Trance, Rave, House Music, Progressive...

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PAUL VAN DYK

 

From early Berlin techno and house through to progressive trance, producer/DJ Paul Van Dyk has soundtracked the German electronic dance scene ever since he moved to the city and began mixing in 1988. A native of a German town near Frankfurt, Van Dyk first heard house music on the radio during the mid-'80s. Soon he was experimenting with a rudimentary turntable setup, and after hitting Berlin, he gigged around the city. By 1991, he had appeared at the legendary Tresor club; he later set up his own E-Werk club, and debuted on record as Visions of Shiva, with fellow trance wizard Cosmic Baby. He remixed for New Order, Humate, Sven Väth, and others, then signed to the German MFS Records for his first album, 1994's 45 RPM. By the midpoint of the 1990s, Paul Van Dyk had become a globe-trotting DJ and remixer. His second album, Seven Ways, resulted in British and German dance-chart entries for the singles "Beautiful Place," "Forbidden Fruit," and "Words." While both of his albums were issued in America during 1998, Van Dyk added a remix collection (Perspective) and mix album (Vorsprung Dyk Technik) to his discography. 2000 saw the release of the single "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)," the album Out There and Back, and the EP We Are Alive. As a follow-up to global club dates in support of those releases, Van Dyk released another EP, Columbia, in mid-2001. After a relatively quiet 2002 (on the recording front), Van Dyk returned with a mix-album/greatest-hits/DVD (Global), the soundtrack to a film (Zurdo), and a new production album (Reflections).

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DJ ENCORE

 

Based in Copenhagen, Denmark, DJ Encore is a Danish producer, engineer, songwriter, and mix master who is known for his partnership with vocalist Engelina (who is also Danish). Encore, who was born Andreas Hemmeth in Copenhagen in 1979, specializes in a high-tech, club-friendly style of dance-pop that is unmistakably European. Growing up in Scandinavia, Encore was exposed to a great deal of music and his music-minded parents can take some of the credit. Encore's mother is a music teacher, while his father is a classical musician and a music consultant. Encore was only a child when his parents encouraged him to study piano and guitar; he also learned to mix music on a computer at a very young age. The Scandinavian artist continued to study music as a teenager and when he reached early adulthood, Encore got into producing, engineering, and DJing. Encore was in his late teens when he became a regular DJ in three of Copenhagen's dance clubs, where he was admired and respected for his mixing skills. As a club jock, the Dane was flexible and broad-minded. He could get into abstract, rave-friendly forms of electronic dance music -- trance and techno, for example -- but he could also spin and mix more accessible and melodic dance-pop and Euro-dance recordings. Encore was serving as an engineer at a studio session for the dance-oriented Funkstar De Lux when he met a representative for Sony Music Publishing; that person asked to hear a demo of Encore's songs, and the Sony employee felt that he would work well with the Copenhagen-based singer Engelina. Encore and Engelina had different musical backgrounds; he was spinning various styles of dance music in Copenhagen's clubs, while Engelina had a history of singing jazz and R&B. Nonetheless, Encore and Engelina hit it off musically and, at the suggestion of the Sony rep, formed a partnership. Recording as the duo DJ Encore featuring Engelina, they provided their first single, "I Can See Right Through to You," which was a major hit in Denmark and other European countries and became the theme for the Danish television show Big Brother. Scandinavians who heard that single and other melodic Encore/Engelina material realized that the Copenhagen residents did not get into the more bubblegum styles of European dance-pop. Their songs tend to be haunting, dreamy, and intoxicating instead of cutesy, sugary, or bubblegum. Like so many Scandinavian artists, Encore and Engelina write in English exclusively; although they grew up in a country in which Danish, not English, is the primary language, both of them fluently speak English. In 2001, DJ Encore featuring Engelina recorded their debut album, Intuition, which MCA released in the United States in January 2002. "Walking on the Sky" was released as the album's second single in North America, as well as in Europe.

 

(Ganda ni Engelina!)

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JUDGE JULES

 

Jules Oriordan was born in London on 26th October 1965 in North London. While still a law student at LSE, Jules began his long time association with Norman Jay. Together they promoted Shake n Fingerpop and Family Funktion which established them as a central figure of those Rare Groove days, breaking into abandoned warehouses to stage "warehouse parties." It was Norman who applied the JUDGE title to JULES "It was Jays preconceived thought that here was a student hed met doing a degree in law that could only turn out to be a judge. When the police turned up at their illicit gatherings, it was Jules who had to provide outrageous legal blags to put them off the trail. Judge Jules sounded appropriate, so the name stuck and thus Judge Jules DJ career was born.

 

Jules got into the House scene in 1986 and started traveling to New York to buy records and it was here he experienced the incredible atmosphere house music was producing. Although Jules was into the music before this, he had never experienced it in its full glory. As house turned to acid, he remained a prominent figure in the rave scene, playing at many of the legendary orbital raves, including Energy, Back to the future and Sunrise. Together with his longtime friend Roy the Roach Jules started his prolific remixing career with a mix for the then Virgin Records based Bas` Noirs "Im Glad You Came", early remixes also included Soft House Company, Big Audio Dynamite and Fat Man.

