Biography by Angela Rainey – North East Press

Hailed as one of Middlesbrough’s finest sons, UK based Rayees Rashid, also known as DJ Rice, a Northern Star whose swift rise to the top has been nothing less than meteoric.

Despite having already made a name for himself in the North East with his eclectic musical taste, he first came to the attention of the world when he won his first DJing competition in 2001. His primary masterpiece ‘Rumbah Tribe’- a diverse fusion of flute, saxophone, guitar and percussion caught the attention of Muzik magazine., giving him his first taste of publicity and setting in place the foundations of an internationally and media recognised career. This blessed him with a reputation that allowed him to pick and choose between residencies in nearly every top Northern club and saw him journey south to take his rightful place in the hedonistic pleasure domes that are ‘Ministry of Sound’ and ‘Turnmills’.

Before the end of the year, his House debut ‘Molecular Soul EP’ gathered the attention of Express magazine and underground House music store ‘Deep Grooves’. Despite his fast building portfolio and acclaim, his feet remained grounded, but fierce ambition escalated after playing alongside the masters of the DJing world: Roger Sanchez, Norman Jay, Judge Jules and DJ Disciple.

By the dawn of 2002 the name of DJ Rice could not be ignored in the music industry, with two appearances in Muzik magazine after being bestowed with the prestigious title of ‘Bedroom Bedlam’ winner and earning his place as one of the ‘Top 50 up and coming DJs in the UK’ as recognised by the industry heavyweights of MTV, Cream, Sony and Galaxy FM. His potent blends of World Music, funk, Hip Hop, Rare Groove with Disco and Soul challenged the status quo of dance music and continue to shatter its boundaries.

Fuelling his passion for all things musical DJ Rice graduated as a sound engineer marrying his extensive insight with his years of experience. Using his newfound qualifications as a platform soon lead onto bigger and better things with the launch of ‘Dirty Bug’ in 2003. Incorporating two DJs, six decks, two mixers and two effects units, the duo of Rice and Turner began producing for profit. His efforts did not go unnoticed and was commissioned by the BBC, no less, to produce the soundtrack for the film ‘The Chimera Project’. This was complemented in 2004 when International DJ (IDJ) announced DJ Rice as the winner of ‘Raw Talent Top Tape’. They reviewed him again months later with the release of ‘Rising EP’, a solid house production and his leftfield/eclectic production ‘Time Out EP’, which compared his work with legendary producer ‘RZA’ from global Hip Hop crew ‘Wu Tang Clan’. His reputation was cemented in 2006 with International performances in the clubbing capital of the world ‘Ibiza’ (Spain).

Throughout his DJing career DJ Rice has sought to bring cultural awareness, appease social affliction and disharmony by setting up DJing workshops where primarily he teaches the art of mixing music to under–privileged children. He has raised awareness as well as money for charities including the Tsunami Appeal and breast cancer, causes he finds poignant. He is currently in situ in the studio producing his latest work of art.