DIZ & IZ
catch them @ Honey this Thursday
The right place at the right time

If life is about "being in the right place at the right time," then Diz’s timing could not have been better. Born and raised in Chicago, the original epicenter of the House Music universe, Diz’s adolescence coincided with the beginnings of that city’s legendary scene.
He was 14 when his older brother took him to The Music Box in 1985. That night, the course of his life was altered when he witnessed the potential of music: to control emotions and lead people on a collective journey. He’s been striving to do just that ever since, and in the process has become a faithful participant in the music, the culture, and the times.
Like many, Diz’s DJ beginnings were about whatever he could get his hands on at the time. His record collection started with Disco and old Breaks inherited from family members, and until he got his own decks a full year after that night at The Music Box, he would go to a friend’s house to play records for hours.

Throughout high school, he frequented parties featuring DJs such as Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Farley and many other masters, and finally had a chance to break into the scene at age 19 after meeting contemporaries Mark Farina, Derrick Carter and Spencer Kincey (Gemini). His early gigs were at Alcazar with Gemini, and at one-off parties. At his Wicker Park loft, what started as a means for paying the rent developed into a two-year run as a fully-functioning nightclub with staff, featuring Diz, Farina and Mark Grant on the turntables. Soon afterwards, he and his friends took over Shelter, "One of the city’s most severe night spots." From roughly 1993-98 Diz was the Friday resident at Shelter, and the Saturday resident at Red Dog alongside Johnny Fiasco, in addition to traveling increasingly. In 1995, Diz accepted a job offer from his brother’s friend Anthony Pearson (better known as Chez Damier) to work at PRESCRIPTION, the record label Chez was starting with his producing partner, Ron. PRESCRIPTION did a lot of distribution business with CAJUAL, and that is how Diz met his future producing partner, Joshua, whose nickname, as fate would have it, was "Iz." In 1995, "Iz & Diz" produced their first record together, "Ghosts in Detroit," released on PRESCRIPTION’s sub-label, BALANCE.

A year later, Joshua/Iz moved back to San Francisco, but through the years he and Diz have maintained their close friendship and continue to produce together for labels like GUIDANCE, TWEEKIN’, SILVER NETWORK, and PANHANDLE. Recently, Diz has been putting together his own studio, and will soon begin to release his solo production work. In addition to playing regularly in Chicago, Diz travels extensively both nationally and worldwide, occasionally paired with Joshua/Iz. Recently, he’s gained a particularly loyal following in Los Angeles, where he plays at least once a month. His club credits in Canada include Montreal (Jai Bar, Harmony, Stereo), Toronto (Jet Club, Industry, Government), Winnipeg (Pan Am Games outdoor festival), Vancouver (Sonar, Rehab, Plaza), and in Europe, London (Bar Rhumba), Paris (The Queen, Rex Club, What’s Up Bar), Montpellier (La Dune, Penguin Parties), Marseille (Café Espace), Corsica(Eclipse Party), Avignon (festival), Brussels (Food Club), Scotland (Tribal Funktion), and Stuttgart (Café Kesselhouse). Coming soon will be his first commercially released mixed CD on Derrick Carter’s label, CLASSIC.

JOSHUA (aka DJ IZ & CIRCULATION) Biography


One of the pioneers of the "San Francisco sound," Joshua is an equally accomplished DJ and producer with strong ties to Chicago. In the April 2000 issue of Urb Magazine, he is featured on the cover as one of "The Next 100" to watch. Joshua Michaels was born in the Windy City on a 120 F day in 1969, the same day the first manned Apollo mission blasted off to the moon. Growing up in the suburbs, he was influenced by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the culturally rich city of Chicago. At 8 he quit music lessons in favor of football and getting into trouble with the neighborhood kids, but as his producing career shows, it’s a good thing he always kept playing piano.

At age 10, his family moved to San Jose, California, where Joshua started buying records. Later in high school, he formed a ska-reggae-funk-punk bank influenced by British ska revival bands like The Specials and The Selector, and California locals Fishbone and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Featuring a full horn section (including a pre-DJ Doc Martin on trumpet), the band toured the state and played in San Diego with No Doubt in 1986. While still a teenager, he secured a weekly radio show on KSCU at Santa Clara University. After high school the band went its separate ways, and Joshua studied architecture at UC Berkeley. He started DJing parties, landing a weekly playing hip-hop and rare grooves at the infamous Nickies BBQ. In 1989, he and NY native schoolmate Dedan started a weekly in Oakland called Beehive at a pimped-out velvet wallpaper lounge, playing hip-hop, dancehall reggae, soul and house. At the time they were listening to Tony Humphries’ NY radio show sent religiously on cassette from by Dedan’s sister.

While visiting relatives and record shopping in Chicago, Joshua was told to go to a store called Gramophone and asked for a guy named "Derrick Carter." The two hit it off, and Joshua would return twice a year to stay at the now famous Red Nail encampment on Green Street, just across the way from the Warehouse and DJ International. Upon graduating from Berkeley, Joshua procured some midi gear and started making his own tracks. After hearing his demos, Derrick and Chez Damier convinced him to move Chicago to make music. Giving up a full time job at HotWired, Joshua moved in with the Red Nail posse (Derrick, Mark Farina and Chris Nazuka), with the illusionary Chez being another semi-permanent resident. Joshua produced for BLUE CUCARACHA, PRESCRIPTION and its offshoot BALANCE, and DJ’d regularly at Red Dog and Shelter. He also worked as a design director at CAJUAL with Rob Kouchoukos and Ivan Pavlovich (now of GUIDANCE), designing most of the labels and cover art during the glory days of 1995-96.

During this time, he met Diz, with whom he continues to produce and DJ. After the breakup of PRESCRIPTION and BALANCE in 1996, Joshua returned to the Bay Area where he’s lived and worked ever since. He balances a prolific producing schedule of original material and remixes for indie and major labels in the US, UK and Canada, with DJ travels throughout the US, and in Canada, Europe, and the UK, where he is a favorite at venues like Bar Rhumba and SubClub. Back home in SF, he is in charge of A&R and design for local label TWEEKIN’, DJs every Tuesday with a Salsa band, and throws a raucous Sunday weekly, Bionic, at The Top on Haight Street with DJ partners Mark E Quark and Solar, where they have a lot of fun and tend to drink a lot.