For over a decade Solarstone (Rich Mowatt) has been creating dance-floor traffic jams with a convoy of revered club classics, all-out anthems & critically-acclaimed artist albums. As a DJ, he spins weekly at clubs around the planet and for global super-brands like Cream, Ministry of Sound, Gatecrasher & Full-On-Ferry. In 2008 Solarstone broke into DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll for the first time, debuting at 93. Releases from Solarstone’s label projects Solaris & Insatiable are instrumental components of his highly individualistic sets and are constantly supported by the trance & prog spinning elite. Solaris International (pka Deepblue Radio), his weekly show, is broadcast across some 34 FM & Internet stations, including Ministry of Sound.com & the south coasts Passion FM network.
Born in Siberia, Russia - Stan Sprogis started listening to trance music at the age of 15. The atmospheric sounds and moody melodies caught his attention, and within a few years Stan began to produce his own tracks. Focusing on melody and drive, he developed a style that would catch the attention of dj's like Above & Beyond and Solarstone. In 2005, Stan released his first vinyl record on Somatic Sense Recordings. The big follow-up to this energetic trancer would only come three years later in 2008, with the release of "Transience" on Solaris Recordings. The record has gained full support from all the top DJ's and has created new momentum for Stan's production work.
Alucard aka Peter Mccowan is not only one of the nicest guys in the prog scene, he's also one of the tallest. With a plethora of stunning releases over the last few years including collabs with solarstone, he is one of the prog scenes true originals.
It’s been amazing fifteen years for DJ Orkidea since he started in finnish illegal underground rave scene in the early 90s. DJing for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Helen Christensen at a Berlin fetish club, entertaining the very rich and famous of Russia or Hong Kong, warming up for Chemical Brothers, Paul van Dyk, Underworld and The Prodigy, being signed to DJ Tiesto’s record label, touring the world (so far in 20 countries) and rocking some of world’s most legendary venues like Tresor in Berlin or Pacha in Ibiza as well as more exotic places from Cairo to Tokyo are just part of the story. Orkidea has been voted numerous times as Scandinavia’s and Finland’s #1 DJ, been featured in DJ Mag’s Top 200 list and his music has been supported by everybody from Pete Tong to Sasha & Oakey who both opened their BBC 1 Essential Mix sets with his’Unity’ single back in 1999. His productions have been featured in numerous movies, TV-advertisements and on Ministry of Sound, Gatecrasher, A State of Trance and Renaissance CD compilations while his ‘Beautiful’ single was played for 12 weeks at BBC Radio 1 in 2006. He has had finnish national single chart #1 position and numerous Top 20 singles, made remixes for legendary labels like Anjunabeats and Hooj Choons, remixed Way Out West, Tilt and Tiesto, promoted british superclub Renaissance’s worldwide events while his own Unity nights have sold out in just 20 minutes on a Monday morning. So it seems that there is need for quality sets of electronic music, entertaining and educating, from ambient and chill-out through proggy & electronic house to full on ravey trance. To Orkidea electronic music has been always been about being openminded and pushing things forward. Uniting the sounds, the minds, the people.
Producer DJ, and label manager; Mike Shiver has been one of the most talked-about, up and coming talents over the last years. Since breaking onto the scene in 2003, he's been sending shivers down thousands of people's spines. Mike has unquestioningly become one of Scandinavia's biggest front figures in the EDM landscape and has shown the world why his music is so highly rated, loved, and captivating; Over the past years, Mike has been building up an arsenal of tracks and remixes being a-listed by the finest DJs globally. Starting off with his debut release 'Mike Shiver - Feelings' which rapidly became a firmly supported and well known record, carving his name into the scene. The runner up releases 'Lunation', 'Hurricane', 'Water Ripples', 'Arise' and ' Morning Drive' have been nothing but a great journey, which underlines his versatility in creating impressive, yet brilliant productions. So far the long list of artists to receive the Shiver remix interpretation includes Above & Beyond, Markus Schulz, Solarstone, Ronski Speed, Darren Tate, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Hiver & Hammer, Lost Witness, Darude, Filo & Peri and David West to mention a few. As well, his endless evolving tracks appear on top labels such as Anjunabeats, Armada Music and Lost Language constantly topping charts and entering the play lists of the top spinners across the globe. Best of all the tracks are highly charted around the world attracting numerous amounts of growing fans.
Music first claimed a presence in Arnejs life during his childhood, which saw him endure the musical taste of his father. The various genres of music continuously bumping in his household conspired to turn him off from music and drive him towards the more conventional interests of a small town boy. Music regained weight in Arnejs life at the tender age of 14, when an early computer-composed electronica track snagged his interest. What followed was a stretch of exploration and experimentation within the multifarious realm of music. Before long, Arnej transiently settled into Euro dance, eventually stumbling upon Psy and Goa trance in the mid 90's. He devoted his attention to the works of Man With No Name, Astral Projection and Hallucinogen. Back then, the trance sound he grew passionate towards, was still in the process of establishing an identity. By the late 90s, though, trance had carved out its niche in the music community and Arnej’s interest in it expanded accordingly. ‘Entranced’ by its complex soundscapes and harmonies, he at long last set about taking the journey into music production. Although the road of a producer has had its fair share of curves and bumps, Arnejs commitment to his craft hasnt lessened in the least bit as evidenced by his ever-growing body of work.