 

In 1987 Jules premieres on pirate radio station Kiss fm and in 1990 when the station goes legal Jules rapidly becomed one of their top jocks. In 1991 he re-aquatinted himself with an old school friend ROLLO. They set up a studio together, and learnt how to produce and engineer, an aspect they'd previously bluffed their way through. A studio was slowly established in the basement of his house and about this time he struck up an extremely sucessful partnership with former Reggae drummer Michael Skins. Jules and Skins arrived on the scene with a devastating version of M PEOPLES Excited. Other notable remixes include T-Empos house classic 'Saturday night, Sunday morning', Winks 'Higher State Of Consciousness', Ruffnecks 'Everybody Be somebody', plus the big money spinners Doop and Reel 2 Real (I like to move it), on the Positiva label.

 

In 1994 Jules was appointed A&R manager at Manifesto Records and that is a story in itself. Voted no 1 dance label of 1996, possibly the fastest growing dance music label ever and maybe one of its greatest successes, with over 25 national top 40 successes to date, plus numerous critical accolades. In 1995, with brother Sam, Jules formed SERIOUS ARTIST MANAGEMENT, who manage JUDGE JULES exclusively. Other Djs managed include Sonique, Norman Jay,Graham Gold and John Kelly.

 

In September of 1997 Jules signed for Radio 1 and now has has two top rated shows on a Friday and Saturday which transmit to most of the UK.He has also made numerous television appearances including the Big Breakfast and the South Bank Show and at one time presented 'JUDGE and the JURY' on KISS T.V which appears on Sattelite in the Men & Motors Section. DJ magazine voted JUDGE JULES 8th in the top 150 djs in the world, the Uks number one club DJ in 1995, and more recently in a Muzic magazines survey of the most influential people in house music, Jules came second only to the manager of Paul Oakenfold. Along with his numerous other accolades, combined with his huge popularity as a dj worldwide, it shouldnt be to difficult to hear him at a club near you.

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PAUL OAKENFOLD

 

Paul Oakenfold is the DJ, remixer, and producer who did more than anyone else to break house music in Britain during the late '80s. During 1987-88, Oakenfold hosted a series of crucial club-nights which introduced thousands of Brits to house music. Just a few years later, he helped push the new dance crossover into the charts by masterminding hit productions by Happy Mondays (among others) and forming one of the most successful dance labels of the 1990s, Perfecto Records. Even well over a decade after his emergence, Oakenfold remained, quite simply, dance music's most popular DJ.

Born in London in 1963, Oakenfold began mixing at the age of 16, and hooked up with friend Trevor Fung to play soul and rare-groove at a basement bar in Covent Garden. He also spent some time in New York during the late '70s, working for Arista Records and soaking up the disco scene through Larry Levan's genre-spanning sets at the Paradise Garage. Back in England by the early '80s, Oakenfold worked as a club promoter and British agent for the Beastie Boys and Run-D.M.C. He continued DJing as well, and eventually ended up at the Project in 1985-86, one of the first venues for house music in England. With Fung and another friend named Ian St. Paul, Oakenfold was introduced to the exploding club scene on the vacation island of Ibiza (near the coast of Spain) during 1987 and imported the crucial mix of house, soul, Italian disco and alternative music later dubbed the Balearic style.

 

During 1988-89, house music and the Balearic style gestated at several Oakenfold-run club nights (Future at the Sound Shaft, then Spectrum and Land of Oz at Heaven) before emerging above terra firma as a distinctly British entity. Oakenfold and Steve Osborne had been working with new dance converts Happy Mondays, and their production for the 1989 Happy Mondays' single "(W.F.L.) Wrote for Luck" was voted Dance Record of the Year by the NME. The duo's production for the Happy Mondays' break-out full-length Pills 'n' Thrills 'n' Bellyaches placed them squarely in the vaunted territory of other new dance producers like Andrew Weatherall (who achieved similar success with Primal Scream's Screamadelica from the same year). Soon, major labels were lining up to have Oakenfold and Osborne remix their biggest pop stars including U2, Simply Red, New Order, the Cure, Massive Attack, M People, Arrested Development, the Shamen, the Stone Roses and even Snoop Doggy Dogg (some as Perfecto, the combination remix service and RCA-connected record label founded by the pair in 1990). The Oakenfold/Osborne team were nominated by BPI as Best Producers from 1990 to 1993.

 

By the mid-'90s, dance music had reached the mainstream of British radio and culture, with Paul Oakenfold at the front of a new wave of globe-trotting DJs; he toured with U2 and supported live gigs by INXS, the Orb, Simply Red, Boy George and Primal Scream. On Britain's ever-growing club circuit, he inaugurated the London super-club Ministry of Sound early in the 1990s and became a resident at Britain's other super-club, Liverpool's Cream, instead of taking big money for independent gigs. He also cut down his remix schedule to less than five per year, concentrating instead on the release of half-a-dozen mix albums, including several volumes in the Journeys by DJ series. Oakenfold left Cream in 1999, after which Virgin commemorated the occasion with the release of Resident: Two Years of Oakenfold at Cream. Perfecto Presents Another World arrived the following year. A monumental U.S. tour and the fresh Voyage Into Trance appeared in early 2001

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UNDERWORLD

 

Underworld became one of the most crucial electronic acts of the 1990s via an intriguing synthesis of old and new. The trio's two-man frontline, vocalist Karl Hyde and guitarist Rick Smith, had been recording together since the early-'80s new wave explosion; after two unsuccessful albums released as Underworld during the late '80s, the pair finally hit it big when they recruited Darren Emerson, a young DJ hipped to the sound of techno and trance. Traditional pop song forms were jettisoned in favor of Hyde's heavily treated vocals, barely there whispering, and surreal wordplay, stretched out over the urban breakbeat trance ripped out by Emerson and co. while Smith's cascade of guitar-shard effects provided a bluesy foil to the stark music. All in all, the decision to go pop was hardly a concession to the mainstream. The first Underworld album by the trio, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, appeared in late 1993 to a flurry of critical acclaim; the trio then gained U.S. distribution for the album with TVT. Second Toughest in the Infants, the group's sophomore LP, updated their sound slightly and received more praise than the debut. Unlike the first, the LP also sold well, thanks in part to the non-album single "Born Slippy," featured on the soundtrack to the seminal film Trainspotting.

