Disco Royale Rocks The Gates Foundation!
On Wednesday, February 1st, it was my singular thrill to be on hand dejaying The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center’s Opening Reception. The private event, held three days before the Public Opening of the Visitor Center, was attended by over 500 civic and business leaders from Seattle and around the globe.
The theme of the night was the theme of the Foundation itself, “Every life has equal value”, and I worked for weeks with CRG Events to put together a set list that reflected and emphasized this theme through music, incorporating such soulful classics as The Stylistics’ “People Make The World Go Round”, Sly & The Family Stones’ “Everybody Is A Star” and emotive anthems by the likes of Peter Gabriel, Shuggie Otis and Steve Winwood, to name but a few. The sound system, provided by Carlson Audio, was amazing; The crowd grooved to the vibe beneath Seattle's symbolic icon of progress The Space Needle. I spun background music while folks were arriving and and dance music after Melinda Gates and a few other VIP's gave speeches. Not to brag or anything, but at one point I did see Bill tapping his toe to a remix of Michael Frante's "Stay Human" I was spinning.
It was truly an honor and a humbling experience to be invited to play a small part in celebrating so grand a venture. Much love and thanks to my friend, Foundation Events Director Diane Andolsek. Also thanks go out to Stephanie Owens, Janna Fain, and Jacy Horgdal at CRG Events for all their hard work and professionalism in putting this event together. Well done!
