Daniel Mnookin - Fwd Entertainment Guestmix - Jul 2008

Biography of Daniel Mnookin

Since purchasing his first pair of turntables nearly five years ago, 28 year-old Daniel Mnookin (pronounced 'Muh-new-kin') has gone from being just another kid learning to match beats, to one of The United State’s hottest rising DJ's.

Daniel’s music experience began well over a decade ago, teaching himself guitar and going on to play in a variety of alternative rock bands throughout high school and part of college. It wasn’t until 1999 that he would develop an appreciation and love for all forms of electronic music.

'While I bought various electronic oriented albums throughout junior high and high school,' Daniel notes, 'it wasn't until my junior year of college, where I studied abroad and then lived in London - that I really began to listen to DJ's – to really appreciate what they were doing.'

Upon returning to school at The University of Wisconsin-Madison, Daniel immediately began fidgeting with various electronic equipment ranging from drum machine’s and sequencer’s to sampler’s and synthesizer’s. He then came up with the alias 'the ith residual' and started playing out as a Live P.A. act.

'Playing live was always fun, but I found it hard to get booked in big cities as no one had the room or the willingness to accommodate an up and coming live act,' says Daniel, 'so I eventually decided it was time to go out and purchase a pair of decks and a mixer.'

Since catching the DJ bug, Daniel has gone on to play around Chicago, for top promoters such as PURE and Spundae. He has also played outside of his hometown in cities as remote as Columbia, Missouri, to the glitz and glamour of Miami, Florida – not too mention his international debut in Mexico this past fall. 2003 found Daniel netting nearly 50 non-residency gigs, as well as playing alongside such top notch DJ’s as Jimmy Van M, Nick Warren, DJ Garth, Mazi, and Green Velvet (just to name a few)...

Daniel is also among an elite group of DJ’s doing a regular show for the rapidly growing internet-based Proton Radio (www.protonradio.com). His monthly show, entitled 'Tic Tech Toe', runs from 4-6pm EST on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. It features mixes by both Daniel as well as an A-list of guest DJ's, past guests including Arc Resident Dennis Rodgers, Bedrock's Gregory Shiff, and Big Chief’s Marky Star.

Outside of DJing, Daniel keeps busy writing for various publications ranging from UR Chicago (www.urchicago.com) and Gravity Magazine (http://gravity.colum.edu) to Resident Advisor in Australia (www.residentadvisor.net).

'I take a lot of inspiration from Henry Rollins, whom I've had the opportunity to meet on various occasions. He once told me, 'It doesn't matter if you're playing for 2 people, 2,000 people, or 2,000,000 people.. you have to give it every ounce of energy you got, or you're not being true to the music.' This is the philosophy I bring with me each and every time I play out.'

In terms of production, Daniel's first record came out over a year ago and featured a track he did with longtime collaborator Brian Ffar entitled 'Plinko'. The recording was included on the 'Xactofunk E.P.' and released by U.K.-based Beat Code Records. Swag Records charted the release at #1. Brian and Daniel have recently finished a remix for the new Resonant Vibes label, and also signed two electro tracks' entitled 'Big City Midi' and 'Ms. Pant' Lahar' - to the Proton Music label.

2006 has already started strong for Daniel, as in January he and Brian released the second installation in the Proton Music compilation series entitled 'Bucktown Business.' The commercially released mix has received critical praise from the likes of iTunes and URB Magazine. Currently in the stages of finalizing tours in Mexico and Europe, Daniel is no stranger to racking up frequent flyer miles.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Daniel has joined with Brian Ffar and world renowned techno producer Billy Dalessandro to form Siteholder Records (www.siteholder.net) - a Chicago based techno label. The first release is schedule for the fall and sets Daniel up to take his stock in the electronic music world to the next level.

Outside of DJing, Daniel keeps busy working for UR Chicago Magazine (www.urchicago.com), currently a staff writer for their nightlife section. He also does freelance work for Australian based Resident Advisor (www.residentadvisor.net).

For more information, booking, or just to say 'Hello', feel free to reach Daniel via e-mail at daniel@danielmnookin.com.