Orange County - Heard Mentality - Dance Music Pick of the Week: Sultan at Code

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Dance Music Pick of the Week: Sultan at Code

By Dennis Romero in dance music pick of the week

Wednesday, Aug. 12 2009 @ 6:41PM

In the early '00s, after the hype of club culture peaked and many Johnny-come-latelys went home, a new generation of DJs and producers ascended. These younger men and women entered club-land for the right reasons--the music--and came armed with digital-production and social-networking skills that put vinyl-toting veterans to shame. The likes of James Zabiela, Deadmau5, 16 Bit Lolitas and Joris Voorn emerged as both technical and artistic whizzes.

Montreal-based Sultan is at the vanguard of that generation. He started as a radio mix-show spinner who produced a few progressive house tracks and soon found himself warming up for the likes of Deep Dish, Sander Kleinenberg, Danny Howells, Lee Burridge and more. He was the resident jock at the now-defunct club Living in Montreal, and that meant that most big-name dance acts that came through the considerable city would rub shoulders with Sultan. It paid off. In 2003 Deep Dish tapped Sultan to provide a handful of tracks for its influential mix-CD Global Underground 25: Toronto. It featured his harrowing track "Night Visions."

From then on, Sultan became a marquee name on the global DJ circuit. He solidified his Deep Dish connection by compiling and mixing Yoshitoshi Montreal for the duo's Yoshitoshi label in 2007. And on August 24 the Sultan, who hails from the Middle East, puts his name and talent behind Nubreed 8, a mix from the king of mix labels, Global Underground. He's making a stop tonight in Newport Beach to tease the release. Check him out and hear why electronic dance music has a new pulse.

Sultan DJs Thursday, August 12 at Code, 4221 Dolphin Striker Way, Newport Beach. 21+. Doors at 9 p.m. Free with RSVP. Info: giantclub.com.