The roots of Underworld go back to the dawn of the 1980s, when Hyde and Smith formed a new wave band called Freur. The group released Doot-Doot in 1983 and Get Us out of Here two years later, but later disintegrated. Hyde worked on guitar sessions for Debbie Harry and Prince, then reunited with Smith in 1988 to form an industrial-funk band called Underworld. The pair earned an American contract with Sire and released their debut album, Underneath the Radar, in 1988. Change the Weather followed one year later, even though little attention had been paid to the first. By the end of the decade, Underworld had disappeared also.

 

As they had several years earlier, Hyde and Smith shed their skin yet again, recruiting hotshot DJ Darren Emerson and renaming themselves Lemon Interrupt. In 1992, the trio debuted with two singles, "Dirty"/"Minneapolis" and "Bigmouth"/"Eclipse," both released on Junior Boys Own Records. After they reverted back to Underworld, 1993's "Rez" and "MMM...Skyscraper I Love You" caused a minor sensation in the dance community. Instead of adding small elements of techno to a basically pop or rock formula (as many bands had attempted with varying success), Underworld treated techno as the dominant force. Their debut album, Dubnobasswithmyheadman, was praised by many critics upon release later in 1993 and crossed over to the British pop charts. Hyde, Smith, and Emerson impressed many at their concert dates as well; the trio apparently relished playing live, touring Great Britain twice plus Japan, Europe, and the annual summer-festival circuit, where their Glastonbury appearance became the stuff of legend.

 

Dubnobasswithmyheadman was released in the U.S. in 1995 after being licensed to TVT Records. During the rest of the year, Underworld were relatively quiet, releasing only the single "Born Slippy." Finally, Second Toughest in the Infants appeared in early 1996 to much critical praise. The trio gained no small amount of commercial success later in the year when "Born Slippy" was featured on the soundtrack to Trainspotting, the controversial Scottish film that earned praise from critics all over the globe. Underworld also remained busy with Tomato -- their own graphic-design company responsible for commercials from such high-profile clients as Nike, Sony, Adidas, and Pepsi -- and remixing work for Depeche Mode, Björk, St. Etienne, Sven Väth, Simply Red, and Leftfield. Emerson continued to DJ on a regular basis, releasing mix albums for Mixmag! and Deconstruction. Though Underworld's 1999 LP Beaucoup Fish was a bit of a disappointment critically and commercially, the band continued to tour the world. The live album Everything, Everything followed in 2000, after which Emerson left to continue his DJ career. A Hundred Days Off, Underworld's first LP as a duo since 1989, was released in mid-2002

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GROOVE ARMADA

 

London's dance duo Groove Armada consists of Tom Findlay and Andy Cato.The group formed in the mid-'90s after being introduced by Cato's girlfriend and soon started their own club, also named Groove Armada (after a '70s discotheque), which featured their spinning. By 1997 they released a handful of singles, including "4 Tune Cookie" and "At the River;" their debut album Northern Star followed the next year. 1999 saw the release of Vertigo, which made the top 20 of the British charts and silver status the UK. The album's singles achieved similar heights, including "I See You Baby," which was remixed by Fatboy Slim. The group followed this success with a stint as Elton John's opening band and the US release of Vertigo in early 2000. An album of remixes followed shortly after, featuring post-productions by DJ Icey and Tim "Love" Lee. After releasing a mix album, Back to Mine, the duo returned with a sophomore production effort, 2001's Goodbye Country: Hello Nightclub. The sassy style of Love Box appeared in early 2003, highlighting a new kind of funk for Groove Armada. Collaborative efforts with Neneh Cherry, Nappy Roots, and R&B chanteuse Sunshine Anderson added to the kitschy cultural vibe found of Groove Armada's finest release to date

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STONEBRIDGE

 

There's a right time and place for everything. And it would seem for Swedish DJ and producer StoneBridge that his time is now. The success of his anthem Put 'Em High, which garnered him a No 6 in the UK Top 40, No 1 in the dance charts and no end of rave reviews has only heightened expectations of what else StoneBridge might have stored in his tank. Yet when you're an internationally acclaimed DJ jetting between London's Pacha and El Divino in Ibiza, playing regular sets all over Europe, US and Russia, while running a house label from NY, remixing No 1 hits for the likes of Enrique Iglesias and Texas; finding the time to make your first solo album as a producer can be hard. Luckily fate intervened and brought StoneBridge and ultra-hip UK dance label Hed Kandi together to produce one of the year's hottest and most critically acclaimed debut albums, Can't Get Enough, that not only consolidates the impeccable track record of both, but pushes the boundaries of their unquestionably high standards even further.

