Max Graham has been in, out, around, and through the electronic music scene for longer than a lot of electro fans have been alive. Hailing from London, England, his weapons of choice are the piano and turntables. Having moved from London to Spain, New York, and Los Angeles, Graham settled down in Ottawa in ’89.
Graham began his career in 1986 in New York – at the age of fifteen – as a hip hop and scratch DJ. He played in the hip hop scene until the early ‘90s, when he fell in love with dance music, specifically house and trance.
In 1987, he moved to Los Angeles, where he fell in deep with skate culture , spending a lot of time at Venice Beach with skaters like Eric Dressen, Natas Kaupas, and Jesse Martinez. It wasn’t until he moved to Ottawa, though, that Graham’s career moved from spinning to producing.
He spent most of his time in Ottawa taking on late-night DJ gigs. Then, in ’98,he moved to Vancouver for a fresh start. There, in self-imposed social seclusion, he wrote his first hits: “Yaletown”, “Tell You”, “Airtight”, and “Falling Together”.
Nick Warren and Paul Oakenfold both quickly picked up “Airtight” for their sets, and it was soon signed to Hope Recordings. Then, in ’03, after some serious touring time, Graham moved to Montreal and decided it was time for a break. In Montreal, he released his remix of the Yes song “Owner of a Lonely Heart”.
This song marked a shift in his style from his old progressive trance beats to something newer. At the same time, though, he released “Gone”, which sounded a lot more like his old style.
He continued to keep audiences on their toes by shaking up his style, making hybrid sounds of house and electro. Then, in ’08, he decided to make a move back to progressive house and trance.
Max Graham still keeps you guessing, but his beats and melodies are guaranteed to get you moving on the dance floor.
