Rees hails from Chicago, where he's over a 25-year veteran in the DJ booth. Since his humble beginnings, he’s maintained his idealistic values as a DJ from his first shows playing VFW halls and teen clubs around Chicagoland in the 90s to major clubs & raves across the US and shortly thereafter at iconic events, venues and festivals worldwide. He's since headlined across 5 continents including playing on a float at Berlin's Love Parade in the year 2000 (to an audience of approximately 1.3 million people).
As a producer he's accumulated over 100 releases on several cult labels like Dance Mania, Tresor, Underground Construction, Pro-Jex, IHR and Primate (under the names Rees Urban, DJ Urban and his duo Pair of Jacks with longtime friend, Angel Alanis). Furthermore his productions have been in regular rotation by a vast variety of industry icons including Carl Cox, Derrick Carter, DJ Funk, Dave Clarke, Bad Boy Bill, DJ Rush and John Digweed, demonstrating his versatility and respect by dance music’s elite.
His most recent collaboration project, Rubb Sound System with Brian Boncher have remixed the legendary producers: Frankie Knuckles, Lil’ Louis, Marshall Jefferson, Steve Silk Hurley, Farley Jackmaster Funk, Armando, Robert Armani and DJ Deeon as well as vocalists CeCe Peniston, Colette and Fatman Scoop. RSS music has found homes on staple labels Robsoul, Guesthouse and Trax Records among countless others. Additionally artists like Roger Sanchez, Huxley, Hercules & Love Affair, Congorock, DJ Spen, Danny Rampling, Mark Farina and Grant Nelson are finding RSS releases in their sets and charts.
To round things off, Urban heads up his own labels Jackinthebox, Urban Audio & Public Housing that are dedicated to House, Techno and Ghetto House, respectively.
As DJ Rush explains, “Urban, in my eyes, captures the culture, the excitement of the moment and is the real thing.”