 

StoneBridge had his first DJ experience in 1983 at his sister's graduation party followed by her friends' parties and StoneBridge found DJ'ing a consuming passion. He started his own night called Fellini in Stockholm and soon other DJs frequented the club and there were talks of setting up a remix service. In 1986 StoneBridge alongside four other DJ's established SweMix and by 1989 the reputation had spread throughout Europe and StoneBridge began international remixing for artists like De La Soul, Rebel MC and Titiyo.

 

His first UK club hits were his own Jazzy John's Freestyle Dub and Ann Consuelo's See The Day in the early 90's, but it was with his remix of Robin S Show Me Love, which subsequently became StoneBridge's first UK top 10 and a worldwide hit 1993, that he moved on to become a major force. Other big remixes and productions followed like Robin S 'Love For Love', Chrissie Ward 'Right & Exact', Indo 'R U Sleepin', House of Virginism 'There For You', Shawn Christopher 'Make My Love' and Donna Giles And I'm Telling You to mention a few.

 

After years of solid remixing, StoneBridge reinvented himself as a DJ and Producer in 1997 with a manic DJ tour across the US and Europe and started up New York based label Stoney Boy Music, which presented a more clubby sound. StoneBridge also continued to produce a wide variety of artists including Tatyana Ali & Will Smith and the single 'Boy You Knock Me Out', with which he scored his second UK top 10, but this time as a writer and producer. This new direction paid off in 1999 when Coco & StoneBridge The Beach became an Ibiza anthem and when he scored No 1 club hits with his remixes of Texas 'Inner Smile', Mel C's 'I Turn To You' and Enrique Iglesias 'Escape' in the following years. In 2002 StoneBridge began working on his debut album, Can't Get Enough, which was released end August 2004 and so far has given Stone his third UK top 10 hit, this time as the artist, writer and producer with the single Put 'Em High featuring Swedish Therese. The second single to be lifted of the album is called 'Take Me Away', again with Therese. It is scheduled for a 17 January UK release and has been serviced to clubs and radio mid-October. The remix package includes versions by StoneBridge himself, Rhtym Doctors, D-Bop & Mauve. StoneBridge looks set to have a fantastic year in 2005 with the album licensed to all corners of the world and an impressive DJ schedule.

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BENNY BENASSI

 

Benny Benassi was born in Milan on 13 July 1967. He is 35 but claims to look 25. He lives in Reggio Emilia, a fine Italian town about 100km south of Milan, where the food is great and the Dance music is even better. He works as a producer in collaboration with his cousin Alle Benassi, who has been a musician and arranger at Off Limits, the internationally successful production unit run by Larry Pignagnoli. After producing KMC feat Dhany (N? 1 club charts UK) last year, the Benassi cousins started work on the BENNY BENASSI presents THE BIZ project, a ground-breaking mixtured of electro, techno and house dosed with minimalist flair. The first single SATISFACTION has made its presence felt in the main charts all over Europe.

 

The album HYPNOTICA is still in the top 20 in the Official Album Sales Chart in FRANCE after over a month, having reached the TOP 5. The single SATISFACTION is currently back n? 1 spot in the Official Dance Chart in FRANCE again!!!!

 

Benny Benassi's crucial remixes include Tomcraft's "Loneliness" and the latest Sonique track. Also look out for the Benny Benassi remix of the new Electric Six single, Dance Commander, and the new Outkast single, Ghetto Musik.

 

Benny and Alle have recently produced Benassi Bros, a project designed to shine the spotlight on the two Biz vocalists, Paul French and Violetaɮ. and the product features on the playlists of various French Dj's. Benassi Bros. feat. Sandy "Illusion" now in the Top 20 Official Dance Chart in France. In Germany ABLE TO LOVE has just been released went straight into the Official Dance Chart at number 2! Benny is currently touring around Europe, in particular France, Germany and Ibiza, with his inimitable dj sets. Benny has toured extensively round France this summer, with dates in Germany and Ibiza, too. He made his UK debut at The Gallery in Turnmills alongside Tall Paul in September and has Queen in Paris lined up alongside Crobar in Miami and other hot stuff this autumn.

 

His dj style is easy to describe... it's kinda electro, sort of house-tec, dirty and cool, sweaty and smooth.

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SASHA

 

When an ordinary person is recognised at a young age for doing extraordinary things, it is easy to be misunderstood. Sasha, a musician in every sense of the word, may have fallen into that media led trap in the past, but now at 30 years young he forges ahead with projects that will finally allow people to understand who the man behind the myth really is.

 

The best DJs know that Djing is first about being able to read people and then about being able to tap into that human experience and take it on a journey. Sasha has always been noted for being a master at this, and although his style is described as "Progressive Trance" with a good presence of House and break beat elements; his music has always reached beyond those record store titles, thus separating him from his contemporaries. Sasha creates and plays music that gives emotion a chance to speak. It is this universal appeal that he has tapped into that has established his strong fanbase around the globe.

 

This ability to capture sounds on a universal level was most recently called upon when he was asked to write all the music for Sony Playstation¹s biggest game release of 1999, "Wipeout 3". Sasha wrote 5 original tracks to soundscape the game. "Wipeout 3" won not only the best racing game award, but best game of the whole show.

 

His special touch has also recently been called upon by The Chemical Brothers, who singled him out as the only artist asked to remix a track ("Out Of Control") from their new album. "I just dubbed it out to a style like I would play, the elements and sounds that the Chems used were so good that I didn't want to change them at all", Sasha reports on making the mix. Sasha's resume of chart topping remixes also earned him a request from Madonna in 1998 when he was asked to remix "Ray Of Light" and "Substitute For Love/ Drowned World".

