Dennis Ryan Smith
Comment: Article seems somewhat promotional. Also most of the sources are broken, and those that aren't are mostly primary sources that do not help to establish notability Giulio 15:47, 5 October 2026 (UTC)
- Comment: In accordance with Wikipedia's Conflict of interest guideline, I disclose that I have a conflict of interest regarding the subject of this article. Dennis Ryan Smith (talk) 15:35, 5 October 2026 (UTC)
Dennis Ryan Smith (born 13 December 1980) is a German DJ, producer, entrepreneur and expert in digital assets (eWpG) based in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region. He became known through his work in Frankfurt's music and nightlife scene and as co-founder and operator of the nightclub Travolta.[1][2]
As a DJ, Smith has performed at concerts, award ceremonies, film premieres and corporate events and has worked in connection with international artists including Shakira, 50 Cent, Jennifer Lopez, Limp Bizkit, M.I.A., Jan Delay, Fettes Brot and Seal.[3]
Early life and DJ career
Smith was born in Hanau, West Germany, and grew up in the Frankfurt Rhine-Main region. He became interested in music at a young age and began working as a DJ in clubs in the Rhine-Main area.[3]
His early engagements included performances in Berlin and Leipzig, the Red Bull Night of the Jumps, a residency at Bacardi's Bombay Blue Hour and events for T-Online Musicload.[3] His musical repertoire has included soul, old-school R&B and hip-hop, house and electronic music.[3]
Smith later expanded his work to concerts, film premieres, award ceremonies, after-show parties and corporate events. According to Porsche Zentrum Frankfurt, he toured as a DJ for Shakira and performed as an opening DJ or in the event environment of Limp Bizkit, M.I.A., Jan Delay, Fettes Brot and Seal as well as Hessentag and Rock am Ring.[3]
He has also performed at private events for Mick Jagger and Jade Jagger, Til Schweiger, Peter Maffay and German actor Mark Keller.[3] His event work has included film premieres and after-show events associated with the Bambi Awards.[3]
Travolta
In 2009, Smith and his brother Julian Smith founded the nightclub Travolta in central Frankfurt.[1] The venue was located on Brönnerstraße 17, with Smith working both as an operator and DJ.[1][2]
In 2011, Travolta received a Gastroaward in the Nightlife category. The following year, the club received the 2012 FIZZZ Award in the category Bester Club ("Best Club").[1] Contemporary reporting stated that the venue attracted approximately 100,000 visitors annually.[1]
Smith closed Travolta after nine years of operation. The Frankfurter Rundschau described him at the time as the club's owner and DJ and reported that the decision to close was primarily motivated by family considerations rather than economic problems.[2]
Willie James
In 2013, Smith opened Willie James, a café, restaurant and bar concept in Frankfurt named in memory of his father, Willie James Smith.[4]
Smith's father was a former American serviceman who settled in Germany and, together with Smith's mother Hannelore, operated restaurants in the Frankfurt region for around three decades.[4] Smith conceived Willie James as a tribute to his father's interest in hospitality and music, incorporating elements of American soul culture into the venue.[4]
The Frankfurter Rundschau later reported that Smith had built and operated Willie James for almost four years before transferring the business to new operators to focus on family and other projects.[5]
Music and event productions
06911 – Music made in Frankfurt
Smith collaborated with Porsche Zentrum Frankfurt and Porsche Zentrum Bad Homburg/Oberursel on the music project 06911 – Music made in Frankfurt.[3] The project's title combined Frankfurt's telephone area code, 069, with the model number of the Porsche 911.[3]
Smith compiled and mixed two recordings intended to represent different parts of Frankfurt's music scene.[3] Deep & Electronic included music by artists such as Gregor Tresher, Reboot, Chris Tietjen, Basti Grub, Sascha Dive and Toni Rios, while Nice & Soulful featured regional soul and hip-hop artists including Kaye-Ree, Jimmie Wilson, Butch William and Riverside.[3]
The recordings were compiled and mixed by Smith and recorded and mastered at RBT Studios.[3]
Live Entertainment Award
Smith performed at the official after-show party of the 2017 Live Entertainment Award at the Festhalle Frankfurt. The official event documentation stated that Smith provided the music for guests following the awards ceremony.[6]
Contemporary coverage by Top Magazin Frankfurt also reported that award recipients, presenters and guests celebrated at the after-show party to music by Smith.[7]
