Down Under DJ

He gained recognition after attaining residencies at big name Australian clubs like JOOCE and the Underground. He eventually set up his own production company, then co-founded the Melbourne Metropolitan Disc Jockey Association, a collective of the country's top DJs. Sugarman is credited with discovering Australian dance/pop group Euphoria in the '90s, which helped build up interest in electronic music throughout the country. Euphoria's self-titled album went gold, and the group, kind of like Australia's version of Technotronic (think: "Pump up the Jam," or Corona's "Rhythm of the Night,"), is lastingly popular in its home country.

Sugarman knew he wanted to keep climbing, figuring that moving out of Australia was key. He thought briefly about heading to the U.K., since both of his parents are British, but instead headed to Toronto in 1997, and to New York in 1999. That's when the chaos started. He initially scored a major gig DJing at the Greatest Bar on Earth/Windows on the World party on the top floor of the World Trade Center in 2001. It seemed like a dream come true. By early September, of course, his dream (and investment) went up in smoke. He'd emptied his savings to promote his weekly party, and he was left with nothing after the towers fell.

For Sugarman, it was a dark time.

"I'd say from 2001 until 2003, I was in total flux," he says. " I didn't know what to do with myself at all. I struggled in those days, but having come through that gave me the confidence to know I could get through anything." Tired of the cold weather, Sugarman decided it was time to move again. He didn't have many contacts in South Florida, but when it was time for Winter Music Conference 2003 to kick off, he packed up his belongings and relocated.

Since moving here, his energy level and self-confidence have done a 180, he says. Now that he's established himself on the South Florida music scene, he continues to work with major record labels, who ask him to remix tracks alongside his production partners, Granite and Vincent di Pasquale. He's just finished reworking tracks for Enrique Iglesias and Cato K, among others. When he looks back on the events of the past few years, he says, life in South Florida is the best thing that's happened to him.

"This place has been a breath of fresh air," he says, breathing deeply. "Since getting to Miami everything has been moving in the right direction."