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Genre: ELEC
Though he was born in Chicago, the DJ, A&R director, record store owner, and producer known as Kaskade found his spiritual and musical home in San Francisco by way of Salt Lake City and New York. One of the hardest-working people in the San Francisco house scene, he's Kaskade the house music producer/DJ by night; by day he's Ryan Raddon, A&R director for OM Records. As an A&R man, he helped kick-start the careers of many artists, including Ming + FS and soul-house act Soulstice.
In the early days, Kaskade familiarized himself with the rapidly changing electronic music scene wherever he went, eventually finding that house music was the subgenre he loved best. He started out as a DJ in New York and Salt Lake City clubs. During the tail end of his stay in Salt Lake City, his first attempts to produce tracks were released on his own tiny label, Mechanized Records. He also sold a few tracks to Chris Smith, A&R director for an up-and-coming house label in San Francisco. Though no one could have predicted it, this ended up being the precursor to Raddon's most important career move. When family matters initiated a move to San Francisco, Smith hired Raddon to assist him at the label -- which was, of course, OM.
His own full-length recordings as Kaskade began with 2003's house-inflected It's You, It's Me. A soulful, more organic direction provided focus for the following year's In the Moment, and Raddon kept his name in the record racks by piloting editions in the San Francisco Sessions DJ series (as well as the label mix House of OM). He proved surprisingly dedicated to his production craft, releasing Love Mysterious in 2006, which placed on Billboard's electronic albums chart. Strobelight Seduction became his biggest commercial success, following in 2008, and 2010's Dynasty celebrated his new reputation with a parade of vocal features and a co-production with Tiësto. Later in 2010, Raddon put together Electric Daisy Carnival, a mix showcasing artists on the bill for the inaugural dance-music festival of the same name. The double album Fire & Ice followed in 2011. L. Katz & John Bush, Rovi
Genre: ELEC
Cleverly using dance music blogs as the platform to launch his career, Tim Berg, aka Avicii, has since become one of the most prominent producers on the burgeoning Swedish house scene. Born in Stockholm in 1989, Berg only started making music at the age of 18, writing and remixing tracks in his bedroom and then leaking them onto various blogs. Influenced by Daft Punk and Steve Angello, his melodic house sound gained a huge following, and led to support from Tiësto, who invited him to perform a weekly residency at Privilege in Ibiza, and Pete Tong, who released first single "Manman" through his Bedroom Bedlam label. After he remixed tracks for Little Boots, Robyn, and Dizzee Rascal, Berg's first mainstream release, the Ministry of Sound instrumental "Seek Bromance," became a huge hit across Europe and later in the U.K., thanks to a vocal version featuring Amanda Wilson. In 2012 he released the song "2 Million" after reaching that number of followers on Facebook, while his single "Le7els" and its accompanying video were nominated at that year's MTV Music Video Awards. Jon O'Brien, Rovi
Born: December 25, 1976 in Leiden, The Netherlands
Years Active: 00's
Genre: ELEC
A progressive trance DJ and producer whose cinematic sound is influenced by synth pioneers like Klaus Schulze and Jean-Michel Jarre, Armin van Buuren enjoys worldwide recognition and a frantic schedule that takes him all over the globe. Born on December 25, 1976, in Leiden, Holland, Armin became interested in music at an early age (his father was an avid record buyer). A close friend introduced him to the world of dance music, and the Dutch DJ and remixer Ben Liebrand quickly became his main inspiration. It led van Buuren to start investigating the roots of the electronic music he was becoming fond of, and numerous Jarre and Schulze CDs were acquired. Computers and turntables were also purchased, and creating his own music became a priority.
In 1995 van Buuren attended Leiden University, and a local student club provided the venue for his first DJ gigs. The same year he was fortunate enough to have some demos included on compilations, and when the money came in, it was rolled back into producing 12"s. Cyber Records released his first hit, "Blue Fear," in 1995, and by 1999 his "Communication" was successful enough to get him signed to AM:PM. He also formed his own label, Armid, in 1999 and met Dave Lewis, a man responsible for jump-starting the careers of DJ Tiësto and Ferry Corsten. A collaboration with Tiësto yielded his biggest hit yet on Armid, "Eternity," and marathon five-hour sets brought him more attention. High-profile remixes of Madison Avenue's "Don't Call Me Baby" and Wamdue Project's "King of My Castle" followed, and numerous mix CDs were released on United Recordings.
By 2002 he placed number five in DJ Magazine's Top 100 and was hosting his own weekly show on the Dutch ID&T radio station. By the end of 2003 he found time to set the worldwide record for longest DJ set (12 and a half hours at a club in The Hague), finish his law degree, and release his first non-mix CD, 76. Shivers would follow in 2005, with Imagine arriving in 2008. His 2010 effort, Mirage, would feature singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor along with fellow producers BT and Ferry Corsten. David Jeffries, Rovi
Born: November 07, 1967 in Paris, France
Years Active: 90 's, 00's
Genre: ELEC
France's David Guetta belongs to the sparkling wave of DJs who combine Daft Punk's sleek house music with a pinch of electroclash's punch. Guetta had been DJ'ing around France playing popular tunes, but his brain was particularly rewired in 1987 when he heard a Farley Jackmaster Funk track on French radio. He taped the track, brought a copy to a gig, and promptly cleared the floor with it during one of his own sets. Things loosened up a year later when acid house came to France and Guetta successfully promoted his own club nights. It was during one of those nights in 1992 that he met Robert Owens, a Chicago-based house legend who was touring across Europe at the time. Guetta played Owens some of his own tracks, and Owens picked one he liked enough to sing over. The result was "Up and Away," a minor hit that lurked in garage DJ crates for the next four years.