 

Do not be mistaken, this kind of recognition does not happen overnight. Born and raised in a small town in Wales, Sasha was exposed to Motown records when he was just a baby and it was in the home that his talent for playing the piano was developed. His first exposure to house music was at Manchester's Hacienda; just as dance music exploded into the summer of love. This impact encouraged his move from Wales to Manchester. His first exploration into Djing was when a DJ in a local pub announced he was looking for people to play club dates. Sasha volunteered and now says that he "had about 30 records and basically just blagged it".

 

After honing his deck technique, Sasha's first big break came when he was offered a residency at Stokes legendary club Shelly¹s. When all the other DJ's were playing US House, Sasha's style was much more uplifting, and he encapsulated clubbers with his mixture of piano led Italian House whilst playing acapella tracks over the top. This combination alongside a wide variety of anthems kept dancefloors full and elevated Sasha to hero status.

 

Shelly¹s was the launch pad for the residency at Renaissance, where Sasha created his niche and helped forge a new style in UK house music. At Renaissance two major things happened; Sasha mixed the first ever UK DJ mix album and he met John Digweed which cemented the partnership known as "Northern Exposure". Over the past couple of years, Sasha and John have played together on five continents, have mixed 3 "Northern Exposure" albums which have sold to over 1 million people worldwide.

 

This special brother like relationship that Sasha and Digweed have on the decks, is what landed them the monthly residency at New York¹s "Twilo", following in the footsteps of Vasquez and Tenaglia. This residency has reached cult status in New York, and after going strong for over two years, it will continue well in to the millennium.

 

Although Sasha has clearly reached a celebrity status, it¹s his generous personality, his love for his peers and of course his completely candid humour that has enabled him to maintain such a likeable high profile in the often-fickle world of club culture. Always one to share what comes his way, Sasha invited long time friend and collaborator BT to take part in what he called "one of the most amazing musical experiences in my life". He is referring to his experience out at Peter Gabrielle¹s Real World studio in 1998 where Sasha explains in a mixer article, "we were in there for a week and were just going to do one track (during Real World¹s annual recording week where artists from all over the world are invited to Bath to record at the famous studios). "There were so many talented musicians around and the vibe down there was incredible. People were walking in, hitting things, strumming things, and slapping their goats! There were mad African people everywhere. We ended up recording five tracks and finishing four".

 

Since then of course, Sasha has gone from DJ to superstar status in America, where "Sarsha" is a household name for many teenagers and his and John's residency has continued to provide the launchpad for British dance music into New York and beyond. The sound of Twilo: deep, pumping late night .h.o.u.s.e. is encapsulated on 'Communicate', Sasha and John's joint mix album for INCredible. Modern club anthems like Trancesetters 'Roaches' and Trisco's Muzak all blended in the late night, early morning way that New York's clubbers have come know and love.

 

Earlier this year, a gruelling three month tour has taken their sound further out into deepest America, preaching a gospel of repetitive beats and imaginative mixing from coast to coast, and right through the mid western heartland of the States. A punishing gig-a-night schedule that must make nights like the opening of Space in Ibiza in June seem like a holiday by comparison. This summer has also seen Sasha move back into releasing his own music, collaborating with the former Underworld mainstay, DJ Darren Emerson on 'Scorchio'. A fast, deep pulsing tech-house track with a cheeky hint of Latin summer carnival, 'Scorchio' sums up everything that's best in Sasha's music: deep, intelligent music that still retains a sense of fun and works best out in the middle of the sweaty dancefloor.

 

For Sasha, music is his first love, and what gives him a buzz is being able to share his music with others. From his presence at those all too talked about after hour parties where his special impromptu sets are heard, to his signature always present child like antics that leave people wondering if he has modelled his life after Peter Pan, to his DJ sets at clubs around the world, all lined with the backdrop of his own productions, Sasha leaves trails of memories, melodies and stories wherever he goes. These are the things that have been, and will continue to be remembered and passed on for years. And that is what legends are made of.

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AXWELL

 

The last couple of years have been fantastic for young Swedish producer Axwell (real name Axel Hedfors). Leading the way has been Mambana, his collaboration with Isabel Fructuoso (of Afro Medusa fame). Signed to the highly respected Soulfuric Recordings, they have released 2 huge tracks since April 2002. "No Reason" was their massive debut single that hit the top spot in all the Hype/Buzz charts that Summer and featured in the sets of all the top DJ's including Louie Vega, Danny Rampling and Ben Watt. The follow up "Libre" was released last summer and was arguably bigger than its predecessor. "Libre" was licensed to more than 12 different territories and featured on compilations that sold in excess of half a million copies. Isabel was in Stockholm recently working on the new single "Felicidad" that should be out this summer.

 

Other big tracks that Axwell has been responsible for over the last 2 years include Jetlag “So Right”, which came out in September 2002 also on Soulfuric. Featuring the vocals of Noel McKoy this track had a guitar hook to die for and was backed up with a peak time dub mix that saw Axwell and Brain Tappert at the controls together. At the tail end of 2002 Axwell went back to his roots and did a track under his own name • “Lead Guitar” was released by fellow Swede Stonebridge on his Stoney Boy imprint and was again well supported.

