Biography:
New York DJ Joe Toolz spins aggressive
minimal techno of the raucous, hard, soulful variety.
A native of New Jersey, Joe became fascinated
with the world of beats and rhythm early in his
teenage years and began spinning vinyl in 1996
after being inspired by NY techno artists AdamX
and Dj Gonzo. He has rocked clubs, warehouses,
festivals, radio stations (WKDU in Philadelphia),
and outlaw parties throughout New York and the
east coast ever since.
In 1998 Toolz began his
studio experience at Third Story Recording in
Philadelphia where he worked with Josh Wink,
King Britt and Ursula Rucker amongst others.
He has went on to serve as sound engineer at
Chung King Studios in New York on recordings
by most notably Eminem, Everlast, Loose, Jimmy
Cozia, Stretch Armstrong, Clark Kent, and Cannabis.
He recorded the vocals to the music video of
Mos Def’s seminal “Umi Says”.
Presently Toolz records out of a home studio
set up in the urban culture in the raw that
is Brooklyn where he produces, mixes, edits,
and sequences an eclectic mix of his own tracks
as well as those of individuals eager to utilize
his studio expertise. These experiments in techno
and electro soundscapes make use of groove techniques
Toolz perfected in his work on tracks for Wink
and King Britt at Ovum Records.
Having spun music up
and down the east coast with the likes of Robert
Armani, Frankie Bones, Joey Beltram, and Dieselboy,
Toolz has moved on to spread his wings across
the U.S., North America and Europe with a unique,
treacherous take on groovin' house, spirit altering
tech-house, and blistering techno. Proficient
spinning on three decks setups as well as the
traditional two Toolz has evolved into a pyrotechnic
magician who experiments with the use of a Powerbook
G4 laptop during his sets to incorporate live
programming. This use of manipulated sounds
and beats provide raw, fresh media for Toolz
and his sonic experiments, betraying the influence
of NYC’s rich and creative beat culture.
Toolz takes these sounds inherent everywhere
around him and crystallizes them, later cut
and pasted using the audio software programs
Protools, Reason, Bias Peak, and Recycle. Impeccable
mixing on multiple decks produces nuanced, driving
beats that search through the ether of techno’s
boundaries and yet always settle into the realm
of satisfying, aggressive techno. Toolz is the
real deal.