"If anyone is qualified to run a club, it would be Dave Dean, who possesses an amazing clubography and has both owned and operated nightclubs all over the world." - MIXER Magazine, July 2000.
Developing a solid background in architectural design, concept marketing and music programming during his college years in Boulder, Colorado, Dave Dean established his standing at the forefront of electronic dance music in 1988.
Venturing across The Atlantic to preside as the director of Limelight in London, Dean opened Limelight in the fall of 1988 with a "new" sound of underground music spun by the pioneers of the UK dance scene. Paul Oakenfold held down the decks every Friday night. Fledgling DJs such as Darren Emerson (who would later co-create Underworld), Andy Weatherall and Carl Cox rotated through Saturday nights as well as subsequent tours produced by Dean to Spain, New York and San Francisco.
It was during his trailblazing 1990 Raid tour stop in San Francisco that Dean realized the potential for electronic dance music in America. Based on that tour's success, Dean moved to San Francisco the next year and promptly got down to business. The launch of Love in 1991 as the city's first weekly "house music" club with residents Marques Wyatt and Jerry Bonham was a stepping stone to the 1992 debut of his very own club, Sound Factory. Sister to New York's famed club of the same name, the venue featured the same trademark sound system and was put through its paces by a young DJ named Sasha on opening night.
Over the years, a proverbial Who's Who of the World's Greatest DJs graced the decks of what the San Francisco Chronicle's Herb Cain coined "the mother of all discos." Oakenfold, John Digweed, Deep Dish, David Morales, Lil' Louis Vegas, Frankie Knuckles and the rest of the heavy hitters joined residents like Grammy winner Roger Sanchez and Doc Martin. Realizing a new opportunity, Dean sold Sound Factory in 1998 and moved to Los Angeles.
In January 2000, Dean took the City of Angels by storm with GIANT, the crowning success of his now 15 year career that has become a leading club brand in America and abroad, routinely presenting the top DJs and Artists. URB Magazine confirmed his achievement naming Dean "America's Best Club Promoter" in 2000 and 2001 while GIANT picked up nods as "America's Best Mega Club" in both 2000 and 2001.
GIANT has since been nominated for three DanceStars, one in 2002 for its successful club nights in Hollywood and also in 2002 and again in 2003 for the GIANT Village, GIANT's New Year's Eve celebration which reigns as America's largest 21+ club event. This annual event, staged on the streets and modern plazas of Downtown Los Angeles, attracts 10,000 dance music enthusiasts from across the globe each year.
Beyond Los Angeles, GIANT produces recurring events in Europe and Japan as well as annual showcases in Miami and Las Vegas. Strongly centered in club production and DJ culture, GIANT develops online multi-media programs, publishes compilation CDs and DVDs and markets travel packages to accompany these global endeavors.
