Ricardo da Costa – Promo Mix

‘Be careful what you set your heart upon, for it will surely be yours’, the James Baldwin credence to the old cliché that if you want something bad enough, it really can happen has special significance for Ricardo da Costa, who at 29, has been perfecting the nuances of his craft for going on 13 years. A far cry from a start equipped with no more than a smattering of vinyl and his trusty, steel twins, the foundation of Ricardo’s professional DJ career, his self taught mastery of dance floor devastation, was laid by unrelenting tenacity and a diligent work ethic. Widely admired and highly respected, he is regarded as one of South Africa’s most skillful mix masters by players and colleagues in the industry but more importantly ‘down and dirty’ on every dance floor, in every nightclub, where it truly counts!!

Every DJ is mindfully aware of being only as good as his last set. Yet, Ricardo never fails to prove his worth! Time and again, he is relied upon to provide a roof ripping performance that is technically flawless, quality consistent and crowd-pleasing!! Securing street-cred and respect from the dance underground is a daunting task for any DJ. To acquire and maintain a rep of Ricardo’s calibre is virtually unheard of. His impeccable track record and faultless reputation is the hard earned result of steadfast professionalism and integrity. Ricardo’s always affable exterior belies a wickedly sarcastic sense of humour, virtuous sense of purpose and conscience and an ever-present optimistic vitality. Unassuming and refreshingly unaffected, he is an inspiring presence in an industry where money and ego is God. Purposefully oblivious to dance music’s internal politics, he chooses instead to focus on his near evangelical love of house music. His inner beat and inherent rhythm stem from a proud Brazilian birthright. And it is the natural musicality of Ricardo’s Latino roots combined with his penchant for ‘nail to the grindstone’ hard work and the propensity for tearing dance floors to shreds with his distinctive House sound that has earned him well deserved status as one of SA’s true DJ elite.

By no means a newcomer to the industry, Ricardo’s ascent began at Azurri Cafe on Johannesburg’s East Rand in 1994, his recognition and draw card status climbing steadily ever since. He has graced the decks of almost every Gauteng nightclub including Flyhouse, Tramps, DNA, Therapy, ESP, Nexus, Sudada, Sutra and Truth and caused mayhem in venues all over SA from Cape Town, East London, Port Elizabeth to Ballito, Durban, Bloemfontein and Mozambique. Resident of SA’s largest, outdoor dance event, H20, since its inception in 1998, qualifies Ricardo no stranger to rocking expectant, 10 000-strong crowds to obscene levels! He has held his own alongside a list of International DJ’s too numerous to mention. Most notably, in support of ‘Cyprus Hill’ (Lucky Strike), Smokin’ Jo (Jamiroquai Afterparty), Pete Tong, Judge Jules, Tall Paul, Junior Jack, Kid Crème, the Boogie Pimps and Tim de Luxe.

In the early stages, pursuit of his destined career shared centre stage with Ricardo’s tertiary education. In ‘99, he was hired as store manager of Mental Groove Records in Bruma Lake. The 5-year stint immersed him daily in the order, import and trade of vinyl and imparted indispensable industry experience and expertise. Immediate access to the latest releases and hottest tunes afforded Ricardo an added advantage – the coveted means by which to maintain his elusive DJ edge. In 2004, Ricardo became Manager of Retro Music, playing an integral role in the opening, establishment and success of the Linksfield record store, DJ school and recording studio.

‘Slick Ric’ turned viable commodity in 2003 with the successful release of, ‘Subliminal SA’, ‘Definitive Sound of Ricardo’ and ‘Ricardo presents Funksensual’. Ricardo compiled and mixed House Anthems Vol. 1 in mid 2005 whilst heading up management of Retro Music and maintaining a frenetic weekly DJ’ing schedule. The ensuing popularity of the House Anthems double album series mixed by Ricardo da Costa and EMI label boss, Kevin Grenfell ensured that the follow up, House Anthems Vol. 2, hit store shelves as early as April 2006.

On a production front, a collaboration with ‘Unathi’ and ‘First Project’ in 2003 resulted in the track ‘the Greatest Invention’’. Well received and prompting numerous local remixes, Ricardo’s first offering was snapped up by Grooved Records and licensed to three local compilations, ‘Definitive Sounds of Ricardo’, ‘Truth Volume 2’ and ‘Flipside House 4’. During 2004, he teamed up with Justin V and the resultant funky house belter ‘Basement Sessions Vol. 1’ was featured on ‘Ricardo presents Funksensual’.

In as far as local media exposure, Ricardo is now a regular feature on 5FM jock Roger Goode’s weekend dance show ‘the Saturday Surgery. Since airing commenced in 2002, Ricardo’s residency over the 5FM airwaves proved vital in exposing his technical prowess and unmistakeable sound to a vast national listenership. Unceasingly blazing the trail that is funk, Ricardo’s uncanny musical foresight continued to attract attention locally and stir interest further afield. Residencies with Jhb’s most successful nightclubs, Truth, Sutra, Evolution, Natural Groove and Aruba Lounge groomed Ricardo for his International DJ debut in October 2004 at legendary Dubai nightclub, ‘Oxygen’. And his notoriety and growing influence has not gone unnoticed by player’s in the corporate arena. Finally reaping the fruits of his labour, Ricardo was chosen from a shortlist of his peers during 2005 and awarded Artist Sponsorship by both Oakley International and Stanton Magnetics.

Fast forward to present day. 2006 turned out to be a bumper year of career milestones for this DJ, producer and remixer so intent on attaining global acclaim. 2006 alone saw Slick share billing with Martin Solveig, Sandy Rivera, Simon Dunmore (Defected SA), Erick Morillo and Tiesto (Unity), Paul van Dyk and D.O.N.S. (Festival Electric), Tom Novy, Brandon Block, Axwell, Rebekah, Milk ‘n Sugar, Voodoo and Serano, Ian Carey and Sarah Main. Ricardo concluded a 2-year stint with Retro Music in May 2006 before effective appointment as Label Manager of Soul Candi Records, the Johannesburg outfit responsible for some of SA’s biggest selling, most successful dance compilations to date. His self produced 2005 track ‘Get On Down’ is signed to San Francisco based imprint Om Records and he is commissioned to remix breakthrough artist Samantha James’ first Om single, ‘Rise’. Ricardo places himself on the global music map with the launch of his website and official online presence, ricardodacosta.com. And he adds to an already burgeoning discography with the release of ‘House Anthems Vol. 3’, a third and his final installment for the series.

After almost a decade on deck duty, Ricardo’s hunger for turntable control and absolute dance floor supremacy has yet to show any sign of abating. Bear witness to him ripping a dance floor apart, etching an indelible impression whilst instantly unhinging every party animal on it, is the burden of proof to an incessant desire to rock the house, thump the beat, pound  the bass and shake every damn coconut on the planet!! Heed this warning.. There is no warm up DJ on this spin-doctor’s club crawl. When at the helm, Ricardo da Costa wastes no time in heading straight for your party jugular! Under the masterful manipulation of his fingertips seductive moody vocals intersperse as he seamlessly laces signature, sex infused slick funk with tough, dirty electro grooves. His is bassline heavy house and brooding rhythm guaranteed to entice even the shyest wallflower onto any dance floor.

His star set firmly in the ascendant, Ricardo has shown that he possesses a tremendous power.. the rare, instinctive talent to mix and manipulate records in a way that makes an entire dance floor fall in love. That is the key to becoming a truly great DJ.

Listen to the mix:

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Link will take you to a page on speedyshare for the file download.

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