 

2003 saw Axwell record for London based label suSU (the UK home of Master’s At Work) under the guise of Starbeach. The track was called “Get Naked” & featured the vocal talents of D’Empress (Mutiny). This was followed up last Summer by Axwell's update of Evelyn Thomas' classic "High Energy" which rocked dancefloors again some 20 years after its original release. In the autumn of 2003 Axwell's "Wait A Minute", featuring the vocals of Nevada was released on Soulfuric related label Device. This peak time party anthem was a club smash that duly gained support from the likes of Pete Tong, Junior Jack, Kid Creme & David Guetta.

 

In between all this Axwell has managed to lend his considerable talents to other Artists - recent mixes have included Usher "Burn" (BMG), Room 5 “Make Luv” (Positiva), Clipse ft Faith Evans "Ma, I Don’t Love Her" (RCA) &. Stonebridge "Put 'Em High" (Hed Kandi). He's just finished a remix for N*E*R*D's single "Maybe" due on Virgin next month.

 

At the end of last year Axwell set about dismantling his studio ready for a complete refurbishment. The job was finally completed in February since when Axwell has been working on some new productions - apart from the aforementioned new Mambana single he's finished a new solo track called "Feel The Vibe" that's out on promo through Sweden's Nero Recordings this month, and the reactions has been stunning so far...

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ERIC PRYDZ

 

Commandeering a vocal from age-ripened rocker Steve Winwood’s ‘Valerie’, the first time Winwood has given clearance for one of his tracks to be used, Swedish-born Prydz loops it into what promises to be the biggest funked-up house monster of the season. Lola’s what?

 

Starting life as an mp3 in the hands of only a select few DJs ‘Call On Me’ has spread like wildfire, surfing label bidding-wars and dodging a spate of bootleg rip-offs along the way, to eventually land in the hands of Mr Winwood himself who liked the track so much he re-sang the vocals. Prydz began making music at the tender age of 9, and was so fanatical even at this early stage, that a lack of equipment was simply a minor obstacle in his quest for stardom. He developed a habit of breaking and entering in order to “borrow” his school’s keyboards: a habit that soon landed him in a Swedish reform school. But this set back merely strengthened his resolve and, buoyed by encouragement from influential friends such as Steve Angello, Prydz was soon producing tracks that found their way into the record boxes of some of the worlds most high profile DJs.

 

Influenced by the production quality of the ‘first generation’ of Stockholm talent, such as Håkan Lidbo and Adam Beyer, the Prydz sound is a merging of his love for Depeche Mode, early-electronica and a catchy 80’s melody with the stimulus of artists such as Alexender Kowalski and Underground Resistance. Working from his (literally) underground studio in the heart of Stockholm, Prydz creates hard-hitting tunes, with a firm foundation in funk but what sets him apart from the crowd is his talent for hooks and melodies.

 

After the success of an initial release on EMI, Eric moved to the label’s flagship dance imprint Credence and released the hugely successful “EP1”. By the time “EP3” came around, Eric had developed into one of the hottest names in house music. Word of his production skills soon spread, making him one of the most sought-after remixers on the scene. His work for the likes of Junior, Positiva and Ministry of Sound found favour with DJ’s including Seb Fontaine, Judge Jules and Pete Tong and his remix of “Miracles” even added The Pet Shop Boys to his long list of admirers.

[hitman531ph]

DAVID MORALES

 

As a DJ, remixer, producer and co-owner of Def Mix Productions (one of the world's most successful dance music production companies) David Morales has made a mark all his own. David hails from the streets of Brooklyn which influences his unique style behind the DJ booth as well as in the studio, a style that brings guts and accessibility to music.

 

David Morales, aka 'The Face' will be re-releasing his massive hit single 'Needin' You' on Manifesto in January next year. The track has been given a vocal treatmet by Juliet Roberts. 'Needin' You' reached No.8 in the UK charts when it was released originally on Manifesto last year.

 

In 1989, David was employed as a DJ at a new club named "Red Zone" which along with his first trip to Britain caused his studio mixes to become a fusion of the UK sound with his own street sound. Those mixes were called "Red Zone mixes" and led Morales to become a legend in the underground.In 1991, Morales produced his own record David Morales And The Bad Yard Club "The Program" which was released on Mercury Records in 1993. As a follow up to the success of the album, David has worked on a new Bad Yard Club song called "Wind Up Your Body" which is soon to be released on Mercury Records.

 

Known (and often derided) for his occupation as remixer to the stars during the 1990s, David Morales was one of the pioneers of house music in New York, an original head from the 1970s who weathered the change-over from disco to house and teamed up with Frankie Knuckles to form the leading early remix team, Def Mix. During the '90s the dance mainstream became aligned to many of his stylistic trademarks -- vocal breaks, uptempo piano riffs, plenty of strings -- resulting in clichés attributed to both of them. Also, Morales hasn't been involved in own-name record production as much as his few peers (Knuckles, Junior Vasquez, Todd Terry), but Morales found a dancefloor hit with the 1994 single "In De Ghetto."

