Fast becoming a major player in the New York and international club scenes, Alex Lauterstein brings his burgeoning talents back to our nation’s capital for a rare circuit appearance at the Friday night Welcome Party at Insomnia.

Born and raised in Uruguay, South America, Alex moved to New York City in 1992. Just a few years later while DJing at a small underground party, he was recruited by Twilo to open for Danny Tenaglia on Friday nights. This eventually led to an opening slot on Saturday nights as well – the club’s wildly popular gay night. When Danny left Twilo, Alex proudly took over his coveted spot.

On the heels of his impressive new residency came another spectacular opportunity for the young DJ. Peter Rauhofer (primarily known in America under his Club 69 moniker at the time) asked Alex to work with him on his new Size Queen project. “I collaborated on a couple of songs in which I recorded the vocals, and I was also by his side while he was working on that album,” Alex recalls. “I didn’t do much, but I learned a lot at that time. Peter was very open to show me all the different techniques to work in the studio.” This eventually led to Alex remixing his first commercial single, Size Queen’s notorious club staple “K-Hole,” alongside industry giant Johnny Vicious.

An introduction to club impresario Peter Gatien led to a brief stint at Tunnel and a sacred Sunday night residency at Limelight where Alex currently plays once a month. He also fills in for Victor Calderone at Roxy, rotating with Peter Rauhofer, James Andersen, and other guest DJs.

With a steady roster of high-profile gigs in New York City and around the world, Alex is following in the footsteps of his mentors by branching out into other areas of the music industry. He teamed with Centaur Records last year to record the highly-acclaimed HX Project, a continuous mix double-CD that aptly represents one of Alex’s live sets. Alex also took a turn mixing Centaur’s latest Global Groove CD, a project inspired by last month’s Black Party in New York.

Alex is hoping another collaboration will help him realize his dream later this year. “The ultimate goal for me is to be able to make my own album of my own music,” he says. “I work with my partner, Hayley Moss, a composer, [to create] atmospheric stuff. It’s a little different than the stuff you hear in the clubs; it’s more like a chill-out, lounge thing.” Under the moniker Three Wing Butterfly, Alex is planning to release a full-length album of original material, seven tracks of which have already been recorded.

The weeks leading up to Cherry have been quite crazy for Alex. He sat on a panel during the recent Winter Music Conference in South Beach discussing remixing and DJing, and he has played almost every Friday and Saturday in different cities across the country this month. In fact, after playing the Cherry Welcome Party, Alex flies out to Montreal to spin at Club Unity on Saturday night.

Alex is thrilled to be returning to Washington for Cherry Six. He played Nation last November (“the best club I’ve played in the whole country – next to Twilo” he says), and hopes for several return engagements in 2001, including New Year’s Eve. Alex is also pleased to help The Cherry Fund raise money for its beneficiaries. “I’m excited about the party,” he says. “I’ve seen the ads everywhere. Everybody knows about it and they all tell me it’s a cool party, so I’m really looking forward to it. And if it’s something that’s going to help somebody, it definitely makes me feel even better.”

Alex Lauterstein will be touring in support of the new Global Groove CD this spring, and he is scheduled to headline MotorBall’s Closing Party in Detroit on Sunday, May 6th. You may also visit Alex on the Web at www.alexlauterstein.com.