"You're driving down a straight, long road that seems to have no end and the sun is coming up on your left and to the right of you, there are stars, and there's water in the distance that's glowing silver--that's the kind of dawn I'm talking about."

Miguel Graça is leaning back in his chair in his east-end studio, looking every bit the tropical garage/house DJ. Wearing a palm-tree-covered Hawaiian shirt and flip-flops, he's expounding on his favourite time of day and major musical inspiration: the dawning of a new day.

Despite having had an ultra-hectic week made up of local media relations, DJ sets (Liquid, Bouge de là , Stereo and his radio show, Groove Cocketail on CIBL), his album launch (which included a live set) and a photo shoot, Graça is eager to blab about just about anything.

"It runs in the family--my grandfather used to call my grandmother 'gramophone' 'cause she talked so much," he giggles. A question about one topic elicits a lengthy response, ultimately leading to the original question being forgotten.

But the conversation always leads back to that feeling of calm, blissful awakening that fuels Graça's creative drive and inspires him to create some of the hottest-blooded, feel-good, organic, soulful house ever to come out of this city.

"I really get inspired by the energy of dawn, or of being in a house on a mountain, overlooking the ocean--it's that similar sense of well-being. That's what I try to portray in my music--I try to make you feel good." And this humble intention shines through loud and clear on his first full-length album, Soulnotmind: Shining Stars on Bombay Records. Indeed, it does feel good; from the trickling waterfall and tropical bird sounds to the echoey tribal samples, the smooth, enveloping vocals and the "just let go" lyrics--a warm and fuzzy cocktail of one-love spirituality and clear-headed hedonism.

No disco loops!

Claiming he feels "restricted by samples," Graça prefers using live instruments played throughout the track, inserting samples in afterwards "if they fit--I'm not into the disco loop." The male vocals are a breath of fresh air (most notably courtesy Darnell Robinson on the single "Speak My Mind") in the still-predominantly "screaming-diva worlds" of garage and house.

"I probably use them because I want them to sing what's in my head. I can sing, but I don't like my voice." He does croon a little on the album, though (listen up for him on "Difference" and "Blue Berry"). "I work with girls too and I always coach my vocalists to take it slow, to stretch the vocals... open themselves up--you know, 'soulnotmind,' it's gotta be soothing." The album, which was two years in the making, is the result of Graça's coming to terms with many issues in his life. "When I turned 30, I made a lot of realizations and made peace with myself," he says.

Graça, who was born in Portugal and came to Canada when he was 10, started out painting and doing photography as a young lad and, back in '87, formed a teen band called Ballyhoo. "It was around the time of that morphing, when house was just coming out. We were kind of alternative, but dancey." Then house broke and things were never the same again. "I remember when the first house record came in when I was working at Wow Records on Ste-Catherine. It was a Chicago comp with Adonis, Marshall Jefferson, Frankie Knuckles. I was like, 'This is the music I've been dreaming about.' When I think about it now, I still get goosebumps." In '91, his first (self-financed) 12" came out under the name M.G.

"I used my initials because, at the time, I had issues with my name, being a foreigner--when you're younger you just wanna fit in. Now, there's a lot more visible ethnicity, and, as you get older, you're like, 'I don't wanna fit in--I just need to be myself.'"

Ultra-glamorous Juno mega-hype

Full name or initials, "There 4 U" went off like a bottle rocket, landing in the U.K. where it got airplay on London's KISS FM and two months of steady press. (It was even bootlegged in NYC--a rare honour for a rookie producer.) He also managed to grab the attention of renowned house producer and DJ Robert Ouimet. Soon, Ouimet and Graça hooked up to form the daring duo Red Light, which besides being prolific as hell, won the 1994 Juno for best original dance recording. Seeing as Canada's Junos come with about as much fanfare as finishing second at a swim meet when you're nine, it's no surprise that pretty much nobody batted an eye.

"I've gotten more attention in the last two years about my Juno, from the press and people coming up, congratulating me, than I did at the time." Graça points to the nonexistence of dance music press in North America at the time as a reason for this. After Red Light, he continued to be prolific as he flew solo, recording under the monikers of Balance, Fellows, KM Formula, M-X and Mode 2. Then came a fateful meeting with the Bombay big shots.

"Nav [Bhinder, Bombay co-owner with Patrick Dream] came by the studio and I played him about four hours worth of stuff and he was like, 'Okay, I think we have some meat to chew on.'" First chunk chewed: '99's samba-scented "Watchalike" EP. And there was the sweat 'n' tanning oil dancefloor commotion "Pineapple," from the album. And now there's no turning back.

He does admit to wanting to do more dub-influenced stuff and mentions collaborations in the works with Alain Vinet, longtime collaborator Trevor Walker from Ottawa, Andrew McCurry (formerly of Toga Project out of California), Fred Everything, XL, Patrick Dream and Nav. In the fall he'll be jetting off to Europe and across the States to promote the album and he'll have a single out on a new French label based in Paris (whose name he can't remember). Then he asks if I want to hear what he's been working on lately.

As he packs up his records to bring to his weekly low-key gig at Cafeteria--for which he's already 20 minutes late--he takes me through some sneak-preview tracks that are on their way to being pressed. There's "The Well Being" ("'Cause I feel so good when I hear it"), with a deep, organic trancey feel, where he plays some seriously crazy keys all the way through. And "Shake," done with Trevor Walker, where his maraca-made-with-sheep-nails-that-sounds-like-a-rainstick wiggles brilliantly over a badass bassline and a B3 organ.

And then there's "Molata," ("a Spanish afro-latin, clubby thing") done with Alain Vinet and named after his first guitar, which makes its recording debut here. Not surprisingly, Graça's got a come-what-will attitude about the future.

"I pass the ball as quick as it comes. Like when I DJ, I never know what song I'll be playing two songs down the line. I just go with the flow." Roll with it, baby. :