......Music is the expression of ones outlook on life
Starting his DJ career in early spring, 1998, 27 year old Gary Ackerly aka DJ/Producer Myth I-S has come a long way in a very short period of time. In just 3 years, he has risen from the absolute bottom, to playing high profile events around the New York City area, and just beginning to tour the country with Trance Domain. With a very unique style of hard-hitting dark melodic trance & techno that is unmatched by any other, Myth I-S is fast becoming a favorite among fans and promoters of electronic music everywhere. Although only at the decks for 3 years, his knowledge & passion for music go back 11 years.
Growing up in Deer Park, Long Island, NY, Gary began his life long commitment to music at age 14.
First picking up the guitar in 1990, he was greatly influenced by the heavier bands of the time, like Slayer, Metallica, Ministry, Steve Vai, and others alike. Eventually learning how to record on a home 4 track studio, adding the bass guitar and drum programming skills to the cycle, he quickly began writing and composing and experimenting with different styles ranging from hard rock, to industrial, thrash and death metal.
After studying audio engineering and music theory at Five Towns College on Long Island for one short semester in 1994, trying out for several bands, and becoming fed up with the direction of mainstream music in the mid 1990s, Gary sought out new styles of music to experiment with. A friend convinced him to attend his first "rave" in 1995, called "Fantasia", held in the Brooklyn Armory, New York.. Overwhelmed with the music and the reaction of the crowd to the driving beats, he had discovered a new means of expression.
Attending several raves throughout the northeastern United States, he learned the difference between all the many different styles that were being played at these events and taking a particular interest in hard melodic trance played by such DJs as Clarkee, Gonzo, and Tommy Tunes. He began collecting records and totally did away with string instruments, incorporating more synthesizers and drum machines into the setup. He soon learned that mixing records and producing tracks have a balance with each other . Myth I-S is born.
In the summer of 1998, Myth I-S handed Walter T. of newcomer production crew from Long Island, Cousins, a mixtape. Not too much longer after that, Walter had called him back, and welcomed Myth I-S to the Cousins roster. But that's not all that a mixtape has landed for him. Around the same time, he sent his mixtape to Trance Domain.com, a site dedicated to trance and house music, including Real Audio streaming of DJs performing live from all parts of the United States. Lance aka DJ Trancelott & Veronica Hendrix , the site's creators and owners, liked the tape enough to post it on their website. Not much longer after that, Lance had asked Myth I-S if he would like to have his own show on TranceDomain.com. He gladly accepted and began his currently running webcast, "the Long Island Underground Source".
Not only did having a show mean good exposure, but also a better opportunity to meet with high profile DJs and promoters from around the NYC area. Past guest DJs on the Long Island Underground Source include Micro, X Dream, Vicious Vic, Pleasure Head, Gonzo and others.
After months of doing continuous 4 hour shows a week on Trance Domain with all different styles of electronic music and the long hours put into promoting it, and appearing in a brief article in Mixer Magazine (Feb., 2000 issue), Myth I-S had found himself with a small, but loyal following. The time was then right to throw his first all night event in Babylon, LI called Eternal Domain, featuring 2 live acts and 16 djs for about 200 people in celebration of his show's success. The event had a greater turnout than expected, and was even reviewed by major Long Island newspaper, Newsday, as a feature story.
Then, with Cousins and Trance Domain under his wing, appeared at numerous "raves" throughout the northeastern US, clubs in NYC such as Limelight and The Tunnel along side such names as T-1000, Mike Dearborn, DJ Funk, Spacegirl, and more, even going international, appearing in Panama City, Panama on the Trance Domain tour in November 2000. "The Long Island Underground Source" had become the third most listened to show on Trance Domain, peaking when guest DJ Vicious Vic appeared in May 2000, making it the most listened to show in Trance Domain history. Also in 2002, dropping a track on Pleasure Head's "Trance Generator" mix CD available on Topaz Recordings in stores everywhere.