DJ Whores was the stage name of Daniel "Dan" Osterhoff, a Sacramento DJ, club-night organizer and bass-music selector described by Submerge as one of the city's most elite turntablists, best known for running the long-running Midtown dubstep-and-bass night Grimey.[1][2] Submerge reported his death on April 8, 2017, noting his lasting impact on Sacramento's music and art communities.[1] He was 37 years old at the time of his death.[3]
At a glance
- Real name Daniel "Dan" Osterhoff.[1][4]
- Born and raised in Northern California; began DJing in Sacramento in 1997 as part of 916 Junglist.[1]
- Resident DJ and namesake of Grimey, a biweekly dubstep/bass night at the Townhouse.[5][1]
- Ran the Wednesday dance night HUMP at the Press Club; co-founded the monthly Heater with Shaun Slaughter.[6][1]
- Member of the live setup for Steven Borth's dub project CHLLNGR.[7][4]
- Played repeatedly at major local series: Concerts in the Park, the Sacramento Electronic Music Festival, Splash Music Festival.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
- Also a prominent sign artist and muralist, with works across Midtown Sacramento.[14]
- Ran a future-bass side project called Bad Looks with collaborator Waylonn.[15]
- Died April 8, 2017.[1]
Identity and origins
DJ Whores was Daniel Osterhoff, known as "Dan" to those who knew him before the stage name.[1] Although some assumed he was from Portland or a newcomer to the scene, he stated he was born and raised in Northern California.[1] He began DJing in 1997 as part of 916 Junglist, then moved away to Portland in 2000, connecting with crews in Portland and Seattle before returning to Sacramento in 2005.[1] Submerge characterized him as a well-traveled DJ, comparable in that respect to local veteran Shaun Slaughter, who drew on dance nights he had attended in cities from New York and Los Angeles to Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Oakland.[1] He kept a folder of more than 10,000 tracks and preferred to freestyle his sets rather than play a fixed list.[1] His stage persona was tied to a large rusted-red "W," which he said came from letters Russell Solomon of Tower told him were on the roof of the Tower Cafe; Whores climbed up and took the W.[1]
Role in the Sacramento scene
Grimey (Townhouse)
Whores was the namesake and a resident DJ of Grimey, a biweekly dubstep and bass-heavy night held every other Tuesday at the Townhouse (also called "Toho").[5][1] Submerge identified the night's residents as Whores, Crescendo, Jaytwo (DJ Jay Two) and X GVNR, with emcees Skurge and Bru Lei.[5] The concept reportedly originated when resident DJ Jay Two approached Whores about a dubstep night; Whores was initially hesitant, feeling dubstep had peaked.[1] The night distinguished itself by playing advance and cutting-edge records rather than Top 40, and by distancing itself from "bro-step" and "filthy bass."[1] Grimey periodically hosted touring and special guests; an April 12, 2011 edition partnered with Concerts 4 Charity to bring Sacramento dance-punk band !!! (Chk Chk Chk) to the Townhouse on their way to Coachella.[16] Sacramento News & Review gave Grimey its Best of Sacramento award for "Best place to get grimy" in 2013, noting the night "consistently features an impressive roster of guest deejays—some who are nationally or internationally touring artists."[17] Grimey and Whores were also both nominated in the Sacramento Area Music Awards (Sammies) in 2011: Grimey in the Dance Night category and Whores as a standalone Deejay nominee.[18]
HUMP (Press Club)
Whores ran HUMP, a Wednesday-night dance music event at the Press Club.[6] The night descended from Warpaint Wednesdays, originally run with Terra Lopez; Whores came on to assist with DJing and teach her techniques, and when Lopez started Sister Crayon she handed the night to Whores, who renamed it HUMP.[1] A March 24, 2010 edition was billed as HUMP with Apache Cleo, DJ Whores and Jonathan Francis, with Francis spinning tech-house and electro and Whores playing big vocal house cuts.[6] Whores said the rise of Grimey overshadowed HUMP, and he detailed personal financial losses from flying in and housing guest DJs; he booked San Francisco artists EPROM and Frite Nite's Salva for HUMP at the Press Club, with an anniversary party of locals (including Dusty Brown's Little Foxes project) anticipated as possibly the night's last.[1]
