I want to say something about Peter Rauhofer. Most people probably don’t know that Peter was a major influence in my artistic development, especially when I discovered him about ten years ago.

When I started to DJ in the early 90s, all I liked was deep house and hard techno, and nothing in between. By the late 90s, the gay circuit house sound offended my ears. Then around 2001 I discovered Peter and his Saturday night parties at The Roxy in New York. I finally had a new home, a place where I felt ok being gay and where the music pleased me as much as it did others around me.

Peter was a genius at combining the elements of pop, techno and tribal elements, fusing them into a sound that brought everyone together. It was a very special time in my life. It was one of the final eras in our culture where the gay scene had it going on musically.

Peter was one of my heroes. He is the clear influence behind the tribal mixes I was putting out those years: Rygar, Gayclub, and Tagged. He gave me a new sound, and experiences I will never forget. Peter’s life was a success, not because he was a famous DJ, but because he was able to positively affect the lives of so many people in this world.