Maarten Brijker is a 16 year old musician from Amsterdam. He starts his carreer in the musicscene under the name Individualism. His name stands for the individualism he puts in his music. At a very young age he gets in contact with music. As his father is practising as a guitarplayer he was always surrounded by music. He already visits shows as a young boy. When he is seven years old Individualism starts playing guitar. As a big fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers he plays all their songs. At the age of thirteen he gets in contact by his father with the computerprogram Reason. Soon he filles all his sparetime making music by using the computer. All of a sudden he was able to make not just one melodyline, as with his guitar, but now it became possible to orchestrate a number, with several different lines. After a year of rehearsing he discovered Studio West, where he learns how to create music. He meets the Beat House Production Team. They enabled him to release his very first number on cd on the Aztex Label. Besides this Individualism is working hard to record his own album and to release it. His style is inspired by the deep sound of Detroit House, Dubstep and the warm sound of Jazz. The music of Individualism has a very wide range; he differs from Broken Beat to Detroit House or Dubstep. With his very young age and refreshing view to music man will hopefully may enjoy his music for still a very long time.

Acquiring success in the spring of 2009 with the release one of the year’s biggest dancefloor tracks, the last twelve months has seen an amazing run of productions from Alex Celler; his is a story of talent married to dedication and resulting in increasing success.

With its catchy hook and stylish lustre, ‘La Palma’ (Arearemote) was one of RA’s most charted tracks following its release and undoubtedly marked a turning point in Alex’s career. Follow-up releases ‘Trapped in Dub’ (Tuning Spork) and ‘North London Cutz’ (Cinematic) have helped rapidly cement an energetic and intense tech house sound full of swing, tribal rhythms & deep basslines. Meanwhile, the ‘Anthea & Celler’ bombs which arrived (with friend and fellow Londoner Anthea) on Cecille and Freak n Chic have afforded them both notable exposure and also the opportunity to take their partnership out on the road, courtesy of their back-to-back DJ sets. This is a partnership that is close to the hearts of both.

A Greek national by right but a Londoner by choice, Alex’s distinctive DJ style hints towards an obsessive attitude to crate digging – playing out an impressive blend of rare, old and modern tracks, his precise intuition for the right record on the dancefloor mirrors his own love of the party atmosphere.

Durable productions and mood-changing DJ sets have seen Alex feature as guest around the globe at respected parties at Ibiza’s Underground, DC10, Amnesia and Space as well as others including Trouw (Amsterdam), Studio Martin (Bucharest), Arma 17 (Moscow), Amnesia (Milan) and at home in London – where he has become a main player in the city’s underground house scene, guesting regularly at Fabric.

The coming summer season will see Alex play at the Space Opening Fiesta in Ibiza, and dish out releases on Arearemote, Cecille, air london and on Lauhaus’ increasingly slick label Soweso.

Born in 1981, works as a musician and DJ since 1997. He produces for various music labels, especially for Avantroots and Regular, for which, in January 2006 he released his first album titled “Anjanas”. A delicate work in composition, which embodies his deep electronic landscape but also dance style. After several EP‟s and DJ mixes came out his second solo album: “Recall” (Regular, 2009). This time a recording full of memories of his homeland, a great and personal evolution with soulful Deep House and Ambient pieces.
Annually, as a gift, he gives his followers and fans the DJ mix series: “Música Para Estar” y “Mind Groove Music”. Very personal sets with a powerful but careful line of deep sounds and exquisite transitions. Much love from Pablo Bolivar.

In 2007 Sergio Aphro joins Pablo Bolivar to create the band Pulshar. A band where to unleash his most advanced work ranging from dub to electronic soul. After several EPs in 2008 is out their first album, “Brotherhood” (Phonobox, 2008), and now, two years later, the new effort is entitled “Inside” (Desolat, 2010). In both editions we can enjoy a fine production accompanied by Aphro‟s delicate soul/reggaevoice. Together they produced and did the post production of soundtracks for exhibitions and television advertising campaigns, this way they gave birth to Avantroots Productions.

For years he was part of the Decoder Muzique team. One of the most important electronic music distributers in Spain, where he was leading the national sales department. He currently resides in Barcelona, teaching as a professor of Ableton Live in Mad Center, and running Regular & Avantroots Records.

Biography

Michel de Hey must be seen as one of the people who took responsibility for dance music and its direction in Rotterdam. With his talent both as a producer and as a DJ, Michel opened the door to techno and tech house for a lot of people. Over the years Michel succeeded to get a solid reputation abroad through his excellent DJ performances at clubs, parties and festival events across the globe.

His DJ career kicked of in 1986 and with his first recording release ‘Break’ he entered the Top 10 of the US Billboard Dance Charts. Since then, Michel de Hey developed his funky techno sound to what it is today. Many times Michel has been nominated for national dance awards such as the LSDA Awards, the TMF Nokia Awards and the Update Dance Awards. Over the years Michel de Hey has won the award for Best Techno DJ of the Netherlands for four times already!

