S.O.S
Real Name? Lenard William Jaroli
Years Spinning / producing? Started in 1991 - pro since 1994 - producing since 1999
Musical Style? Hands in the air dance music
Influences? Ryan 7, JoE.P. , alGOrythm, the Liberators, Commander Tom, Christopher Lawrence, Dan Bell, Rabbit in the Moon, Enya, Nine Inch Nails, Front 242
How did you get into dj'ing / producing?
Why? A long time ago, in a galaxy far...far... away Actually Thunder Bay, Ontario, 1989 ; I saw a local DJ at an all ages night. His name was "DJ El Sid" (now known as Ryan7) and a Canadian top 10 DMC finalist. His ability to mix, scratch and perform - all the while playing danceable music - floored me. I have a vivid memory of asking him if he had "Behind the Wheel - by Depeche Mode" (it was 1989 don't forget), he smiled at me - reached over to one of the ten bins of records he brought - pulled out two copies - and went to work. From that moment I knew what I wanted to do - period. In 1991 I got a job with a local DJ service and started out my career. This experience was invaluable, as it gave me the confidence and skills to stand in front of a room - talk on the microphone - and to be an entertainer as well as a music programmer. In 1994 I moved to Toronto and lived with Ryan7, along with a group of Thunder Bay Dj's who left the small mill town. The group of us were eventually known as "The Barrie Bunch", named after the street we lived on. I had gone from listening to old ZZ Top and playing harmonica... to Depeche Mode/New Order/Front 242... to record shopping once a week in Toronto for the newest dance music I could find. At first I relied on Ryan for guidance when it came to music, he was an authority among us as to what was new, and the "Yoda" figure of the group. Eventually we went on to create "The Entertainment Network" or as it was known "E! Network". For three years we put on events in Toronto and ran an underground club called "ThE! SpacE!". It's fun to look back and remember the path that I took to progress from just a local small town rookie to being in demand across North America. As for producing my own music now, I feel that it is the natural progression of any artist to convert the ideas in thier head into a media that can be shared. This is my goal now as a producer; to take the ideas I have accumulated - using the knowledge I have gained over the years and to make them real...and share them.