 

His beginnings were certainly not so refined; born in Brooklyn to Puerto Rican immigrants, Morales lived his early life in quite a rough section of the Brooklyn projects and was once shot while growing up. He dropped out of high school after ninth grade, and worked as a cook while supplementing his meager living with a job as a DJ (he had been collecting records since the age of 14). Turned on to disco at crucial clubs like the Loft and the Paradise Garage, Morales was soon working at the Garage as well after hooking up with For the Record, an early DJ management firms. His reputation spread during the late '70s and early '80s until he had DJed at every major club in the New York area. One of the first underground house hits in the New York area, "Do It Properly" (by 2 Puerto Ricans, a Black Man and a Dominican) was a production helmed by Morales, with Chep Nunez, Robert Clivilles and David Cole. Moving on to remix and production work during the '80s, he hooked up with another major house legend, Frankie Knuckles (through For the Record) to form the Def Mix Productions crew, and his Red Zone remixes became known as important sign-posts in the developing progressive house movement.

 

Increasingly though, as dance music began appealing to a wider clientele, Morales' mixes attuned themselves more to the mainstream of dance and his material often garnered airplay on daytime radio as well as in nightclubs. After making his name in the pop charts with an early Def Mix for Seal, he began working with a role call of the era's major pop stars: Mariah Carey, Madonna, Michael Jackson, U2, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner and Björk, among them. A major-label contract with Mercury resulted in the 1994 single "In De Ghetto," a reasonable club hit, and Morales' debut album, The Program. He's also a top-flight DJ, known for pushing a sound much harder than that found on his own remixes

 

David has been a guest DJ on MTV's "The Grind" and has programmed and mixed music for the show as well. He continues to spin records at major clubs around the world as well as mixing his own Saturday night program, called "Morales At Midnight", on New York's #1 Dance Radio station WKTU. His production skills have kept him in great demand with top recording artists such as Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Seal, Janet Jackson, Tina Turner, Jamiroquai, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Spice Girls and Toni Braxton to name just a few. David was nominated in 1996 for a Grammy Award for producing Mariah Carey's "Fantasy". In 1997 he produced two tracks, "Honey" and "Butterfly" for the recently released Mariah Carey album and is has also remixed "The Roof" and "My All".

[hitman531ph]

THE TOP 150 DJs IN THE WORLD

 

Rank DJ Score

 

