Artists > Derek Plaslaiko
Upcoming Gigs
Dec 31 - B&T III, BrooklynJan 09 - The Bunker, Brooklyn
Jan 13 - GO! at APT, NYC
Jan 24 - Oslo, Detroit
Jan 31 - End Up, SF
Feb 01 - Paradise Lounge, SF
Feb 03 - Anu, SF
Feb 06 - The Bunker, Brooklyn
Feb 07 - Save the Cannibals, NYC
Feb 15 - Phoenix Landing, Boston
Feb 20 - House-N-Home, Brooklyn
Feb 27 - Minneapolis
Feb 28 - Philadelphia
Mar 01 - bar 13, NYC
Mar 10 - GO! at APT, NYC
Mar 13 - The Bunker, Brooklyn
Mar 19 - Washington, DC
Mar 21 - Sonotheque, Chicago
Apr 03 - The Bunker, Brooklyn
Apr 04 - Studio B, Brooklyn
Some people filter through the record bins, taking what are on the
wall or record store employee suggestions. Then there are people who
dig deeper into the dusty crates, and absorb music like a sponge; ignoring
labels, bucking trends and are forever on a quest to find the perfect
record. The ones that make the staunchest of chin stroking, note taking
trainspotters lose their shit on the dancefloor, hanging on every record
from one to the next.
Derek Plaslaiko unquestionably falls into
the latter category. As a teen equally transfixed by Mojo and Wizard
cassettes and Minor Threat 7”s, Plaslaiko followed the beats from his hometown 20 miles
south of Detroit to the epicenter of Detroit techno, then enjoying
its third wave of success. He quietly paid his dues on Detroit’s
rave circuit, and was a crucial piece of the puzzle for the legendary
Poorboy and Syst3m parties of the mid-nineties. He quickly earned a
reputation for forward thinking DJ sets that were clinical, sophisticated
and extremely sensual. This combination resulted in a residency for
Family, the weekly party at Detroit’s legendary Motor.
With a reputation for high energy sets that were versatile and tasteful,
Plaslaiko slowly became in demand on the Midwestern club circuit; sharing
the stage with such techno luminares as John Acquaviva, Kevin Saunderson,
Richardo Villalobos, Baby Ford, and Matthew Herbert. It was also during
that time Plaslaiko was asked by Carl Craig to perform at the inaugural
edition of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival.
In 2003, Plaslaiko became part of the original
team of DJs at Detroit’s
Untitled parties, sharing a residency with Tadd Mullinix (aka James
T. Cotton), Matthew Dear and Mike Servito. In 2004 he made the decision
to head east and set up camp in New York City, determined to bring
a slice of the Motor City to the Big Apple.
Currently, Derek is one of the resident
DJs at the Bunker (Galapagos) in NYC, as well as an integral part
of the Wolf + Lamb monthly parties. Most recently, he was honored
in the Village Voice 2006’s “Best
Of” poll as New York’s Best Techno DJ.
