DJ SUN BIO:

Now living in Houston, a beloved Recording Artist, DJ and Radio Show host since 1995 (Soular Grooves, KPFT 90.1), DJ SUN recently released his second EP Para. With his first, Monday Drive, listeners quickly learned they could trust him to take them on an international and fantastical exploration of old-school soul, jazz, reggae and even disco. Now, consistent as a heartbeat and as warm as DJ SUN’s memories of home, Para EP propels listeners to go even further with him as he integrates the roots and traditions of his background with contemporary and at times futuristic methodology. DJ SUN djs regularly at local establishments: The Flat, Onion Creek and plays bi-monthly at Washington DC’s Eighteenth Street Lounge (home to Thievery Corporation). A third release (full-length album) entitled One Hundred, is slated for a Spring 2010 release.

SHORT HISTORY SOULAR GROOVES:
soular grooves was started in january 1995 by dj sun and now boasts a line-up which includes djs (alongside dj sun): melodic, suma, josh zulu, dj nine, bosco, seth jones, mr. grinch, derek jones, esteban torres, fly girl t, brotha jibril, eric salzman and lil tiger. soular grooves prides itself on genre-bending (the tempo and style of the music varies). the common denominators are undoubtedly soul and jazz elements. the show airs from 9:30pm to 12am cst on kpft 90.1 FM in houston, texas,. from 9:30pm-11pm we play individual tracks. every week at 11pm we feature a one-hour live mix from one of the soular grooves djs.

A Brief History:

It all started in the Fall of 1992 with NiteShift, an event hosted and produced by Tunde Akindele. The event featured Houston poet and artist, Israel McCloud, a DJ and a three piece jazz band. It took place at then Club Kamelyon in the 900 block of Prairie, in downtown Houston.

By 1993 Tunde and DJ Sun crossed paths and exchanged ideas about the music they enjoyed and how inaccessible it had been to the general audience. Why not do an event playing jazz, funk, hip hop, house and reggae in an atmosphere conducive to chillin’ and groovin’.

The Soulcookin’ events were born and provided the crowds with different flavors including rare grooves and an alternative groove (acid jazz). The events had subtitles and moved from venue to venue: “Sugar” (1/94) at Bubbahs BBQ & Danceteria, “Soulcookin’ with Fire” (4/94) at Lawndale Art Center, “Soulcookin’s New Year’s Eve” (12/93) at C&B Cafeteria.

In April, 1994, after “Soulcookin’ with Fire”, DJ Sun joined with The Equinox Group to start Soulstice. The jazz club was located upstairs at 910 Prairie, in downtown Houston and featured poetry, live jazz and DJ Sun on the Turntables every Friday, spinning rare grooves, jazz, salsa, house and hip hop.

In December 1994 Soulstice shut down and DJ SUN moved to the airwaves when he secured a slot on KPFT 90.1 FM. At first mired at the Wednesday 3 to 5am slot, the show was moved to prime time: Soular Grooves, 9pm to midnight.

Soular Grooves and its DJs have won numerous Best Radio Show and Best DJ awards, and featured some of the best DJ talent in town, including previous Soular Grooves members Chicken George, DJ Theory, and others.