sacredrhythmmusic.net| joeclaussell-translate.com| discography Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell was raised in a musically rich and culturally vibrant home in New York City—an upbringing which exposed him to a great many sounds and a widely diverse offering of influences. These deep roots have spawned what many believe to be the most serious and meaningful evolution in modern underground music, and has touched millions of souls around the world. Today Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell is seen as one of the most highly respected and prolific djs and producers in the world regardless of style, regularly making appearances all over Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. One time owner of the seminal DanceTracks record store in Manhattan, Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell has long been a pioneer in underground music. Possibly his most serious offering to the world has been his groundbreaking record label ‘Spiritual Life Music,’ a label responsible for some of the richest and most revolutionary records in underground music history. With a sound spanning full organic textures with live instrumentation to atmospheric electronic, and influences ranging from Afro-Latin to Indian, it’s unsurprising that ‘Spiritual Life’ was quickly proclaimed as a serious alternative to the soulless and abrasive sound which at that time was dominating the world’s underground scene. To keep from overloading the label with music, he aligned himself with the similarly-intentioned ‘Ibadan,’ for whom he released his first full length album Language (1999, Ibadan), and produced some remixes of ‘Ten City's’ back catalog. His production style as an artist has also reflected this earthy approach, with plenty of live instrumentals, vocals and Latin, Brazilian and African influences on albums such as Mix the Vibe (1999, NiteGrooves), and Music Is...A Reason to Celebrate (2002, Urban Theory). Around this time, Joaquin ‘Joe’ Claussell began to plan a weekly club series entitled ‘Body & Soul.’ The objective was clear: to play quality music in a supportive environment. Part of the legend of Body & Soul was the fact that no alcohol was served. Starting at 3pm and ending at Midnight, ‘Body & Soul’ attracted a deeply mixed crowd who all attended for one reason alone—to dance. A veteran of the early days of New York music and its legendary venues (‘The Loft’ and ‘The Paradise Garage’) Claussell went on to form the Body and Soul DJ triumvirate with fellow music historians Danny Krivit and the legendary Francois Kevorkian, and the night was soon THE buzz around New York. Patrons were likely to hear Michael Watford, Fela Kuti, Pharoah Sanders and Carl Bean during the same evening, meaning ‘Body & Soul’ was educational as well as inspirational. Today, ‘Body & Soul’ is widely considered the spiritual successor to the Paradise Garage, with Claussell as its Larry Levan. Overall, his impact is obvious. The sudden increase in the live and African-oriented sound is hard to imagine without ‘Spiritual Life’ proving there was an audience for meaningful, enriching music. Jazzanova, Masters at Work and entire sections of the German and French scenes have picked up on Claussell's groove. During the time of ‘Body & Soul,’ magazines and the record industry would try to increase sales of a tune by hyping it as a “‘Body & Soul’ record.” It all adds up to a staggering number of achievements for someone whose career is still in its prime. Moving on to form the new imprint, ‘Sacred Rhythm Music,’ the world is poised, waiting to see what comes next from this true pioneer. Downloadable Bio - HERE Hi Res Image 1 - HERE Hi Res Image 2 - HERE Hi Res Image 3 - HERE Hi Res Image 4 - HERE Hi Res Image 5 - HERE