erphun (Er-Fun) - a Farsi word meaning the state of being or the ability to be on a higher spiritual level. The best way to introduce Ali Zaree (erphun) and his career is to illustrate exactly the way he feels when he is spinning and how this feeling came to be. Whether for a group of friends at a small gathering or for hundreds of people at a club, erphun’s passion for spinning is ever growing and evolving. erphun has been spinning for over six years. It began two days after his birthday, June 24th 2000, at Spundae in San Francisco when erphun was exposed to an event, which inspired him and changed the course of his life. He received his calling as he watched Sasha and Digweed spin one of their many mesmerizing sets. Completely new to the scene, erphun watched in awe and felt first hand the energy that bound the screaming fans to the two DJs. He knew instantly the path his life was meant to take. While still attending UCSB, erphun purchased two decks and a mixer, and began building his record collection. His earliest music stylings included the genres of house, trance, and tribal, eventually guiding erphun’s interest into deep progressive house, and more recently tech house and electro. Fueled by his passion to become a successful DJ, erphun taught himself how to spin by observing every top DJ that came to Los Angeles. Before long, he landed his first major gig on Halloween at Santa Barbara’s most happening spot, Qs and later on at another hot spot, Mad House. After realizing that he had achieved all that he could in his DJ career in Santa Barbara, erphun moved to Los Angeles a year later. He began networking and immersed himself in the LA underground scene. Local promoters and fellow DJs recognized his abilities and he landed his first major gig and two residencies. The gig was a 4th of July party for Spundae in Los Angeles in 2002. erphun’s first residencies included Naked and Hotel California which enabled him to play at some of the biggest clubs across the country: Sevilla (Las Vegas), Broadway (San Diego), Voodoo Lounge (Las Vegas), Risqu (Las Vegas, New Year’s Eve 2004), and the Shelbourne Hotel (Miami, Winter Music Conference in 2003). After finishing a very memorable residency at Flirt in Hollywood, and a series of gigs at some of the most popular clubs in Los Angeles, erphun turned his attention to producing and met various eclectic and exciting talented professionals along the way. Erphun drew upon his musical skills, influences and experiences, and fine tuned his ears, abilities, talent and experience for producing Tech House, and Electro. |