Umoja Sound: Know Bout' We

To get everyone up to speed with where we've been and what we've done in the last 15 years, here's a quick fact sheet. Just a few of the crew's many accomplishments and DJ endeavors.

Umoja Hi-Fi Soundsystem Fact Sheet

• Umoja Hi-Fi Sound DJ crew, est. 1993, Los Angeles, CA.
• Now based in LA, Dallas, SF and Bali.
• Motto: The Unity Sound
• Music styles: reggae, hip-hop, dubstep, house, funk and soulful electronic beats.

DJ Daz
• Birthplace: Blackpool, UK, Resides: Los Angeles, CA
• Original Brass DJ -- LA’s first rare groove night 1991-1995
• Delicious Vinyl staff, worked with The Pharcyde, Masta Ace, Brand New Heavies
• Co-founded Umoja Jazz & Ragga Lounge club night in Hollywood 1993
• Co-founded B-Side club night with Tomas, Cut Chemist Marvski and Sean Perry
• Annual Chicago DJ gigs with Jesse DeLa Pena
• Residencies at Speakerboxx (Carbon, LA), The Do-Over and many industry parties

Cokni O’Dire
• Born: London, UK, Resides: Dallas, TX
• DJ and MC’d Brooklyn block parties and beat-boxed for LL Cool J
• Part of hip-hop group Scheme Team with Divine Styler
• Toured with House of Pain
• A mainstay at LA hip-hop night Lava Caro, home to Freestyle Fellowship
• Opening DJ on Born Jamericans Japan tour
• Founder of the Out Ta Order radio show on KXLU-FM.
• Resident at Science drum & bass night with Jun and Raymond Roker (URB)
• MC and guest artists with The Angel/60 Channels
• Owner of Decent Music Service and Genzu Design

DJ Jun
• Born: Naples, Italy, Resides: Hollywood, CA
• Major past residencies include Goa Dub all-ages afterhours with DJ Tomas (ambient, drum & bass), Bossanova with Jason Bentley (house, downtempo) Science with Urb’s Raymond Roker and MC Question Marc (Drum & Bass), B-Side (hip-hop, funk)
• Co-founded ReBoot underground soulful techno parties
• Major current residencies include ), Hollywood Forever (house, techno, electro), Amoeba Resonance (techno, dubstep, electronic), Soundlessons (hip-hop, electro, downtempo), The Standard Hotel Hollywood (electronic, house)
• Amoeba Hollywood electronic music section buyer

DJ Tomas
• Born: Mountain View, CA, Resides: San Francisco, CA
• Founder of URB Magazine reggae column
• KXLU Reggae Music Forward radio host 1988–1995
• LA residencies: Umoja Jazz & Ragga Lounge with Daz, Culture D and the Umoja Quintet, Bokaos Restaurant, Goa Dub (all-ages afterhours ambient drum & bass weekly), B-Side with Daz, Cut Chemist, Marvski, Cokni O Dire.
• Profiled in Rolling Stone, Mixmag US and Option.
• Compiled Dubmission Vol.’s 1 & 2 for Quango records.
• Relocates to SF in 1995. SF residencies at Mosaic (at Joypad) Phusion, Global Warming (monthly at Club 6), Sushi Groove South.
• Forms the production/remix team Live & Direkt with Andrew Smith, releases tracks on Ubiquity’s No Categories compilation and Sunburn’s Wish FM 98.1 comp.
• XLR8R Magazine as managing editor 1999-2005.
• Host of Friday Night Session on KUSF 90.3 FM (Fridays 10pm-12) with Mike Bataglia and Andrew Jervis (Ubiquity)
• Owner of Voltage Music label, releases music as Double Identity and Dub ID.

DJ Culture D
• Born: Los Angeles, CA, Resides: Sun Valley, CA
• Resident at Flavor, Reggae Hi-Fi, Rudplpho’s and other LA dancehall hospots.
• Toured Japan as a DJ, selected for dancehall legends Nicodemus, Jr. Demus
• DJs at annual Sunset Junction street festival
• Frequent guest at Dub Club LA

Other facts:
• Jazz bassist Marcus Shelby was originally part of the Uomja Quintet, the house band at UJRL.
• Umoja DJs have each played Coachella Music Festival, Sunset Junction Street Fair and LA’s biggest warehouse and underground parties.