rayandersonjr

Amazingly, Ray Anderson Jr.'s voyage into House music didnt begin until 2002. "Miguel Migs had just released 'Nude Tempo 1', so I bought the cd (everybody on Okayplayer.com was raving about it). I thought it was decent, and when he came to play at a local club, I went and was immediately hooked. The live experience was so incredible. The energy in the room could've powered a small village, and the dancers? It was like they were having a total spiritual experience". Fast-forward to 2010 and Ray has become one of the fastest rising stars in the Southeast's burgeoning house music scene.

"I dj'd my first party when I was in the 8th grade, and I've always been 'that guy with the music', so becoming 'that guy that plays the music' was kind of a natural progression for me. I let it go for a while until a friend of mine started his own internet radio station. I got a show playing all hip-hop, but once the House music bug bit me, I slowly started to integrate it into my show. Since playing on handzonradio.fm,and having a weekly show on Jesse Saunders' electronicmusiccafe.com, I'm able to bring what I do to the masses."

Once his immersion began, he quickly found the sounds that spoke to him most. "If I had to choose, I would have to say the three Dj's that have influenced me the most would have to be Karizma, Osunlade, and my friend Julius the Mad Thinker. I love the more Soulful, Tribal and, for lack of a better term, 'outside the box' sounds that those three play. It's rooted in Soulful house, but it has more of an edge than traditional Soulful House. Artists along the lines of Green Velvet,Chocolate Puma, DJ Gregory and Dennis Ferrer are what you're most likely to hear when I spin, as well as a few choice classics throughout the night."

Having already played with the likes of legendary Dj's/producers Jesse Saunders, Jason Brooks and Gary "Jackmaster" Wallace, organizing Charlottes only annual House music showcase (The Gathering), as well as being one of the first dj's hand-picked to play on House Music pioneer Jesse Saunders Electronic Music Cafe internet radio station,and being chosen to represent Jason Brooks brand new Futuro Sounds label, Ray Anderson, Jr. has come a long way in a short time, but don't expect him to rest on his laurels, "I'm always trying to better myself..my techniques. I'm constantly motivated by a variety of things, be a new mix from one of my friends or my favorite dj's...to a hot new track I just heard or even just hearing songs in my head. I'm always thinking about giving people the best music in the best way possible"