1 TIESTO 50753

2 PAUL VAN DYK 46627

3 ARMIN VAN BUUREN 37545

4 SASHA 34228

5 DEEP DISH 31806

6 CARL COX 29637

7 FERRY CORSTEN 26699

8 ATB 23993

9 PAUL OAKENFOLD 22761

10 JOHN DIGWEED 20579

11 HERNAN CATTANEO 12231

12 MARCO V 11449

13 MAURO PICOTTO 11216

14 BENNY BENASSI 10340

15 ERICK MORILLO 9294

16 ROGER SANCHEZ 8964

17 ABOVE AND BEYOND 8904

18 BLANK & JONES 8760

19 DANNY TENAGLIA 8105

20 STEVE LAWLER 7885

21 DAVID GUETTA 7867

22 MARKUS SCHULZ 7754

23 BT 7645

24 SANDER KLEINENBERG 7569

25 COSMIC GATE 7567

26 GABRIEL & DRESDEN 7290

27 JOHAN GIELEN 6905

28 TIMO MAAS 6756

29 DARUDE 6731

30 ARMAND VAN HELDEN 6466

31 FATBOY SLIM 6155

32 RANK 1 6070

33 SATOSHI TOMIIE 5958

34 JAMES ZABIELA 5719

35 RICHIE HAWTIN 5604

36 PETE TONG 5413

37 SVEN VATH 5254

38 NICK WARREN 5198

39 INFECTED MUSHROOM 5084

40 THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS 5050

41 KAI TRACID 4942

42 BOB SINCLAR 4922

43 ANTOINE CLAMARAN 4824

44 4 STRINGS 4820

45 AMOROUS 4505

46 STEVE ANGELLO 4467

47 JUDGE JULES 4384

48 JAMES HOLDEN 4168

49 DANNY HOWELLS 4145

50 ROBBIE RIVERA 3874

51 M.I.K.E. 3774

52 SANDRA COLLINS 3723

53 MYLO 3664

54 ERIC PRYDZ 3566

55 BAD BOY BILL 3512

56 AXWELL 3509

57 TIGA 3451

58 CHRIS LIEBING 3361

59 JUNIOR JACK 3305

60 YVES DERUYTER 3267

61 MARCEL WOODS 3239

62 SCOOTER 3185

63 DAVID MORALES 3109

64 UMEK 3103

65 RON VAN DEN BEUKEN 3088

66 DAN 2961

67 YAHEL 2941

68 DAVE SEAMAN 2936

69 MARCO CAROLA 2921

70 JEFF MILLS 2907

71 MOBY 2865

72 DAFT PUNK 2778

73 CI 2686

74 MISS KITTIN 2665

75 RONSKI SPEED 2647

76 MARTIN GARCIA 2539

77 ASTRIX 2391

78 CHUS & CEBALLOS 2387

79 CHUS 2386

80 LAURENT GARNIER 2381

81 DEAN 2375

82 ANDY MOOR 2363

83 LADY DANA 2344

84 SCOT PROJECT 2343

85 ICEY 2338

86 GEORGE ACOSTA 2335

87 ADAM BEYER 2323

88 DESYN MASIELLO 2299

89 YOJI BIOMEHANIKA 2291

90 DAVE CLARKE 2290

91 DONALD GLAUDE 2283

92 MAX GRAHAM 2228

93 MISSTRESS BARBARA 2214

94 LISA LASHES 2192

95 PRODIGY 2188

96 TECHNOBOY 2181

97 FELIX DA HOUSECAT 2180

98 SKAZI 2166

99 MARTIN SOLVEIG 2128

100 DR KUCHO 2079

101 VIBE 2076

102 THE PROPHET 2058

103 SCESADA 2056

104 RUSH 2053

105 HARDY HELLER 2023

106 PAVO 2003

107 ISAAC 1930

108 ALIGATOR 1928

109 FRED BAKER 1919

110 SEBASTIAN INGROSSO 1908

111 RAP 1897

112 VICTOR CALDERONE 1894

113 VALENTINO KANZYANI 1892

114 MARCO BAILEY 1858

115 MATTHEW DEKAY 1837

116 SAMMY 1786

117 DEFERSON LESSAK 1767

118 JEAN 1749

119 WALLY LOPEZ 1735

120 MARK FARINA 1734

121 LAYDEE JANE 1701

122 L.U.N.A 1691

123 HELL 1683

124 NU NRG 1667

125 SEB FONTAINE 1663

126 GIGI D'AGOSTINO 1625

127 ISABEL 1618

128 CHRISTOPHER LAWRENCE 1616

129 RANDY KATANA 1608

130 IRENE 1595

131 THE THRILLSEEKERS 1593

132 MENNO DE JONG 1593

133 DAVIRAZ 1573

134 ARMAN DINARVAND 1571

135 ZANY 1570

136 ANTHONY PAPPA 1552

137 TIDDEY 1549

138 MARK NORMAN 1537

139 TRENTEMOLLER 1523

140 SHOG 1501

141 ASTRAL PROJECTION 1494

142 PAUL 1492

143 NIC FANCIULLI 1477

144 MATT DAREY 1469

145 KYAU VS. ALBERT 1462

146 SANDER VAN DOORN 1454

147 SASH! 1442

148 CHICANE 1436

149 LEE BURRIDGE 1425

150 MARKO NASTIC 1418

[dj_flip03]

Any info on ticket prices?

 

Apr 12 is Holy Wednesday

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

No info eh. Pero tuloy daw talaga sa Holy Wed to. At Coconut Palace. Maybe tickets will be sold at the gates mismo.

[Boobie Monster]

any tips on how to download chillout project cds?

[dj_flip03]

any tips on how to download chillout project cds?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

go to any record bars or go to the website, write down the tracks, and then download them via limewire or other file sharing shtuffs.

 

or

 

 

buy the pirated cd in greenhills @ P50.00 cheap.

[Guest hotchiq4hire]

Bob Sinclar- Love Generation

Gyskard- Pink Life

Amber- Sexual

California Dreaming-benny benassi

Satisfaction-benny benassi

Ever After-Bonnie Bailey

Just the Way you are-

 

 

 

 

Ne Yo - So sick

Mary J. Blige- be without yoi

Nelly-Grillz

Chris Brown-Run it

Black Eyed Peas- that boggie that be

[bigboner]

go to any record bars or go to the website, write down the tracks, and then download them via limewire or other file sharing shtuffs.

 

or

buy the pirated cd in greenhills @ P50.00 cheap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

greenhills? chillout bootlegs? are there also hed kandi and MOS or like Defected bootlegs there?

[thermite]

Bob Sinclar- Love Generation

Gyskard- Pink Life

Amber- Sexual

California Dreaming-benny benassi

Satisfaction-benny benassi

Ever After-Bonnie Bailey

Just the Way you are-

Ne Yo - So sick

Mary J. Blige- be without yoi

Nelly-Grillz

Chris Brown-Run it

Black Eyed Peas- that boggie that be

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

wow...you must have been goin to clubs lately......

[bigbadbootydaddy]

any new songs to d/l before it hit the airwaves? :thumbsupsmiley:

[AmpOwtah]

Bob Sinclar- Love Generation

Gyskard- Pink Life

Amber- Sexual

California Dreaming-benny benassi

Satisfaction-benny benassi

Ever After-Bonnie Bailey

Just the Way you are-

Ne Yo - So sick

Mary J. Blige- be without yoi

Nelly-Grillz

Chris Brown-Run it

Black Eyed Peas- that boggie that be

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Just The Way You Are - Milky

[AmpOwtah]

Anton Ramos Chillout Sessions CD

Bonnie Bailey - Safe (Remix)

Moony - Flying Away (Lounge Remix)

Telepopmusik - Breathe (Remix)

 

 

Nee-Yo - So Sick (Remix)

Nelly - Ride With Me (John Mayor Remix)

T Pain Feat. Stat Quo - I'm Sprung (Remix)

Nathalie - Going Crazy (Remix)

 

Nyoy Volante - Panalangin

MYMP - Sa Kanya

Sugarfree - Burnout

[JustSmile=)]

havent been to any club recently, pro here are some tracks ive been listening to (at least in this genre)...

 

Ever After - Bonnie Bailey

 

Satisfaction - Benni Benassi

 

Selfish - Sunset Daze

 

Its You, Its Me - Kaskade

 

:thumbsupsmiley: :cool: :thumbsupsmiley:

[Boobie Monster]

go to any record bars or go to the website, write down the tracks, and then download them via limewire or other file sharing shtuffs.

 

or

buy the pirated cd in greenhills @ P50.00 cheap.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

tnx! wer in greenhills is the store? name of store?

[batang_yakult]

talagang inangkin na ni hitman itong thread a

 

anyway saan ba makakabili nyan mga cds na yan..

ayoo pa rin magdl fr. peer sharing.. mahirap nang

ma virus