Guetta's carefree attitude -- that he only produces good music while he's having casual fun -- kept the DJ from releasing anything until 2001's "Just a Little More Love." The track featured American gospel singer Chris Willis, who met Guetta while on vacation in France. Another slow burner, "Just a Little More Love," kept popping up in sets for the next two years, first in an electro version and later in a pumped-up Wally Lopez remix. During this time, Guetta snuck out a bootleg remix of David Bowie's "Heroes," retitled "Just for One Day." Bowie gave the go-ahead to release the track officially, and Guetta soon had a massive hit on his hands. Guetta featured the liberated boot on his first mix CD, Fuck Me I'm Famous, named after Guetta's successful Ibiza-based party.
The fun-loving slacker DJ finally got around to releasing a collection of his own productions in 2004, Just a Little More Love on Astralwerks. Guetta Blaster arrived that same year, followed by Poplife in 2007. Chris Willis sang lead vocals on the latter album, which spun off multiple dance singles in multiple countries. Fuck Me I'm Famous: International, Vol. 2 was then released in July 2008, giving listeners a taste of the stylish sounds that orchestrated Guetta's summer club events in Ibiza. A year later he released One Love, a platinum-selling album featuring the singles "When Love Takes Over" with Kelly Rowland, “Sexy Bitch” with Akon, and "Gettin' Over" with Chris Willis.
In 2010 Guetta received five nominations at the 52nd Grammy Awards, two of them related to the One Love album and the other three for his work on the Black Eyed Peas’ massive worldwide hit “I Gotta Feeling.” That same year, One Love was reissued as One More Love, featuring a bonus disc of remixes and new tracks. A superstar guest list -- featuring Akon, Lil Wayne, Flo Rida, Usher, Chris Brown, and others -- would figure into his 2011 release Nothing But the Beat, but this time the DJ’s songwriting was inspired by dramatic rock bands like Coldplay. David Jeffries, Rovi
Born: January 17, 1969 in Breda, The Netherlands
Years Active: 90 's, 00's
Genre: ELEC
Highly regarded by both DJ Magazine and fans of electronic dance music, DJ Tiësto launched his career as one of the world's foremost trance DJs, due in part to his legendary six-hour live sets. A native of Breda, Netherlands, Tiësto was born Tijs Verwest on January 17, 1969, and first started DJ'ing at a hometown club called the Sprock. Discovered there by the GM of Rotterdam-based independent label Basic Beat Recordings, Tiësto released his first of five mix CDs as a part of the label's Forbidden Paradise series. With quick success and an accelerated work ethic, he partnered with Arny Bink in 1997 to form Black Hole Recordings, a private label that became the birthplace for both his Space Age and revered Magik series. Black Hole also brought the world the first mix compilations from artists like Ferry Corsten, Johan Gielen, and Armin van Buuren, and introduced yet another prized series called In Trance We Trust.
Relentless global touring ensued and, in three short years, the world outside Holland took notice of Tiësto's talent, with Nettwerk finally signing him to a stateside deal. Summerbreeze marked Tiësto's U.S. debut, a mix album that showcased his remix of Delerium's "Silence" (featuring Sarah McLachlan), an epic 11-and-a-half-minute tour de force of throbbing beats and sweeping synthesizers with McLachlan's vocals at the forefront. Aside from reverberating throughout dance clubs everywhere, the remix was commercially successful as well, spending four weeks in the U.K. Top Ten, peaking at number three on the Billboard dance charts, and becoming one of the most influential tracks of the progressive dance era. Now recognized as one of the most sought-after producers and remixers, Tiësto helped pioneer a stylized musical trend of weaving threads of ethereal female vocals deep within the ebbs and flows of pulsating electronic rhythms. He churned out female-fueled remixes that spanned the gamut, including tracks by Chicane, Leigh Nash of Sixpence None the Richer (on Delerium's "Innocente"), and Faithless.
In My Memory, Tiësto's first solo album, was released in 2001, mixing original compositions and club anthems with more commercial fare. The following year found his catalog expanding with the release of the third installment of his hypnotically elegant, Ibiza-influenced, and aptly named mix compilation entitled In Search of Sunrise. Just Be followed in 2004, as did Parade of the Athletes, which served as the soundtrack to the opening ceremony of the 2004 Olympic Games and recalled the work of Jean Michel Jarre and Giorgio Moroder. By the time Elements of Life appeared in 2007, Tiësto had added rock and pop music to his repertoire. Released in 2009, Kaleidoscope included a rangy guest list, running from Sigur Rós vocalist Jónsi to pop singer Nelly Furtado. A year later, Magikal Journey: The Hits Collection 1998-2008 rounded up some career highlights, while 2011 saw the launch of a new city-based mix series when Club Life, Vol. 1: Las Vegas hit the shelves. Club Life, Vol. 2: Miami followed a year later, featuring Tiësto's remixes of Coldplay ("Paradise") and Gotye ("Somebody That I Used to Know"). Robert Evanoff, Rovi