Although David West might be a new name to many of you, he has been around for a very long time. He began his musical journey at the age of 2 when his father, who is a musician himself, put him behind the black and white keys of the piano. David was taught by his father until the age of 6, then it was time for classical training with other teachers. By the age of 7 David had his first meeting with a synthesizer, and he immediately fell in love with the weird sounds that came out of it. Two years later he got a porta-studio (a 4-channel tape recorder) and started producing his own music, and from there he went to working with computers such as C-64, AMIGA and ATARI. His professional career started back in 1994 when he teamed up with Robin Söderman and formed Antiloop. The band is a household name in the Scandinavian club circuits and following the success of their debut album, "LP", the name spread fast across the global underground network with cuts such as "In My Mind", ‘Beauty and the Beast’ and "Trespasser" fast becoming techno classics and crossing over in numerous European territories. Most of the Antiloop singles have positioned themselves at the #1 spot in the Scandinavian dance charts.
French-Canadian DJ/Producer Matt Cerf first made his mark in dance music as one-fourth of the group Second Sun. In 2001 his track, Empire, caught the attention of mega producer/dj Paul van Dyk and was immediately signed to Vandit Records landing the group instant notoriety and a spot on Quebec’s own Music Plus. After moving to Los Angeles, however, Matt and the group parted ways. Matt took off in a new direction with originals like ‘Clearwater’, ‘Bent’, and ‘Miami Vice’. In 2004, he met producer/dj partner Shawn Mitiska and the two started remixing tracks for other producers, including Serge Devant, Eelke Kleijn, and Lange. In 2005 Matt met singer/songwriter Jaren and the two joined forces with Shawn to create masterful originals like: ‘Light The Skies’, ‘Saved Again’, ‘Me & You’, ‘Down To You‘, and ‘Let Me Breathe’.
Spencer Hickson is a music producer, writer and DJ who also specalizes in design & art. Spencer started to DJ in 1993 having been fortunate enough to be part of the early acid/house scene. This changed his life and revealed creativity in himself that he never knew I had. In 1995 he met the late Scott Latham (a True Pioneer) and he introduced Spencer to producing, their first track 'Phoenix ‘ Rise up' (Solid Silver Recordings), got plenty of airtime on Radio 1’s Essential Mix, thanks to the Man Like...Sasha.Spencer had another couple of releases through Blue Ice - Transparent (Koncept Records) & Omnia - Embryonic (Solid Silver Recordings), plus remixed Tarantella’s Myobadobe Mix (Wonderboy). Then in 1999 wrote ‘831’ which was picked up by Gatecrasher and featured on the ‘Wet’ CD of 2000. The rest is history for another day.
Marks eclectic and intelligent blend of so many genres of EDM from the dirty gritty electro, through warm melodic progressive and all the way up to his trademark powerful and energetic trance has taken him travelling all over the world. Highlights so far have been playing the main stage at Hi-Fi Festival; closing the main arena of the Godskitchen arena at Global Gathering after Judge Jules, (which has earnt him the same set again this year), flying to Shanghai, China to play in Club BonBon, DJing on a cruise ship up the coast of Sweden and down to Estonia, Global Gatherings in Russia, Ukraine and Poland, and playing to a crowd of just under 1 million people through the streets of Zurich at 15th anniversary of the Street Parade.
Yevgeniy Mironov (professionaly known as "After Meridian") was born on 28 April 1990 in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russian Federation. Yevgeniy began listening to electronic music when he was aged 12 years old. His first of many influences came from the creation of Italian producer Benny Benassi, then later in 2004 he heard the music of Andre Tanneberger (ATB) and soon after he began to work on the creation of his own sounds in his studio. Since 2005 Yevgeniy has made many apperances as a DJ in the clubs of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, playing out an infusion of his own sounds and a collection of exclusive and upfront material. In September 2008 his first release "New York Airport" featuring Tiff Lacey on Solaris Recordings has gained the support of some of the biggest DJ’s worldwide. Yevgeniy is currently continuing working on new material with vocalists Beatriz Arenas, Tiff Lacey and Robera Harrison from the Canadian rock-band "Wild Strawberries".
The Forerunners (Brenden LaBonte) came out of nowhere in 2007 with their massive debut release 'Lifecycle'. The tune immediately seized airtime on the most influential of EDM radioshows [ASoT, Solaris Intl, Dance Anthems, VONYC, BBC Essential Mix]. Without missing a beat, 'Lifecycle' would then propel itself onto the years biggest compilations, achieving play on The Thrillseeker's Nightmusic, Armin's Universal Religion, and Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems. The final blows would be dealt when DJ Mag scored the tune a 5/5 Moneyshot while fans voted it Future Favorite on A State of Trance with Armin van Buuren, many declaring it an instant classic. Now the Forerunners project sets off again into the turbulent world of EDM to provide the soundtrack for the likes of packed clubs, monstrous festivals, and exotic locales.
Already the eclectic Forerunners ideal has begun to reveal itself with the release of the relaxed 'Dragonfly' on Solaris (DJ Mag Moneyshot) and remixes for the likes of Solarstone (Late Summer Fields).
