There are people who play records and then there are DJs like Adam Bartas. This 23-year-old knows that Djing isnt just about playing the right records at the right time, its about the emotion and the passion that accompanies them and conveying it to the dancefloor. Its a theory Bartas has had plenty of chances to test out of late, as he continues his rapid rise up Melbournes DJing ranks to become one of the citys most in-demand house jocks.
Bartas love of music started at an early age. His father was a keen musician and had his son immersed in everything from The Eagles, to AC/DC, Van Halen and Guns n Roses as a youngster. Adams tastes would eventually turn from rock to dance, with the likes of The Chemical Brothers and filtered French house heroes Daft Punk dominating his stereo.
Adam got his first taste of the vinyl-stroking world in 2002 as a 19-year-old, from the encouragement of good friend and fellow DJ Dean Paps, who had a gig one night at Marks Place in Carlton. Paps insistence that Adam should come along and play some tunes with him was all the budding dance enthusiast needed to become hooked on the craft. Adam would quickly develop a taste for performing, with his obvious talent and drive leading to DJing opportunities popping up all across town.
After playing a set one night at Two Floors Up, he was approached by management to take over the position of booking DJs for the club. Since then, not only has Two Floors Up developed a reputation in the Melbourne clubbing scene as a venue of choice, but it is increasingly becoming known for the music that is played there (referred to as TFU Music). Since then not surprisingly, gigs have continued to flow in.
Today, with 5 years professional Djing experience under his belt, Bartas has refined his sound, drawing on a love of old skool sonics to throw in cheeky crowd-pleasing acapellas over the best in chunky house and electro. Flick through his record box and youll find the likes of Lines Loves, Switch and Eyerer & Chopstick at the front of the pack.
Bartas Djing schedule is just as packed as his record box, with his rapidly growing fanbase counting down the days till the weekend in anticipation of his sets at Two Floors Up (Friday/Saturday/Sunday morning recovery), Boutique, The Saint, The Cushion Lounge, Alumbra, Room, Motel and Marakesh. Dance giants Future Entertainment have also called on Bartas talents to join the main room line-up of their new club night Famous, set for imminent launch at QBH. You can also find Adam playing guest spots at Revolver, as well as heading up the Dirty Dozen parties, No Vacancy, No Organisation, Rendezvous, One Night Stand and Overboard. Bartas also regularly jumps behind the wheels of steal with fellow local whiz Miles Junior, with many scribes labelling the dynamic duo to be one of the best DJ teams in Melbourne.
His impressive skills have also seen him sought by interstate and overseas promoters, with Adam spreading his Djing wings to play at Sounds on Sunday (Sydney), G.P.O (Brisbane) and New Zealands massive 6000 person festival We Love House. Back home, Bartas joined electro heavyweights Tiefschwarz and house dons Sandy Rivera and DJ Sneak on the main stage of We Love Sounds at the Metro earlier this year. Support slots alongside the likes of Soul Central, Knee Deep, M.A.N.D.Y, Lawnchair Generals, Martin Solveig, Paul Farris and Jamie Lewis have also further proven his reputation as a big-match performer. A gig at this years Godskitchen festival is to follow in October.
Away from the dex, Bartas is currently honing his production skills with mates Dean Paps and PK, with their remixes and funk-ridden re-edits getting bodies grinding all around town. Adam also keeps himself busy running No Management, a company dedicated to managing DJs and staging the infamous Dirty Dozen parties.
With so much going on its hard to conceive of how Adam is planning a tour of Asia later this year, but when youve got such a potent mixture of passion and talent running through your blood, its impossible to stand still. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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