Back 2 Basics: Chez Damier

Splitting his time between Detroit, Chicago and occasionally New York, Chez Damier set up the Music Institute with Derrick May while Alton Miller looked after its business affairs. He also managed the studio outputs of Kevin Saunderson’s KMS label while helping countless producers get a start in production.

Crosstown Rebels and Ostgut Ton affiliate Dinky makes her Flash debut. The Chilean producer is known for weaving atmospheric soundscapes that tickle the spine.

DC House Grooves' Andy Grant is set to warm us up. The Peligro Brothers AKA Ozker and Dj Provoke bring the disco selections to FlashBar all night long.

A legendary figure in electronic music, Chez Damier has played close witness to many of the pivotal moments in the history of house and techno. Jointly responsible with partner Ron Trent for both Prescription Records - widely recognized as one of the greatest labels of all time - and The Morning Factory - one of the most ethereal jams ever to rock a room - Chez Damier carries abound the soul of house music.

KMS, The Music Institute, The Belleville three: the Chicago DJ has played pivotal roles in the development of all three hallowed pieces of musical history. However his natural artistry and constant need to out do even himself has led to him passing off such seminal tunes as Can You Feel It as just a stage in his artistic development.

For as an artist Chez Damier represents a unique blend; he is as impetuous and daring as now as in 1989 and being able to qualify this with his own unique heritage makes his releases and DJ performances doubly formidable. When The Music Institute opened in Detroit in the late '80s it provided the home for a developing music scene. It proved just as important for the development of techno in the city as The Warehouse and The Music Box had been for house music in Chicago and the hedonistic experiences in that club have gone onto shape much of Damier's life ever since.

After a few years managing the KMS studio and label for Kevin Saunderson, he returned to his hometown of Chicago and, alongside Ron Trent, created the musical legacy that has guaranteed his legend. Immortal cuts like "Sometimes I Feel Like," "The Choice" and "Be My"-remain unparalleled examples of the genre. After taking an extended break from the music industry either side of the turn of the millennium, the house music impulse returned to Damier.

A handful of releases in 2004 and the odd DJ date hinted that a return was on the cards. In 2009, the last year of the decade Damier found a trusted outlet for his talents. A series of releases for the German label Mojuba signaled that he was on his way back to show the young pretenders the way. Taking up the torch of Prescription, Damier launched Balance Alliance as a home for some of the most forward thinking and talented producers he deems fit to join him on the imprint. With constant momentum building behind him, Chez Damier continues to explore fresh artistic avenues and legendary status as a DJ.

Dinky was born Alejandra Del Pilar Iglesias Rivera and was named Dinky by her sister at birth.As a Child she studied Ballet and the Suzuki method (Piano)Since very early age she showed a natural musical and artistic talent.Born and raised in Santiago to a musical family ,she is a leading member of Chile's second generation of electronic-music greats.

It was in New York, where she had moved in the mid '90s to join the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, that Dinky's music career began to take off, as she immersed herself in the city's vital underground scene of the day. In her early twenties she turned out her first productions; within a couple of years She had released a spate of records in labels as Sonic Groove, Traum and Carpark, ranging from ambient, minimal house, techno to downcast new disco and electronic pop. In 2003, she moves to Berlin, a city that had captured her imagination nine years earlier during the heyday of E-Werk and Tresor. It was a good move: by 2005 she would release the massive "Acid In My Fridge" for Sven Väth's Cocoon imprint ; the record became a massive hit. Dinky has gone on to become a regular fixture across the continental scene, playing regularly in the most important clubs, like DC10, Fabric, Amnesia or Cocoon Club, while in Berlin she currently holds the honor of a Panorama Bar residency since 2004.

Apart from mixing records and producing in the studio Dinky is trained in classical guitar ,Jazz Piano and voice. Together with her husband Matthew Styles they own a recording studio in Berlin where he is is the main mix and mastering engineer. Clients include like Hercules and Love Affair , Damian Lazarus , Ralph Lawson,Jamie Jones, Rosin Murphy etc.