| Ariel | |
| Birth Name: | Ariel Belloso |
| Birth Date: | 14 September 1967 |
| Origin: | Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina |
| Years Active: | 1982–present |
| Label: | A&M Records, London Records, MyDust |
Ariel Belloso (born 14 September 1967) is an Argentine, UK-based DJ and record producer. He began his career playing new wave and disco music at clubs in the city of Rosario during the early 1980s, later moving to Buenos Aires. In 1991, after spending eight months in Ibiza, he relocated to London, where he was influenced by the early house and acid house sounds.
During the 1990s, he combined the sounds of hard house and trance. He was the first Argentine artist to enter the UK Singles Chart's top 40 with his single, "A9".[1] In 2001, his musical style went to a Latin-influenced house and techno sound, which he produced and performed through his 7-year weekly residency at London's club, Fabric.
Ariel was born into a nightclub-owning family known as Katanga in the city of Rosario, Argentina. Inspired by his older brother, he took up his first residency at Dimension in Rosario, a 2000-capacity nightclub. More residencies followed, including Mengano, Metro, Lager and Damasco. On New Year's Eve, 1985, Ariel ended his residency at the nightclub Dimension with a set performance of 17 hours.
After completing secondary education, Ariel attended Rosario University of Economics, studying for 2 years before deciding to leave. He arrived in Ibiza, Spain, in the spring of 1991. He then met the Pacha resident DJ Alfredo, also from Rosario. Soon after Ariel played his first European set at club Pacha in Ibiza, this was followed by guest spots in Lola, Es Paradis, including one gig at the recently launched terrace at Space.[2] Meanwhile, Ariel was photographed by art designer 'Trademark'.
In 1996, Ariel opened a weekly residency in London. He was offered a ten-hour-long set in the second room of Bagley's Studios in Kings Cross (now renamed Canvas) for the weekly Saturday night named Freedom. Three months later, he moved to the main room, where he performed for 8 hours.[3] On 21 August 1998, The Evening Standard newspaper in London ran a 2-page article citing Ariel's "Techno set at Bagley’s" as the main cause of Class A drug consumption in the King's Cross area of London.
Ariel has been a resident DJ at London's Fabric since its opening in 1999. Ariel left Fabric on 8 October, 2006 after a 7-year-long residency (approximately 400 gigs).[4] His party "Latinaires" took place once a month,[5] along with the weekly event "The Gallery" for 2 years (2002–2004). In 2004, Ariel launched "Manteca", a weekly Latin music club, at Freedom bar in London's Soho.[6] [7]
In May 2000, "A9" was featured as Mixmag’s Big Tune of the Month.
In 2005, Ariel began a partnership with young producers Alex Celler and X Green to co-produce further music projects, and in March 2007, he officially launched his digital record label MyDust. Ariel toured Australia in 2008, playing venues in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. In 2009, Ariel released his album, "Camará".[8]
In 2016, the Ministry of Sound website published an article titled "Stars of VHS".[9] Video footage of DJ Ariel's performance at Bunker nightclub in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 9 October 1994 has been included in the 2023 documentary Comandante Fort. [10]
Ariel's early musical influences include early new wave music and the disco sounds of Talking Heads, Blondie, Kat Mandu, The Clash, The B-52's, Flash and the Pan, and Gino Soccio, as well as Latin American rumba.
Ariel's debut single, "Deep", released in 1997, was a hardhouse and trance record, released on Wonderboy Records and entered the number 1 spot on the UK Official Dance Chart. Ariel had multiple commissions for remixes. Some of these remixes include Marmion's "Schöneberg", Vincent De Moor's "Flowtation", Dj Sandy Vs Housetrap's "Overdrive", Storm's "Time to Burn", Lil Louis Vs Josh Wink's "French Kiss" and Darude's "Sandstorm".[11] Meanwhile, Ariel also released a series of more underground records, including The End EP and "Icebreaker/Time". In 2000, Ariel released "A9", which went on to become a UK Top 30.[12]
In March 2007, Ariel started releasing his tracks on MyDust. Some of those tracks were made but never released.[13]
| Year | Club | Location | Schedule | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–1986 | Dimension | Rosario, Argentina | Weekly | |
| 1986–1987 | El Almacén de Fulano / La Ventana / Mengano | Rosario, Argentina | Weekly | |
| 1988 | Lager | Rosario, Argentina | Weekly | |
| 1989–1990 | Palá | Rosario, Argentina | Weekly | |
| 1990 | Metro | Rosario, Argentina | Weekly | |
| 1991 | Lunes Locos Pacha / Thursdays Es Paradis / Catwalk Bar / Lola / Angels | Ibiza, Spain | Monthly | |
| 1992–1994 | Village Youth Limelight / The Playground, Iceni / Browns | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 1992–1993 | Basement, Sundays Kudos / Attitude Legends | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 1993 | Fuct Crews | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 1994–1995 | Lovezoo | Neuchatel, Switzerland | Monthly | |
| 1994–1995 | Ritual Xenon | Madrid, Spain | Monthly | |
| 1995 | Zap | Brighton, UK | Monthly | |
| 1995 | Ritual Velvet Underground | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 1995–1996 | Prism Underneath Bagleys | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 1996–2001 | 8 Hour Sets Dancehall, Freedom Bagleys | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 1999–2006 | DTPM, Room 2 Fabric | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 2002–2004 | Latinaires Turnmills | London, UK | Monthly | |
| 2004–2005 | Manteca Freedom Bar | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 2005–2007 | Home Of La Troya Renaissance Rooms / Ministry Of Sound | London, UK | Quarterly | |
| 2006–2007 | Discotec (Lounge Mondiale) The End | London, UK | Bi-monthly | |
| 2006–2008 | Matinee Area / Fabric | London, UK | Monthly | |
| 2007 | Gorgeous Space | Ibiza, Spain | Weekly | |
| 2007–2008 | Smartie Partie Turnmills | London, UK | Quarterly | |
| 2007–2009 | Heaven | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 2009–2011 | Onyx, Area | London, UK | Weekly | |
| 2010–2015 | Room Service | London, UK | Monthly |
An advocate of Orthopathy and raw foodism, Ariel has taken time off from music since 2008 to study natural health, and has written and published a succession of books on the topics of natural health and nutrition. His has traveled to forty different countries over the last 15 years.
Some selected discography:[14]