Earth Hour
Smith also performed at Frankfurt's Earth Hour events. The City of Frankfurt's climate-protection report for 2017 and 2018 identified him as the DJ for the Earth Hour parties at the Steigenberger Frankfurter Hof, which attracted more than 500 participants in each year.[8]
The Frankfurter Rundschau reported separately that Smith waived his fee for an Earth Hour performance at the Frankfurter Hof as part of his support for the climate initiative.[9]
Entrepreneurship
Alongside his work as a DJ, Smith has been involved in hospitality, nightlife and other entrepreneurial projects. Contemporary media have described him variously as a DJ, club operator and entrepreneur.[4][2]
Following his withdrawal from day-to-day club and restaurant operations, Smith increasingly focused on business development and technology-related projects.[10]
Ventshare Capital
Smith later founded Ventshare Capital, a business project focused on combining company financing with digital capital-market infrastructure and existing customer or fan communities.[11]
Within Ventshare, Smith has developed concepts he refers to as Community Capital Markets, Participation Economy and Investainment. These concepts explore models in which communities surrounding companies, artists, creators and brands may participate in financing and economic activity in addition to their role as consumers.
Smith has also developed LivePitch, a media format intended to combine business interviews, company pitches and investment information, and Tap to Invest, a concept for connecting physical or digital consumer touchpoints with information about financing opportunities.
These terms are used by Smith and Ventshare to describe their business models and are not established classifications in financial-market literature.
Towards Humanity
Smith has also been involved as the executive co producer with Towards Humanity, a long-form podcast and interview project hosted by American composer and producer Mark Chait.[12]
The podcast focuses on subjects including leadership, resilience, creativity, innovation, technological change and human experience.[13]
Published guests have included British polar explorer Rosie Stancer, visual-effects industry entrepreneur Scott Ross, former Greek prime minister George Papandreou, and American songwriter and producer Charlie Midnight.[14]
The podcast has also been distributed through RTL+, which describes the programme as a series of discussions about resilience, innovation, creativity and human experience.[15]
Selected works and projects
- 06911 – Music made in Frankfurt – compiler and DJ mix[3]
- Deep & Electronic
- Nice & Soulful
- Travolta – co-founder and operator[1]
- Willie James – founder[4]
- Towards Humanity – podcast project[13]
Discography and music production
Smith's work as a DJ, producer and music curator has included recording projects, soundtrack work, branded music productions and collaborations with international artists.[16]
Productions featuring Kurtis Blow and Guru of Gang Starr
Album and compilation productions for fashion brands including Triple Five Soul, Fornarina and Meltin' Pot
Production of Mercedes-Benz Mixtape Vol. 4 and Vol. 7[17]
Music production for a Siemens advertising campaign
Soundtrack work for Jirko Krah's feature film In Dunkelheit
Collaborations and productions with artists including Noah Becker, Indira Weis, Das Bo, Kaye-Ree, Serani, Deine Jugend, Jimi Blue Ochsenknecht, Lumidee, Guru, Spax and Chima together with Dj Opossum aka Mike Dietrich ( Wegotsoul Productions )
Concept development, music curation and production of two Porsche mix compilations released as 06911 – Music Made in Frankfurt
Productions and creative collaborations with the Berman Brothers, Sherry Ansari and composer and producer Mark Chait
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFREarth - ↑ GmbH, DomainProfi. "Bid on the domain club-travolta.de now". nicsell. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- ↑ "Home". VENTSHARE (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- ↑ "podcast.towards-humanity.com – Deep Conversations. Real Impact" (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Cite error: Invalid
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<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedRTLTH - ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2026-10-05.
- ↑ lively_livelee (2021-11-21). Various Artists - Mixed Tape 04 : Mercedes-Benz Music Compilation (2004). Retrieved 2026-10-05 – via YouTube.
External links
- Dennis Smith / 06911 – Music made in Frankfurt at Porsche Zentrum Frankfurt
- Towards Humanity
References
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