David Harness is one of the most popular DJ/producers in the San Francisco Bay Area club scene. He has been described as “a man who lives, breathes, and emanates everything that is beautiful about deep house music and classic garage.” David is considered a “rising star” within the dance community.
As a military brat, David Harness traveled the world extensively during his childhood. “Regardless of which country I was in, I always heard American music, namely R&B. This little bit of familiarity really helped me feel secure in a lot of different places.” With influences varying from Barry White and the Love Unlimited Orchestra, Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, Quincy Jones, the Jackson Five, Stevie Wonder, Parliament Funkadelic, the Isley Brothers, and First Choice, it is easy to see why funk and soul have always been strong elements in his sound.
In 1990, David began DJ’ing at the After Dark in his hometown of Monterey, California. As his popularity grew past the boundaries of Monterey, he was invited to establish a residency at Tilt and the Sound Factory in San Francisco. In 1994, David opened and DJ’ed at the hip and popular club Lift at Club Dv8 in San Francisco.
His success as a club DJ led to a DJ spot on commercial radio. In 1994, David joined the popular radio show Your Mama’s House on the San Francisco Bay Area’s number one radio station KMEL FM. Your Mama’s House was the only “true” house mix show on any major radio station in Northern California. As part of the Your Mama’s House crew, David played a key role in exposing the masses to House Music in the San Francisco Bay Area.
In 1995 David kicked off a seven-year residency at San Francisco’s legendary Club Universe — San Francisco’s hottest Saturday night party. At Club Universe, David had the opportunity to play with many of New York’s legendary DJs like Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Little Louie Vega, Tedd Patterson, Dave Morales, Danny Tenaglia, London’s Ricky Morrison, Los Angeles’ Marques Wyatt, San Francisco’s Miguel Migs, Mark Farina, and Kaskade — just to name a few.
His growing popularity accelerated David’s natural progression into production. In 1996, David was selected to spearhead the studio production for a national marketing campaign for the McDonald’s Deluxe Burger. Also in 1996, David begin his ongoing residency at The End Up Sunday T-Dance — San Francisco’s longest-running dance party.
In 1998, he released a CD for Universe Sounds and Twisted America, “Welcome to the Universe”. This innovative CD, recorded live from Club Universe, reflects San Francisco’s unique “sound” and introduced the world to David Harness. Recognizing his talent, Twisted America quickly signed him to produce his first single, “Get It Together”, for a Twisted America compilation entitled “A Little Bit of the Old, A Lot of the New”. David also started his ongoing residency at Fag Fridays in San Francisco in 1998 where he is still rockin’ the floor.
In 1999, David started Taboo in San Francisco’s Mission District. Taboo started out of David’s love of House music and his desire to provide a showcase for Bay Area talent as well as internationally known DJs. This ongoing party attracts a loyal crowd of house heads from around the San Francisco Bay Area and the globe to the weekly blending of spirit and soul.
In September 2000, David launched DHJ Productions and established himself as a respected producer and remixer. To date, David has worked on projects featuring artists such as Mary J. Blige, Luther Vandross, Aretha Franklin, Simply Red, Alicia Keys, Floetry, Donnie McClurkin, India Arie, *NSYNC, and Donnell Jones. A collaborative effort with DJ/producers Chris Lum of Abitare Music, Jay J of Moulton Studios, and Charles Spencer of LoveSlap has resulted in several independent releases. David has appeared in articles and interviews in Billboard Magazine, Paper Magazine, Surface, XLR8R, Streetsounds, Sweater, HX, Next, URB, DJ Mag, and the SF Bay Guardian.
David Harness’ passion, talent, and creativity have definitely created a new page in the history of house music.
