ArtistInfo

Sharif Laffrey

Dance
A.k.a. Sharif Zawideh Activator (3) Maersk Quadrant (2)

A true lynchpin of the Detroit underground. Before producing music, Sharif's participation in Detroit's early rave scene during the early 1990s led him to organize loft parties & DJing. Loft party highlights include Jack White dancing in his underwear & Kraftwerk showing up unannounced. In his ever low key mode, Sharif has quietly kept the Detroit night scene alive in a time when just about all others had given up or moved out. Sharif has programmed the Underground Stage of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF / Fuse-In Festival / Movement Festival) in 2003, 2004 and in 2005 curated the new TodaysMusic Stage showcasing artists ranging from Wolf Eyes, Tamion 12 Inch, the legendary ESG and Liquid Liquid to Thomas Fehlmann and Legowelt. Sharif is also an operative for Detroit's most elusive organization: Underground Resistance. In addition to all this, from April 2004 to June 2005, Sharif through his Soft Curls crew directed the program of the most critically acclaimed new venue in Detroit. Over this last year alone Soft Curls have curated a surprising abundance of legendary nights in various dark corners of Detroit, ranging from Alexander Robotnick's first appearance ever in the Motor City with surprise warm up DJ set by Carl Craig, a Prince afterparty with Moodyman playing all Prince records, Juan Atkins with Perspects of Le Car as the warm up DJ, Detroit's notorious annual Cannonball event with Electric Skin (BMG of Ectomorph and Sal Principato of Liquid Liquid)... the list goes on and on... His productions (under various aliases) appear on Hugo Capablanca / Discos Capablanca, Paramida / Love On The Rocks label, Richie Hawtins landmark Decks, EFX & 909 mix cd & Luke Slaters Fabric 32, DJ Hell / International DeeJay Gigolo Records & more...