Since the beginning of 2003 he started to work together with the former Cosmack Management in London, now called Litheum Bookings. They are now responsible for all his dj activities outside the Benelux. Next to Michel they also take care of dj’s like Carl Cox, John Digweed, and Jimmy van M.

Over the last decennium Michel founded various record labels such as EC, CC, Brave New World, Miracle Records and HEY! Records. . EC Records delivered several floor fillers and chart hits over years, although it was not Michel’s main objective to aim for chart hits when he founded Immaculate Music. The labels are primarily respected throughout the dance music and club scene and are musically considered to be leading record labels in the Netherlands. Artists featuring on Immaculate imprints include Secret Cinema, Literon, Coming Soon, Chord Symbols, Graylock, Sterac, Warren Fellow, M.I.R.K.O. and Grooveyard. The summer of 2004 has brought Michel and EC records a number 1 chart success in the Dutch Pepsi chart. The Fast Forward Anthem called “Be my guest“ was produced together with M.I.R.K.O. Again Michel produced the anthem for the 8th Dutch Love Parade. He has been ambassador for each edition and he has seen the Parade grow to one of the biggest parades worldwide

For his labels Michel has made several solo productions or releases in cooperation with Literon aka Gert-Jan Bijl, Secret cinema aka Grooveyard aka Jeroen Verheij and Mirko van Dommelen. Apart from his own labels Michel has also made music for Circle Records, Lilith Records, Artform, Lupp and Plink Plonk.
Since a few years Michel also has HEY! records. On this label he only releases his own productions. The label has been supported by a whole range of dj’s from John Digweed, to Josh Wink, to Tom Middleton, to Adam Beyer. Furthermore he has had artists like Funk D ‘Void, Paul Klakbrenner, Polder, Mr G remixing tracks from the HEY! catalogue.

Furthermore, Michel is working on various compilation projects. The major ones are: the ‘Essential Elements’ series (EDM), the longest running Dutch dance compilation series since 1991, the ‘Technological Elements’ series (EDM), ‘Impulz’ (Influx), ‘Dance Valley on Ibiza’ (Influx) and in-house compilation ‘Syntec’ (EC). Dance Valley Mainstage Edition, MDH01, 2 Faces. His latest cd offering “Recorded in Rotterdam” was highly appreciated and saw Michel supporting solely Dutch artists mixed on 1 cd. For the Amsterdam Dance Event of 2007 Michel produced ‘Recorded in Amsterdam’ where tracks from Rotterdam and Amsterdam based artists came together on one disc. And also his last mix cd, called No Nonsense, did it really well in Holland!

Not only on clubs, parties and cd’s you can listen to Michel, he also has his radioshow called HEY-Muzik. It is now broadcasted nationwide every Friday from 21.00-23.00 on Fresh Fm. The show just earned the first price for best ‘dance radio show’ of Holland this year (2009!).
If you want to tune in for a weekly update on underground minimal, tekhouse, and techno music; www.fresh.fm

But above all Michel is playing all over the world, while maintaining his status as the number 1 underground tekhouse/techno dj from Holland. He has entertained thousands and thousands of people with his unique sound. From Space Ibiza, to Indonesia, from a 4000 people Rotterdam solo beach party to the Womb in Japan, from Circo Loco at DC 10 to Creamfields, the list is endless. And without a doubt the list will grow.
In 2009 Michel has already been touring in Japan, China, Hungary, UK, Greece, Spain etc.
The next thing is his own club night, called HEY! It just started but the future already looks really bright! At the end of June Michel will go to South America where he will perform in countries like Argentine, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay! And also with a Ibiza gig, a lot of festivals and his own area at the Mysteryland Festival the summer will be ‘quite’ cool! To be up to date with everything check www.micheldehey.com

Layo & Bushwacka! are one of electronic music’s most esteemed duos. Comprising of Matthew ‘Bushwacka’ B, a percussionist in the London School Symphony Orchestra who was converted into a member of the infamous Rat Pack after a warehouse party in ’88, and Layo Paskin, a North Londoner immersed in the acid house scene who met Mr C at one of the legendary Clink Street parties in 1988, before together setting up their world renowned night club, The End. It was via their mutual friend Mr C that Layo & Bushwacka! first met, whilst Matthew was working at his studio, and by the mid 90s the two had started writing music together. Over a decade later, the partnership has yielded three artist albums, three mix albums, internationally renowned club residencies and a superb record label.

By 1999 they’d already composed their debut album, ‘Low Life’, released on End Recordings, the label spawned by The End. The album announced the arrival of the duo as a force in electronic music, with a record that brought together electro, house and breakbeat fused with blues, dub and downtempo, all underpinned and informed by their collective experience of underground culture. This inclusive and open minded approach to sound became the blueprint for their future work.

