Keith making the conscious decision he wanted to follow a predominantly more progressive and techier musical route parted company with Z music. But also his main focus was in bringing quality international guests to Dublin still using the music centre as his venue of choice. Two of these luminaries in the form of Mr C (generally regarded as the figurehead of tech house) and Australia's Anthony Pappa (who kick started GlobalUndrgrounds legendary Nubreed series). Both men featuring as guests of Keiths aptly named 'Sound Transmitted Disease pres. ReBirth' night. With coverage on everything from 2FM to Spin FM and features in Djmag to connected magazine. This is a night where Keith has been drawing on all his experience to provide the ideal clubbing atmosphere for a clued up crowd. The ReBirth as the man himself will tell you has all been about finding himself musically again and the night a platform with which to deliver it.

In 2006 house is not as segmented as it once was. Progressive Dj's don't just play progressive house, house heads don't just stick to house. It's all about one groove again. Ask Keith whats in his record box today and he'll name you labels from Italy, Germany, Spain, Czech Republic, France the UK to the America's. Musically I can now play several different genres under a progressive banner, electro and tech house tracks, even some techno elements can be thrown in for good measure - there are no rules - just a groove!

But now like many others Keith has been experimenting over the last few years on his own tracks in the studio, Production is becoming more and more of a requirement these days to stay ahead of the pack. At the ReBirth night Keith has already seen positive results from road testing some of his productions on an unsuspecting crowd. Plans for the future include his own label together with the club night.

Although the view of many commentators outside of the scene describe Dj's as mere empty vessels who gain respect on the merit of other peoples productions, what they often fail to realise is this, a record on its own is just a record. Indeed a very good record on its own is just a very good record. But its when a Dj, who can read a crowd and understand how to programme a set, can take an average record to a new level by the records that Dj plays before and after it. Keith understands this. In this description is it not the average producer who is gaining respect because of the method the Dj sequences his track? Sixes and dozens really!

Any getting back to my point I was making at the start - the music is just an excuse - isn't it? ......is it fuck!!!

                                                      John Sullivan