Chappo
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Biografía
- t’s been a whirlwind rise through the DJ ranks of Brisbane for Chappo, aka Brett Chapman. He only caught the DJ bug when he starting harassing his good friend and deep house whizz-kid Ben Smith for tips on the tricks of the trade in mid 2006, yet in th..t’s been a whirlwind rise through the DJ ranks of Brisbane for Chappo, aka Brett Chapman. He only caught the DJ bug when he starting harassing his good friend and deep house whizz-kid Ben Smith for tips on the tricks of the trade in mid 2006, yet in the ensuing few years has put some impressive notches on his gigging belt. Although he started his clubbing life as a trance fan, Chappo’s eyes and ears were opened early in his career to the sounds of the underground house movement courtesy of Brisbane independent promoters such as the respected Drop, Logic, Sidechain and Melt crews. It was at the so-called ‘Kick-On’ after-parties which revolved around these crews that Chappo cut his teeth behind the turntables, CDJs and mixer, often rubbing shoulders with the DJs who were inspiring him on a weekly basis and slowly but surely honing his skills alongside them. So it’s hardly surprising that Chappo has been handed opportunities in the DJ Booth for some of the crews he once admired from afar, firstly with a surprise guest slot supporting Jamie Stevens at the Logic and Sidechain crews’ After Party for the massive Boat Party at Uber in November 2007, and also scoring a opening slot at A Night With...Kasey Taylor at Barsoma early in 2008. Not that these were Chappo’s first steps into the limelight – in fact his first gig proper (following a stack of well- received Open Decks appearances) was in support of Argentinean progressive house guru Ricky Ryan, a gig that Chappo actually engineered under the Theory branding. A follow-up event at Barsoma also pulled punters in, as did a couple of Sunday sessions at Fringe Bar starring interstate guests Matt Rowan and Keltec. In 2008 Chappo found a permanent home as a resident with the Samsara Music crew, a collective dedicated to bringing the finest in progressive, deep/tech house, and nu-disco sounds to venues around Brisbane. Chappo’s sets at these events began to attract a bit of attention, and in 2009 Chappo made his long awaited festival debut at the Future Music Festival, playing alongside his Samsara Music counterparts. Chappo began to slowly refined his sound, with the progressive overtones which dominated his earliest forays into DJ-hood somewhat taking a back seat to an eclectic blend of deep yet groovy house and more dancefloor orientated techno - enabling him to play to almost any crowd at any timeslot. Later in 2009, following the hiatus of Samsara Music, Chappo joined forces with Dan Gavel to promote events under the Jack’d banner, bringing forward thinking artists to Brisbane to play at a range of events that are always offering something different to the norm. It isn’t out of the ordinary for a Jack’d party to incorporate a lawn bowls competition, UV facepainting or mutiny on the Brisbane River. Chappo under the Jack’d branding has recently found himself a monthly Friday night residency at one of Brisbane’s premier clubs, The Monastery, with upcoming gigs supporting the likes of Tim Green, Justin Martin and Worthy. Keeping it fresh is one thing, but keeping a floor moving is something else, and when it boils down to it this is Chappo’s main objective. Whether the sounds are deep yet melodic house groovers or bouncy techno, Chappo wants the whole room to be having as much fun as he is. If that requires him wearing nothing but a towel, then so be it.