WISHFM
 (La Belle Epoque) - Dallas [drum & bass / house]

Electronic funk revolutionary, Wade Randolph Hampton, aka DJ WishFM, aka W, aka Redheadedstepchild, amongst various other stealth monikers, has always preferred exploring the outer perimeters of dance music. He personifies the term 'jack of all trades'... putting him in a class by himself as he regularly plays three different styles in a single weekend, digging deep into a collection of over 10,000 tracks. Unafraid, WishFM claims no genre affiliations and avoids the DJ cliques.

His army of one is best described by the critics...

URB Magazine... "The sound of W cannot be contained in a little box. Chilled out and pilled out, Redheadedstepchild is worth your attention."

The U.K.'s MUZIK Magazine checks his D&B set..."WishFM showcases a laidback jazzstep sound which references to LTJ Bukem and Roni Size yet is defiantly American."

L.A.'s Fix Magazine says, "As Aphex Twin, Autechre and the old heroes of experimentation begin to disappoint and dwindle, W's new album is as refreshing as it is innovative. It is very apparent that he has been
successful at realizing a dream."

Indeed, when uber-group Radiohead needs a DJ to finish off the night at their epic Hollywood Bowl soirees, they call just one person... WishFM.

And, they've done exactly that on the last three world tours.

Mr. Hampton has spent 20 years traveling the globe in his pursuit of absolute sonic bliss, generally arriving just ahead of the next big thing. And his timing is deafening. Dallas in '84. Chicago in '88. Los Angeles in '91. San Francisco in '92. At its early '90s peak, his legendary annual Los Angeles electronic showcase, CIRCA, set attendance records and production standards for the entire American dance scene. He has enjoyed headlining
status at the biggest annual festivals in this hemisphere, including the national massive Cyberfest, San Francisco's Planet New Year, L.A.'s Together As One and Monster Massive, ACA World Music Festival in Acapulco and the illustrious Ultra in Miami. His fantastic voyage has been well documented in books, "Generation Ecstasy" by Simon Reynolds, as well as, "The Book Of E" and "Rave America" both by Mirielle Silcott. He's been featured in an unbelievable 19 TV/film documentaries, including MTV's True Life series, CBS
'48 Hours' and the late Peter Jennings heralded 'Ecstasy Rising', cementing his rep as one of the true historians of American dance music.

His relationships with underground luminaries are endless... from Timothy Leary (DJ'ed at his funeral) to Traci Lords (her DJ coach & recent producer) and Derrick Carter (taught Wade how to DJ better)... even Trainspotting's Irvine Welsh, who chose to crash Wade's surprise 30th birthday party with a merry pack of pranksters. In the early days, he was the tirelessly rowdy manager/DJ/roommate of the original "royal family of American electronic", San Francisco's Hardkiss Music, as they stormed the country with their unique brand of affordable chaos. This uncanny abililty to attract electronic co-conspirators has consistently added fuel to the fodder. Wade has chosen to share this wealth and unexplainable good fortune in his mission to spread the electronic gospel, producing and performing at literally hundreds of shows across the United States, Mexico and Canada. While he prefers the rush of the live environment, Mr. Hampton has split his time with the studio to produce six highly celebrated compilation CDs. He has also produced two very original artist albums (W 'Redheadedstepchild', W 'Stepheadedredchild') for San Francisco's groundbreaking Zoe Magik label. On his own labels, Domestic Recordings and La Belle Epoque Musique, he released debut albums from himself, along with American dance music stalwarts Mark Farina, Symbiosis and Westside Chemical. Spend one day with him and it becomes very clear... the man rarely sits still.