Afrojack

 

 

In the span of less than 2 years, Afrojack has become one of electronic dance music’s major icons. From humble DJ beginnings in his native country of Holland, he has grown to become a multi-award winning, platinum-selling producer. His skills are some of the most sought after in the world, and with two Grammy Awards under his belt, it’s easy to see why. In addition to this, his DJ sets have fast become both iconic and unparalleled, providing an explosive take on the current state of dance music across the board.

 

Starting off in his hometown of Spijkenisse, Nick van der Wall aka Afrojack, quickly made a name for himself with a slew of hard-hitting underground releases, before exploding in 2011 with the unveiling of “Take Over Control” - an instant worldwide club and chart hit going platinum in the USA.

 

This also helped solidify his own imprint Wall Recordings as a pioneering club music brand – a value he holds dear as label boss and insures with every release.

 

 

 

 

From there the snowball continued; as well as making club hits and collaborating with the likes of David Guetta (co-writing and producing the world-wide smash “Titanium”), he also began to team up with and write for pop artists around the world. In 2011 he co-wrote and produced “Give Me Everything” for Pitbull and Ne-Yo, which to this day has sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Not to mention his work for Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls)” & his Grammy nominated remix for Leona Lewis’ “Collide”.

 

The buying public are not the only ones to have noticed his remarkable prowess and has so far been awarded with Grammy Awards for Best Remix (Madonna, “Revolver”) in 2011) and Best Rap/Hip Hop Track for his co-production duties on Chris Brown’s “Look At Me Now” this year. 2012 continued upwards when his latest single with Shermanology “Can’t Stop Me” went top 10 in Holland and is now all over Top 40 radio in the US, while his newest underground club hit “Rock The House” topped the Beatport charts after just 3 days, making it one of the fastest number one records there ever.

 

 

 

 

Afrojack’s skills stretch much farther than the mixing desk however; his presence as one of the world’s top performers is solidified almost daily in a gruelling tour schedule. In 2012 alone he began his North American “Jacked” tour with multiple sold out shows featuring his growing posse of Wall artists, before embarking on the same concept throughout Europe with 7 shows a week throughout the summer. On top of his own shows he headlined both EDC NY & Las Vegas to over 300.000 people, as well as the UMF in Miami + Tomorrowland and many other major festivals throughout Europe.

 

His long anticipated yet to be named artist album is nearing completion, with tracks already being road-tested at clubs. A true testament to his prolific profile as a producer and an artist, the long-player will showcase multiple sides of the Afrojack sound – from aggressive to accessible yet always credible. In the pantheon of EDM greats that have risen over the years, Afrojack has earned his place already, but is far from finished with what he has to share. The adventure continues while the beat goes on.

 

 

 

 

ARNEJ

 

 

 

 

 

Some grow up with musical aspirations from early childhood, others are thrown into it because they were destined to. Unlike many of his peers, his passion for music came much later in life. He grew up to normal parents, not musicians. He was not classically trained in music theory nor has he taken music lessons, but what he did have is a bottomless well of creativity which would come to true fruition later on.

 

The talent is undeniable, for without a musical upbringing, he's managed to carve his own unique style into the ever-growing genre of Electronic Dance Music. Captivating the listener with his trademark melodramatic themes, toying with their senses almost effortlessly, his music bridges the aural with the emotional into a transcendental experience. Only but a few know how to deal with complex and emotive harmonies as skillfully as he.

 

Entranced, the listener is engulfed into a heart-pounding experience by his unparalleled production prowess. Clear-cutting drums, devastating basslines, and powerful melodic leads, all seamlessly blended together into one. No doubt, this is what club music is all about; a synergy between the body, mind, and soul as the music resonates throughout.

 

 

 

 

A true perfectionist at heart, a trait he proudly carries on his sleeve. Every avenue he takes is paved with utmost attention to detail, which has not gone unnoticed by peers and fans alike. This recognition couldn't come higher than being named his favorite producer by the world's #1 DJ in DJ Mag. This search of musical perfection came to one eventual conclusion, the extension of his Arnej brand. Arnej Music the record label.

 

Whether performing in front of crowds of 200 or 20,000, In a remarkably short period of time he's managed to set a name for himself amongst the DJ elite. The summation of his rise came also as one of his most humbling moments, when he was nominated as the best breakthrough DJ at the 26th annual IDMAs during the Winter Music Conference. Backed up by the fact that he's the 2nd highest DJ Mag ranked Trance DJ on the Western Hemisphere, is a testament of his work ethic and devotion to his craft. His passion for musical story telling is only realized when seen in context of an entire DJ set. 

 

 

 

 

The story does not end there, but  branches off in a different direction.  Few know that his journey began with video game sound design 15 years ago. His first true passion, the passion for all things audio. Forged with a creative intuition also came the ability to visualize sounds to create rich and complex soundscapes, seemingly out of nothing. If he's not sculpting 1000's of unique sound effects, he's creating lush orchestrally-infused soundtracks.  In his resume, 3 major titles, the latest of which, the immensely successful Heroes of Newerth.  

