& East of Edens Soul Express DJs

East of Edens Soul Express DJs merged out of a common interest in the connection of Southern soul and the Black music scene in Chicago during the 60s and 70s. .. James grew up in Chicago's Chatham neighborhood buying records like Bill Coday's "I'm Back to Collect" when they were being played on the radio for the first time and picking up that curious looking Swamp Dogg LP in the cut-out bin. Having a deep love for punk, rockabilly, and country as well as the blues and soul he grew up on, Porter identified with the mishmash of styles that stemmed from Memphis, Muscle Shoals, and Nashville.John grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and was raised on the Allman Brothers, Little Feat, and the Band. After being enlightened by mixing a broken heart with Al Green's 'Gets Next to You' and Isaac Hayes' 'Hot Buttered Soul', he was on a search to connect his musical past with these spine-tingling soulful finds. Ciba stumbled upon copies of Peter Guralnick's 'Sweet Soul Music' and Barney Hoskyns 'Say it One Time for The Broken Hearted' and the worlds of Muscle Shoals, Jackson, and beyond were opened to him. Thousands of LPs and 45s later he hasn't quite found the tingle again but loves sharing the deepest and funkiest cuts with anybody that will listen... After brushing shoulders on a Southern Soul message board, seeing each other at shows and record stores, and having plenty of common friends, the guys decided to start playing some records together.East of Edens Soul Express have a monthly DJ night at the Hideout Inn, Chicago. The venue is a perfect fit, it's the closest to a Southern juke joint this side of, well, the Edens Expressway! The boys have opened for the Beastie Boys, Senator Obama, Wilco, Hermon Hitson, Ronnie Spector, Bettye Lavette, Clarence Reid, Roscoe Robinson, Mooney Suzuki, Ralph 'Soul' Jackson, Wiley & the Checkmates, Eli Reed & True Loves, Harvey Scales and Taylor Hicks to name a handful and were the first DJs to play the Chicago Blues Fest in 2009.John and James are happy to lay it down for parties and weddings large and small -- they have gear and will travel -- and will always pack a dance floor by playing soul music with one rule: the grittier the better!

• http://www.myspace.com/eastofedenssoulexpress