Xavier Perec is the stage-name of the Amsterdam-based DJ Michiel Kleiss. Music has been the guiding light his entire live and bearing witness to this are the countless music-related jobs he held.
He landed his first job as a DJ at Jazzland (Amsterdam, '79), which resulted in a Saturday night residency. From then on his spinning really took off and in the following years he could be found playing in just about every club in town; he held residencies in Odeon, De Bios, De Snelbinder and De Richter.
During this time he not only worked at several record stores (Attalos, Boudisque), but also finished two university degrees in Medicine and Economics. Due to his rare combination of skills he makes the perfect candidate for his next job - managing director of the RoXY. Under his management RoXY flourishes and becomes one of the most extravagant and avant-garde clubs in the world.
Not being able to kick the habit he starts spinning in his own club on Sundays ('92/'96). And he gives birth to the label Kubin. This quality label was brought to live to help music-lovers and advanced listeners on their quest for the best - only absolute top-end mix albums were released.
In 1997 during the creative process leading to the down tempo debut album of his friend and producer Aad de Mooij (a.k.a. D-shake), they decide on their stage names Xavier Perec and Alex Cortiz (creative indeed if you consider the originals - Michiel and Aad). They believe the new names intricately reflect the feel of the new kind of music they want to send in to the world - a kind of music that could already be found in rudimentary form on the Kubin label and would later become known as lounge. The new album, Volume 1, is released through Movieplay, which later would become the record company CoasttoCoast.
After 8 years at the RoXY Michiel Kleiss decides it is time for a change and in 1998 he becomes the managing director of the Lowlands Festival. Under his leadership the transformation of the Lowlands festival from a large rock-festival to a very large contemporary multicultural event including a lounge (naturally), took form.
In December 1999 the NL, the first Lounge club in Holland opens its doors in Amsterdam. And being one of very few DJ's who completely masters this new genre - having been at it countless years already - he lands a job as a DJ with a weekly residency on Fridays. Furthermore his Sunday residency at The Quincy Lounge (Vakzuid, Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam) with Mood Patrol colleagues Monte La Rue, Sven van Hees and Enrico Riva, bring about an avalanche of publicity resulting in an overwhelming and definitive embrace of lounge music by the Dutch public. During the summer months Xavier has a Sunday afternoon residency at the beach club De Republiek in Bloemendaal aan Zee - the first Dutch lounge bar on the beach. Apart from his residencies Xavier plays at Lowlands and at various parties.
In 2000 radio station Kink FM asks him to host 2 weekly radio shows - XPansions with 3 hours of down tempo after party music on Sunday mornings and The Trip on Saturday evenings from 7 to 8 with the newest avant-garde music. In 2001 Kink FM renames his radio show XPlorations reschedules it to Saturday night (pre-party).
The year 2000 also gives rise to the label Swirl (CoasttoCoast) - founded by Xavier and friend Alex Cortiz. Their strategy is simple: only the very best and seriously groovy 21st century music is to be released. Xavier's first mix album entitled XPansions - Lounge Factor 1 gets excellent reviews - both nationally and internationally. In december ‘01 his second mix album XPansions 2 - 3rd millennium urban grooves - is released. His first danceable compilation is scheduled for May '02.
He plays in San Francisco in May '01 and tours India in December and January of '01/'02. In 2002 there's a new monthly residency on Saturday night at Club Risk in the More in Amsterdam.