Derek Beres is one of the leading figures in international music in America, working in numerous facets of the industry, from journalist and DJ to producer and presenter. He has written for dozens of magazines covering the traditional and digital realms of global music and has toured internationally, playing alongside some of the most important figures in the scene today. In 2005 he published Global Beat Fusion: The History of the Future of Music, covering the expanding field of international music and world mythology. The book is currently being turned into a documentary film to be released in early 2007. He is currently writing his first novel, Mysterious Distance, a modern retelling of the sacrificial ritual of the Aztec corn goddess.

A 1997 graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in Religion, Beres entwines the mythological with the modern, showing how digital music is the first true global folk music as artists everywhere employ computers in their sonic creations. Global Beat Fusion blurs the lines between sacred and profane, highlighting today's ritual ceremonies within club context. As NPR stated, it "is not a book about music alone. It's about a growing worldwide community that's searching for shared experience without politics or corporate involvement. And it could fill many different slots on the bookshelf."

As DJ, Beres tours internationally with GlobeSonic Sound System, and runs NY-based EarthRise Arts with painter Craig Anthony Miller and writer Dax-Devlon Ross. He is also a Yoga Instructor and Budokon Conditioning Teacher, certified in the 200-hour teacher's certification program and Thai Yoga Massage, as well as the 200-hour Budokon teacher's program, a fusion of Hatha Yoga, Tae Kwan Do, Jujitsu and Zazen, with Kancho Cameron Shayne. He currently teaches at Equinox Fitness.

Read a review by William Doty of Derek's book, Global Beat Fusion
Visit Derek's website Global Beat Fusion
Return to Participant List