The rise and rise of Kam Shafaati

He’s a Bear’s best friend, and if the quick elevation to DJ deity over the last 12 months wasn’t enough to impress you, Kam Shafaati will undoubtedly have a chance to at any number of his seemingly unending forthcoming gigs.

After a string of appearances at events such as BearNation, Trough X, FUR and Inquisition over the past 12 months – as well as his residency at the infamous Laird Hotel – it seems all eyes are on the Melbourne-based DJ for his debut at the 2011 Mardi Gras party — and not just because you can’t usually take them off him.

“I think when you’re starting out, you dream to one day play a dance party, just one, and to be able to land Mardi Gras as a gay DJ is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, honours you can have,” he said.

“I’m definitely amazed at how quickly it’s all happened. But obviously I’m doing something right so it gives me the motivation to keep at it.”

Thanks to a day job in marketing and some carefully crafted exposure through his wildly popular Liquid Logic podcasts, there’s no denying Shafaati is a self-made man. The podcast’s burgeoning popularity has meant he hasn’t even applied to man the decks at a single party — the organisers have all come to him.

“You hear a DJ once and you think ‘that’s their sound’ and you judge them on that whether you like them or not,” he said.

“That’s why the podcast was so important to me, because I have such a broad range. I wanted to show that to people and podcasts are a great medium for that. Now I think people have an awareness of what I can offer.”

His work on another podcast called the Electronic Music Bears even led to his discovery by the organisers of Bearracuda, the largest Bear dance party in the United States. He was invited to perform at the event as part of this year’s notorious Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco, California.

“The whole Folsom Street Fair was new to me, so I was taking a lot in at once. But it was very friendly. I really enjoyed it and the experience of playing a dance party there was just incredible,” Shafaati said.

But it turned out to be the first of many major events the DJ would take part in, almost inevitably leading to his appearance at this year’s Mardi Gras party in the Dome. So, what can party-goers expect?

“Mine is a dark, progressive sound. I still like my music to be uplifting and beautiful, but sort of a big room, dark and euphoric is what I’m aiming for. And always sexy.”

It’s one of four gigs he’ll be playing in Sydney over the next few weeks, including appearances at Extra Dirty and Bear Essentials. He’ll also be be playing as part of America’s Bearracuda tour when it hits Melbourne in April.

“After Mardi Gras, I’m guessing my profile will receive a bit of a boost and I’ll have a bit of a window period to work with. It definitely requires dedication and affects your social life, but if it’s something you’re passionate about, it doesn’t feel like work,” he said.

info: Kam Shafaati will play the Dome at Mardi Gras Party, Entertainment Quarter, Moore Park, Sydney on March 5. Tickets: www.mardigras.org.au Hear his podcasts at www.liquidlogic.podomatic.com

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