BiographyEric Visa began his DJ career at the tender age of 17 as an unpaid guest DJ of the now defunct self-proclaimed “house of funk”, Boomerang Discotheque in Nairobi, Kenya. This was Eric's first exposure to club (read: house) music and the legendary Technics 1210MK II turntables. The Boomerang finally closed it's doors in the early 1990s and Eric moved on to the neighboring hot spot Bubbles Discotheque, where he befriended the local resident DJs by buying them continuous rounds of vodka in exchange for valuable spinning time. With access to the more commercially-oriented top-40 play list at Bubbles, Eric finally landed his first paid residency at Nairobi's Hard Rock Café as Music Program Administrator and Head DJ. This is where he eventually schooled himself on all the classics: from 1930s & 1940s Big Band, Vintage Lounge and American Standards, through 1950s & 1960's Rock n' Roll hits and on to the early Motown sound of the 1960s, eventually to the Disco, Classic Rock and Alternative eras that punctuated the 1970s and 1980s dance clubs and FM radio dials. With all this musical knowledge, Eric eventually moved to the UK where he acquired his Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications Technology. His days were spent at a global telecommunications outfit as a Project Manager and Commercial Analyst - overseeing various UK governmental telecoms projects. Meanwhile, his nights and weekends were spent at various clubs and event spaces all over London and the South East where he DJ'd at community events, private social affairs and corporate gigs.
Some of his favorite dates on the community calendar include the Notting Hill Carnival in the UK and Pride Parade in NYC. Next on the community agenda: Bastille in Paris, Oktoberfest in Munich, Cinco De Mayo in Mexico City, Nang Songkran in Bangkok and of course Jamuhuri Day in the beloved green city in the sun, Nairobi! But that's another story... In 1999, Eric moved back to Nairobi briefly before heading over to Bangkok, Thailand with his corporate commitment. While working on a telecommunications project there, he found himself engaging one of his hip superiors in relaunching a trendy bar & lounge in Bangkok's notorious Soi Cowboy district. Specifically, he wired the entire joint for sound and lighting while filling in the weekend DJ slot and managing the entertainment schedule, which to a certain degree involved recruiting local DJ talent. 2000 found a very happy and excited Eric in transit to the Big Apple. Once in New York, the rug was pulled from under him on 9/11/2001 and, just as many lives were changed on that day, Eric found himself yanked mercilessly from corporate culture and back to DJing for a living; thus the genesis of EricVISA.com and the now infamous "Eric Visa, NYC DJ" persona. Today we find Eric deeply immersed into what he loves to do most - the other "9 to 5"! |