Norman Stradley was born and raised in S.F. and was heavily influenced by local legendary bands such as Journey, Santana, and Jefferson Airplane. He grew up surrounded by local musicians and was on the drums and congas at early the age of 7. Later influence by old school funk like Parliament & Funkadelic, Con- Funk -Shun, Cameo, Herbie Hancock, Ohio Players Norman began to develop an ear for multiple genres and styles of music.. Norman was introduced to the turntables in 1983 in the heart of the Fillmore district and his first club he ever went to he was a dj at. He got his start at the legendary Palladium nightclub spinning modern rock and old school. Norm also played at the legendary Club X and was doing the live remotes on Friday nights with Live 105 FM. This was the beginning of what would become a 30 year San Francisco residency. In 1993 Norman got his foot in the door at the Sound Factory where he started his house music journey that landed him at Release in the VIP