 

 

 

ARJUN VAGALE

 

 

 

 

 

Arjun Vagale is arguably one of the most in-demand DJs in India. As one of the country’s biggest EDM exports, he plays over 100 gigs a year, touring regularly in

Europe and Asia, often spends his summers in the world’s techno Mecca, Berlin. A man with a true passion for underground music, which he relentlessly plays,

produces and promotes. No wonder he was awarded 2011 – 2012’s Best Techno DJ and DJ Of the Year.

 

He has played alongside such heavyweights as Fergie, Sasha, Fat Boy Slim, Dave Seaman, Nic Fanciulli, Paolo, Mojo and Cari Lekebusch while his live act, Jalebee Cartel, has shared headlining spots with the likes of The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Modeselektor. His knowledge and use of technology in the booth is second to none, often adding drum machines and samplers to create a uniquely raw, funk-laden techno set.

 

 

 

 

 

It has been almost 10 years since Arjun, along with 3 friends, formed India’s biggest live act, Jalebee Cartel. With its genre-bending sets, the band has generated a huge buzz and has

featured in DJ Mag, MixMag and Elle’s list of Rising Stars, and has even graced the cover of Rolling Stone, India. The live act has released over 50 singles on Ostwind Records, Neurotraxx Deluxe, Vapour, Baroque among others. 2009 saw the release of Jalebee’s critically acclaimed debut album, ONEPOINTNOTHING.

But it is Arjun’s solo productions that are now making some serious noise.

 

2010 saw the release of “Kill the String” on Tom Budden’s ALiVE Recordings. It quickly caught the ear of Fergie, who played it on Digweed’s Transitions to great feedback and immediately commissioned Arjun for an EP on his new Tribal Rage imprint, and followed it with two Vinyl releases on Excentric Mizik. Carl Cox, Karotte, Kaserdisco, Sebastien Leger all supported these heavily.

 

 

 

 

Remixes for Fergie, Denis Horvat, Solead, Dale Anderson, Mabaan Soul and a chart topper for Montero followed. His single with Cologne’s Traum family - Trapez Ltd, was much

applauded by DJ’s and clubbers alike while his collaboration with Tim Richards on Kaiserdisco’s KD Music stayed on the Digital & Vinyl charts for well over a month, getting multiple plays from a certain Richie Hawtin. Further releases on Mihalis Safras’s Material Series, Sian’s Octopus and the Berlin based Hummingbird are to follow along with some tasty collaborations.

 

Never one to play Top 10 tunes, Arjun’s always scouting out fresh underground tracks – the man never sleeps! His latest venture has been to found and manage a young record label, Mak.Tub Music, with partner Logistic Soundz. Over the last three years, the imprint has an impressive roster of artists, including Alex Dolby, Fiord, Jay Haze, Pawas, Jimmy Van M, Dave Ellesmere, Ray Kajioka, and has already hit the coveted Beatport charts.

 

There’s good reason that Arjun Vagale’s name has become synonymous with high quality in the Electronic Music scene. Whether packing in the dance floor or producing yet another monster tune, Arjun’s absolute dedication to house and techno is apparent in everything he does.

 

 

 

(S)haan 

 

 

 

 

(S)haan (born as Shaan Singh, 18 June 1995 in Mumbai, India) is the youngest DJ to play international music festivals. At age 15, he debuted at Asia’s premier music festival – Sunburn 2010, in Goa, India. He is the new kid on the Dance Scene and has played to many packed houses across India and in London. In only his first year of playing, (S)haan quickly jumped from opening sets for Funk Agenda and Helium Project, to touring with Miss Nine and DJ Mag World Ranked #8 DJ, Avicii on the Sunburn Pre-Party Tour.

 

(S)haan’s progressive house set attracted thousands of Sunburners, and was unofficially ranked one of the top five favorite sets of the festival. Upon learning that he was only 16 years old, (S)haan’s fans reveled in the fact that there was a long, rocking road ahead for this young talent.

 

 

 

 

In 2011, (S)haan’s energetic, progressive beats and his silky smooth transitions landed him an invitation to play in London for a public awareness concert for Global Truce, and for an exclusive gig at Temple Pier. 2012 found him touring with Michael Woods and DJ Mag World Ranked #6, Dash Berlin, in the newly launched Sunburn Arena Tours.

With killer instincts and sharp intuition due to his undying love for electronic dance music, (S)haan knows what his crowd wants.

 

His music is expansive and uplifting, leaving festival-goers all over the world elevated. The boy doesn’t stop there. With unparalleled dedication and commitment to music, (S)haan’s innovation and experimentation are now shining through in the studio. Independently producing tracks with an East meets West vibe, (S)haan’s creations are truly ‘Glocal’ – produced

locally, banged-in globally.

 

 

 

Sunburn Colombo is happening on October 6 at the CH&FC Grounds in Colombo and will be the first ever musical extravaganza in Sri Lanka to be endorsed by VH1.

 

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