One fateful night in Austin, 1996, a young man found himself surrounded by flashing strobe lights, thousands of sweaty men and a whole lot of fake smoke. He instantly fell in love. The name of the event was Meltdown, and the kid was Roland Belmares. As he joined the crowd in dancing throughout the night, Belmares realized he could never again return to a world without this energy, these people, this music. After years of feeling like an outsider, he ironically felt immediately integrated among smiling strangers intent only on celebrating life together. He knew he had to figure out a way he could give something in return. That was the night Roland Belmares decided to become a DJ.
So began Belmares' humble origins - playing pool parties and minor venues across Austin, slowly building a name for himself as a DJ who takes his art just as seriously whether there are twenty or two thousand people on the dance floor. It was Belmares' dedicated fine-tuning and attention to such style that eventually caught the ear of Ben Parsley, promoter for two of Austin's biggest circuit events, Perfect Day and, the one that started it all, Meltdown. The incredible impact Belmares made on audiences at both Meltdown and Perfect Day secured him a position on the discerning partygoer's hot list of circuit DJs.
Since that time, Belmares has been called to play several events at parties located from the hills of San Francisco to the beaches of Miami, and even breaking the international barriers to play both sides of Canada in Vancouver and Toronto. Then, of course, there are those major events like White Party, Winter Party (Miami), Alegria (New York) and Fireball (Chicago) among all of which Roland rose to the occasion, delivering audiences his unique blend of High Energy / Tribal Vocals. With a growing fan base spanning coast to coast, it was only a matter of time before Belmares received recognition from the industry's leading dance labels, including Dance One, 4Play Records, and Centaur (Global & Party Groove). The latter having recently released his critically acclaimed club mix for the Winter Party in Miami for 2003.
As for the what lies ahead for Belmares, it appears he's dedicated to dance music beyond simply maintaining his status as one of the scene's top rated DJs. "In the future, I see myself changing with the times; keeping an overall consistency of high energy in my DJ sets. However, I also hope to eventually move into production work and follow in the footsteps of such greats as Manny Lehman, Ralphi Rosario and Victor Calderone." If that goal sounds out-of-reach, just consider how quickly Belmares realized his dream to become a great DJ. Don't blink Dj Roland Belmares will be a great producer before you know it.
-Mateo Segade, Perfectbeat.com
fireball.chicagopride.com
Chicago Fireball DJ Profiles: Tracy Young | Greg Drescher | Rosabel | Kimberly S. | Lydia Prim | Susan Morabito
Related Article: Interview with DJ Susan Morabito by DJ Plez
So began Belmares' humble origins - playing pool parties and minor venues across Austin, slowly building a name for himself as a DJ who takes his art just as seriously whether there are twenty or two thousand people on the dance floor. It was Belmares' dedicated fine-tuning and attention to such style that eventually caught the ear of Ben Parsley, promoter for two of Austin's biggest circuit events, Perfect Day and, the one that started it all, Meltdown. The incredible impact Belmares made on audiences at both Meltdown and Perfect Day secured him a position on the discerning partygoer's hot list of circuit DJs.
Since that time, Belmares has been called to play several events at parties located from the hills of San Francisco to the beaches of Miami, and even breaking the international barriers to play both sides of Canada in Vancouver and Toronto. Then, of course, there are those major events like White Party, Winter Party (Miami), Alegria (New York) and Fireball (Chicago) among all of which Roland rose to the occasion, delivering audiences his unique blend of High Energy / Tribal Vocals. With a growing fan base spanning coast to coast, it was only a matter of time before Belmares received recognition from the industry's leading dance labels, including Dance One, 4Play Records, and Centaur (Global & Party Groove). The latter having recently released his critically acclaimed club mix for the Winter Party in Miami for 2003.
As for the what lies ahead for Belmares, it appears he's dedicated to dance music beyond simply maintaining his status as one of the scene's top rated DJs. "In the future, I see myself changing with the times; keeping an overall consistency of high energy in my DJ sets. However, I also hope to eventually move into production work and follow in the footsteps of such greats as Manny Lehman, Ralphi Rosario and Victor Calderone." If that goal sounds out-of-reach, just consider how quickly Belmares realized his dream to become a great DJ. Don't blink Dj Roland Belmares will be a great producer before you know it.
-Mateo Segade, Perfectbeat.com
fireball.chicagopride.com
Chicago Fireball DJ Profiles: Tracy Young | Greg Drescher | Rosabel | Kimberly S. | Lydia Prim | Susan Morabito
Related Article: Interview with DJ Susan Morabito by DJ Plez
