Ariel Belloso (born September 14, 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 shifted to a Latin-influenced house and techno sound, which he produced and performed through his 7-year weekly residency at London's Fabric nightclub.[2]
History
Early years (1983–1996)
During his childhood, Ariel's family owned a nightclub named Katanga in Rosario, Argentina. Inspired by his older brother, he took up his first residency at Dimension Nightclub in Rosario. More residencies followed, including Mengano, Metro, Lager and Damasco. On New Year's Eve, 1985, Ariel ended his residency at the Dimension nightclub with the performance of a set lasting 17 hours.
After completing secondary education, Ariel attended Rosario University of Economics, studying for 2 years before deciding to leave. Ariel was arriving in Ibiza, in the spring of 1991, when he met DJ Alfredo; a fellow DJ from Rosario, who held a residency at the nightclub Pacha.
Soon after Ariel played his first European set at Pacha followed by guest performances in Lola, Es Paradis, including one gig at the recently launched terrace at Space.[3] While performing in Ibiza, Ariel was photographed by art designer 'Trademark'.
1996–2010
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 event, Freedom. Three months later, he moved to the main room, where he performed for 8 hours.[4] 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.
The main room in Bagley's studiosAriel performing in Fabric on 9 July 2006
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).[5] His party "Latinaires" took place once a month,[6] 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.[7][8]
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".[9]
2010–present
In 2016, the Ministry of Sound website published an article titled "Stars of VHS".[10] 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. [11]
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".[12] 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.[13]
In March 2007, Ariel started releasing his tracks on MyDust. Some of those tracks were made but never released.[14]
Club residences
Residencies
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
Personal life
Ariel has been on hiatus since 2008. During this time he has written and self-published several books on nutrition and naturopathy.[15]
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