About
Valentin Coman a.k.a. Valentin – DJ a.k.a. Dj ShadO is a Toronto based House Dj that loves to energize and charge up the crowd. The first time he stepped into a club was at the young age of 6 at a mountain resort in Romania (where he hails from). It didn’t take long to realize that the club was a place where he was comfortable and his contributions would be felt. At 15, he received his first mixer from his brother, who literally broke his virgin ears with the sounds of Metallica, Pantera, Anthrax and Queen. He started playing at house parties all over Toronto with little clue about professional Dj-ing, but he was making people dance passionately and that’s all that mattered at the time. Later, he began laptop DJ-ing where he broke through at clubs like Mink and Hotel as well as many other lounges and clubs around Toronto. At the height of it all, he decided to drop the laptop and start from scratch and learn to DJ using turntables and cd players. This set him back financially, but it propelled him forward artistically in the long run.
His DJ name was given to him by his brother Adrian. It was just an online nickname for the BBS’s they used to log into before the internet was easily accessible. The name was ShadOKaster but with time it became ShadO, although people chant his name in different ways: Val, Val, Val, Vali, Vali, Vali, ShadO, ShadO, ShadO! The name may bring darkness to mind but as a friend kindly pointed out: “Where a shadow exists there must be light.” This all recently changed with the new name that will stay: Valentin – DJ.
In his high school days Valentin – DJ was making mix-tapes and listening to them on extremely large headphones that were loud enough for the whole bus to hear. Music was emanating from his person wherever he went. He remembers discovering a sound that could fuel the world and he was very excited as he thought he discovered something new, but little did he know that he stumbled upon a sound that had been known all along. When asked about his experiences as a DJ, Valentin recalls:
”I started to feel the crowd more and more, and with the crowd yelling my name, I started to want it more and more. The healing sounds that house brings are there for everyone to enjoy and tune into. It is definitely a spiritual experience that is never the same. When the people are in front of me, I get goose bumps and shivers rush through me, thus making me truly happy.
I love house music. I love how the same song can make me feel different on different days. It is my mood radar. I love how a song with no lyrics can invoke emotion, as it is not forced by the influence of words. I love the way bass makes me feel. I love how house music lets my mind be free of thoughts.”
He is best known for his spinning marathons at the outdoor parties at “Campu”, where the Romanian community hosts its annual WEMF-like events. Among his biggest accomplishments were Dj’ing live inside of radio station 102.1 with artists 80-Proof at Younge and Dundas, and that his mix was played on the air on 100.7 FM by Club246 Radio. Charitable events have also been a part of this Dj’s repertoire with one-time events and yearly Fundraisers. The most famous one is the annual Christmas Drive Party, now in its 3rd year, where proceeds are donated to charitable organizations such as: Salvation Army, YMCA, Dill Foundation and Goodwill. This party continues to be run with the concept of “Party for a Cause” which has been brought to the surface with experience, compassion and need.
He likes Minimal, Tech, Tribal, and some Electro and classic House. He has played every genre out there at one point or another but his focus is House Music. He had the fortune of making some talented friends in bands which turned out to be of great influence. ADA with Mike, Pouya, Jen and Tome; Automatic with Jesus, Jesse, Cracker and 80-Proof with Richard and Courtney. Superstar Djs are easy to name and follow but he prefers to mention these local DJ’s that have inspired him to go forward: Funky T, Aleksandra, DekoZe, Magixs and Adi Andrei.
He has had a rough path to get to his present status, but he is here in full force to share his experiences with others and help guide others on their own path through sound. The stories are numerous and they can be quite unbelievable but we can’t fit them all in this bio. But not to worry, you will meet him again: on the web, on the radio, in the mix, on a CD or on the dance floor.
