Phil Smart

I first heard Phil Smart in San Francisco at a pre-Burning Man party in Aug. 2005. His manipulation of the bass was profound and hypnotic. He casually played cds from the hundreds he brought, mixed with some choice vinyl. Before his set, I met him in the crowd and I had no idea who he was. He was a very nice stranger at a party, VERY laid back (or maybe tired). He mentioned he came from Australia just for this party. I thought that was amazing and didn't ask any more questions because the music was very loud and also a lot of people were in town on their way to Burning Man anyway. Then he took the stage after Jeno from the Wicked Crew and DJ Seven and packed the dance floor. Half way through the set the fire dancers performed as best they could on the crowded dance floor. The name of the party was 'The Smart Party,' with Vitamin and Smart Water served at the bar. Music ended at 7am.

Phil smart was one of the handful of DJs that would never fail to excite me on the dancefloor in the early 1990s with his constantly fresh and energetic sets. I loved to listen to him live regularly back in the day, and followed as he moved into quality house nights like sabotage at Club 77.

My favourite Phil Smart moment occured a few years later at Happy Valley 3, when he ressurected a tired dancefloor into a house fuelled, party hard, crowd screaming riot with seemlessly mixed, beautiful House music early in the evening. I also found him to be a really nice guy, approachable and friendly.