Heater (Townhouse)
After Fuck Fridays dissolved and the Townhouse needed a new Friday event, Whores and Shaun Slaughter teamed up to create Heater, an open-format monthly party Whores described as "HUMP with an open format" spanning house, electro, Baltimore, indie, dubstep and breaks.[1] He noted a longstanding "odd tension" with Slaughter in a small scene where Slaughter had long "held the crown," but said the two were mutually supportive and chose a monthly cadence to collaborate rather than compete.[1] Submerge also noted Whores spun Saturday nights at the Golden Bear,[1] and according to a 2010 Sacramento News & Review feature on Whores' residencies, that Saturday night was called "Sweaty" (every Saturday except Second Saturday).[19]
Heads on High (Shenanigans)
Whores was among the DJs featured at the April 5, 2013 launch of Heads on High, a new monthly dubstep/glitch/bass night in the downstairs space of Shenanigans (705 J Street), running until 4 a.m. under after-hours permits, alongside JDUBZ, Vik Rokit, Isturite and IMF.DRED.[11]
CHLLNGR
Whores, credited as Dan Osterhoff, was part of the live setup of CHLLNGR, the dub/electronica project led by Sacramento-born musician Steven Jess Borth II.[7][4] In CHLLNGR's early days (the project began in 2010) the live lineup consisted of Borth, Andrew "Young Aundee" Southard and Dan "DJ Whores" Osterhoff.[4] An early Dub Defender incarnation of Borth's project, which preceded the CHLLNGR name, featured DJ Whores cutting up club-friendly hip-hop samples at the Press Club.[7]
Side projects
According to his Mixcloud profile, Osterhoff ran a future-bass side project called Bad Looks with a collaborator named Waylonn.[15]
Festivals and series appearances
- Sacramento Electronic Music Festival (SEMF) 2012: On Day 2 (May 4, 2012, at Harlow's), Whores and Crook One traded selector duties upstairs with a set Submerge said was fit for a Grimey night, calling them two of the city's most elite on the decks.[10]
- Concerts in the Park: Whores was booked for the 2012 Friday Night Concerts in the Park series at Cesar Chavez Park (listed under electro/indie/dubstep/alt), appearing on the May 11 bill with Middle Class Rut, Lite Brite and Horseneck, and again on June 22.[8][9] He returned in the 2015 series, playing the June 19 date alongside Mr. T Experience.[12]
- Splash Music Festival: He was among the more than two dozen DJs and bands at the inaugural Splash Music Festival, July 13–14, 2013, at Rio Ramaza Marina.[13]
- #HOFDAYPARTY: He was among the 20-plus performers tapped for HOF's "Gametime" day party at River Walk Park in West Sacramento on August 15, 2015.[20]
- Second Saturday Rock N' Style: He opened Ace of Spades' first annual Second Saturday Rock N' Style on June 11, 2011, with Arden Park Roots and Lonely Kings co-headlining.[21]
Visual art
Beyond DJing, Osterhoff was a prominent sign artist and muralist who inherited the craft from his father.[14] His Sacramento works include signage and murals for Anthony's Barbershop, B-Sides bar, Dimple Records, American Market and Deli, Amaro, Old Gold, Bottle and Barlow, LowBrau, Seasons Coffee, Blvck Blvck Salon and Barber, and Dad's Sandwich Shop.[14] He also created the ArtHotel and ArtStreet logos for M5 Arts pop-up events, and co-created the "History Dies & Condos Rise" mural with John Dozier.[14]
Legacy
Sacramento electronic musician Terra Lopez credited Osterhoff as formative to her own career: "He is undeniably one of the reasons I ever felt confident enough to start creating electronic music."[3] DJ Shaun Slaughter, his Heater co-founder, credited Osterhoff as a direct influence on his own development: "I owe a lot of what I am as a deejay to Dan, for making me work harder and stretch further."[3]
Local status
DJ Whores is local. Submerge stated plainly that he was "born and raised in Northern California" and began DJing in Sacramento in 1997, correcting a common misperception that he was from Portland.[1] He is repeatedly identified as a Sacramento/Midtown fixture and "one of Sacramento's best selectors."[6][1] Confidence: high.