My media history

It’s taken 40 years to understand a very simple fact about myself.... “I am a creative Jack that's mastered nothing along the way!' Creatively bluffing my way through life, while trying to earn a crust, took an enormous amount of time and energy.

'The fact that I’ve managed to survive up untill today can be directly traced back to a revelation I received at the age of 15. I recognised that creative ability has a value! The problem was -  I knew nothing about business and had nobody to take that talent to the trade”

Please note: This is a version of my media history with video content etc, however a far more comprehensive version can be downloaded in pdf. Click on the photos to enlarge

I suppose it all had to begin with Street Machine back in the 80's - Under the pseudonym 'Nooney' or 'Brian' Or 'Afleet' pick a card, any card.....An identity crisis was very chic in the 80's.



Street Machine

The dancer: Coming from the rougher end of Manchester, where there weren't any aspirations to do anything, Cameron was introduced to break-dancing as far back as 1980 whereby he was part of the infamous Street Machine crew with his pal Jason Orange of ‘Take That.’ Cameron progressed from the streets and went on to win the UK breakdance championships with his now infamous friend and critically acclaimed dancer Benji Read.

Cameron Dante with Street Machine in 1984

The Club DJ: In 1988, Cameron cut his teeth playing in Spain and it was there he perfected his technical ability. Spain led to Ibiza where he managed to secure a residency. In the UK, Cameron found it hard to get the amount of gigs that he wanted as he never pushed venues or sent out demos. He also had his hands full by being part of Bizarre Inc (Playing with Knives / I'm Gonna Get you / Such a feeling etc!), 2 Much (So Strong - Championed by Sasha), Vertigo and many more. 

The Band: Bizarre Inc (Wikipedia)

Bizarre Inc were a dance-pop/house/dance band from Stafford, England, that formed in 1989 as a duo of English DJs Dean Meredith and Mark "Aaron"

 

One year later, the album Energique followed, as did new member Cameron Dante. In 1993 Bizarre Inc twice went to number one on the United States Hot Dance Club Play chart. "I'm Gonna Get You" spent two weeks at number one in January (also hitting number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100) and was followed by "Took My Love," which was number one for two weeks in late April. Both tracks featured lead vocals by Angie Brown. A third song "Love In Motion," peaked at #4 on the U.S. dance chart in late 1993. All three of Bizarre Inc's hit singles appeared on their second album, Energique, in 1992.

In the UK, their biggest singles remain "Playing with Knives" (#4) and "I'm Gonna Get You" (#3), the latter of which was a crossover dance-pop hit and was one of the biggest sellers of that year

The club owner/ promoter:

Club class has Landed LAUNCHED only last month yet already the talk of the town, Landed seems set to become a big time success this summer. Running monthly on Thursdays at Sankeys Soap (Jersey St), the night was born out of the clubbing passions of resident DJ Cameron Dante, a beat boy done good at local label Ascension, and a man who pulls no punches when it comes to club promotion.

With my wife Tori

Not content with putting up posters and handing out a few flyer's, Cameron and the Landed crew have quite literally gone to town, parading through the streets to mark the launch with their very own Mardi-Gras. Add to this some £25,000 spent on state of the art sound and light, not to mention a shipload of designer decor imported all the way from Italy, and it's no wonder that Manchester's glamour massive has been quick to catch the buzz and get on down.
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Cast aside the age-old adage that Thursday night is student night, and instead be prepared for a clubbing experience akin to the craziness of Manumission - complete with circus acts, video projections, stilt walking angels, and a chill out movie theatre. Last month boasted the turntable talents of Graeme Park and Tom Wainwright, while this coming Thursday Jeremy B (Azuli Records) and 2Funky (Ministry Of Sound)will be rockin' the floor alongside residents Cameron Dante and Johnny Casswell.


Landed club night

Blown away

The term ''full club make-over'' often translates to mean a few flashing lights, a couple of ragtag banners, and the promoter's bootleg video collection - but not so at Landed. No expense has been spared in terms of sound, light, and decor, yet the admission fee is a relative snip at five quid on the door. Compare that to the sky-high prices charged by other club nights, and I'm sure you'll agree that Cameron and crew have got their feet firmly on the floor.

Published: Fri, 20 July, 2001

Dante's inferno!
By Richard Hector-Jones

"PEOPLE often say to me that the problem with Ascension is that they never know what's going on at club," explains promoter and manager, Cameron Dante, over a coffee in the club's on-site café bar, Fed. "And my only answer to them is `good!' Sometimes my approach doesn't work but at least we're always pushing at the boundaries."

Cameron Dante, as you might have guessed, is a larger-than-life character in a city that prides itself on larger-than-life characters. He also likes to take risks.

A member of the legendary rave era band Bizarre Inc (ask yer dad!) he's also written an acid house book and was making frequent to the white island of Ibiza trips for parties way before the tour operators cottoned onto the new market. He also talks a lot with an enthusiasm that feeds straight back into his club Ascension, the four-roomed venue on Oldham Street that has now been open for just over six months.

"We're still testing the waters in the city," he continues, "and we don't want to step on other promoters' toes. I feel we're pretty much in the middle ground of the Manchester clubbing scene."
Interesting
And he's right. Not nearly as fashionable as a lot of the institutions within the Northern Quarter, but far more interesting than any other straight club in the city of a similar size, Ascension is really a place to go for a pretension-free fun night out.
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If you're not too keen on being handed a glow stick on entry to a club then maybe you should think twice about going in. But if that's your bag, however, then a night of fun is on the cards.
At the moment, Ascension's flagship night is, of course, the award-winning Goodgreef, which incidentally also started on Oldham Street at North, back in 2000, though under a different moniker.
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"Those guys have done really well," agrees Cameron. "When we first hooked up with them they were just coming through, which was great for us because part of the reason for Ascension is to make it a breeding ground for new promoters and DJs.
"In fact, we are starting a new night called Manchester Heroes to pursue this belief," he continues.

"It's going to be the third Saturday of the month and it's purely for up-and-coming DJs to come and showcase their skills."
Other established nights at the club are Retro, Frozen and Vision, which cross the line from funky house and old school to more commercial trance.
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"Basically, my beliefs at Ascension are quite simple," states the promoter.  "I want people to bring me something new because we won't tolerate any of the old ideas at this club." With an attitude like that Ascension can only go up in the world. Published: Fri, 27 June, 2003

Production days

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The Producer:
Production definitely took a front seat for a while, Cameron has written and produced his own material for many years, and has historically released through Flawless Records: Warner Bros; BMG; and Bush to name a few. All tracks contain that funky element, a live bass, with the tech coming in the form of synths: they are certainly proper dance floor material, and come under the banner of peak-time set.Cameron also provides music for the film / TV and commercial underscore market through Sony BMG......





Cameron and Tori

The Person:

As you can probably guess, Cameron has many alter ego's and as appearances go, you could easily mistake Mr. Dante as an untoward character, who you wouldn't be too complacent about meeting after dark. They do say however, that appearances can be deceiving, and this case is no exception. Cameron is one of the friendliest, mild-mannered gentlemen in the world of dance music and is a credit to the industry.

He is married to Tori and has 2 children, Romani (12) and Teaha (10)

 

 

 

   Please view the Pdf version here

I've been having a clear out, going back through old dats, cds etc. Found a bit of a treasure chest. I'm not going to let them ALL out of the bag just yet, but - If you would like to hear a few of the unreleased/unsigned trax follow this link