Their sophomore album followed in 2002, this time released on the mighty XL Recordings. Entitled ‘Night Works’, the record featured their unforgettable top ten hit ‘Love Story’, and took their sound onto a bigger and broader canvas, selling 100,000 copies in the process. The accompanying live show brought further acclaim with stunning shows from Homelands to Sonar, whilst their famous DJ sets had now garnered residencies at some of the world’s finest clubs including Space in Ibiza, Sirena in Brasil and of course The End in London.

Their End residency, known as All Night Long, became one of the capital’s most revered nights with Layo & Bushwacka! taking the club through an edifying tour-de-force of electronic music. The night gave birth to their second mix album ‘All Night Long’, following the success of their first ‘The End’ in conjunction with Mr C, also released on XL Recordings, in the late 90s. The album was a perfect reflection of their DJ sets, inspirational, educational and all encompassing it slaloms through all manner of house music and even their own reworks of such timeless classics as Bebel Gilberto’s ‘So Nice’ and Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘Dance To The Music’, all without missing a beat.

The expansive musical tastes demonstrated on ‘All Night Long’ came together perfectly with the release of their third artist album, ‘Feels Closer’, in February 2006. Released on their newly launched label, Olmeto Records, ‘Feels Closer’ saw them broaden their sonic palette with the addition of live musicians, including legendary percussionist Mino Cineleu, on a record that unites their myriad of influences without ever losing sight of their electronic background and home territory. Highlights of the record include Green Velvet’s vocal turn on the electrifying electro-techno of ‘Life 2 Live’, the warm downtempo of ‘Sunshine in Ipanema’, featuring the talents of Brasilian legend Rogerio Flausino, and the jaw-droppingly incredible ‘Isn’t This A Lovely Day’, for which the boys fuse vocals from Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong with some killer live percussion. The album was again highly critically acclaimed and cemented their reputations among dance music’s most gifted.

Since the release of the album, their label Olmeto has gone from strength to strength, releasing a consistent stream of choice nuggets from the album, with exclusive remixes and B sides. The impressive roster of remixers has included the likes of Loco Dice, Jesse Rose, Green Velvet and UNKLE. Bushwacka! has also released some fantastic solo 12”s on the label, and as time goes on Olmeto will continue to provide an exclusive outlet for Layo and Matthew’s creativity. Olmeto’s monthly residency at The End, which has taken the place of the All Night Long residency, sees Layo & Bushwacka! continue to play extended and far reaching sets of electronica in the main room, whilst their impeccable programming has seen them bring in two of dance music’s most promising labels Simple Records and Freerange to provide music for The End’s second room and sister bar AKA at the Olmeto nights.

The most recent addition to Layo & Bushwacka!’s catalogue is their mix album, Global Underground 33: Rio. Born out of the ongoing love story between the duo and their second home of Brasil, Layo and Matthew have a unique and unshakeable relationship with the world’s most effervescent nation. Disc one sees the boys scour their record collections, revisiting gems from the past twenty years, flowing through the music that helped shape the DJs they’ve become, whilst disc two represents the new wave of electronic music with a track listing that includes the most dynamic producers in dance music today.

Layo & Bushwacka!’s reputation as two of the world’s foremost DJ duos is rock solid. Three artist albums have proven them remarkably talented producers, capable of mixing styles, tempos and genres to create enduring and engaging electronic music. Their trio of mix albums and international club residencies have shown they are masters of the turntables, sonic connoisseurs who can guide a dance floor on an epic journey through the many facets of their sound. Their label Olmeto meanwhile has become a bastion for quality, a label that, much like its figureheads, has become a rubber stamped seal of class.

Andy Vaz hails from Düsseldorf, Germany, the breeding ground of Kraftwerk. Since 1997, Andy manages and curates Background Recordings, internationally acclaimed as being one of the most instrumental labels to concentrate on what people refer to as: minimal techno.

Long before Minimal Techno turned into a genre, and subgenre after subgenre were invented, Andy has already been concentrating on providing a cultural conduit for more minimal electronic music, between Düsseldorf, San Francisco, Detroit, Montreal, Toronto, London, Chicago, South Africa, Monterrey, Perth and countless other cities around the world. Some of the most influential international musicians of the minimal electronic music movement had their works presented on his Background Imprint. Artists such as: Sutekh, Jan Jelinek, Todd Sines, Terrence Dixon, Jeff Milligan, Akufen, Submania, Dean DeCosta, Rhythm Maker, Kit Clayton, Ectomorph, Deadbeat, Baby Ford, Stewart Walker, Donnacha Costello, Geoff White, Smyglyssna, Portable, Antiguo Automata Mexicano, Oliver Hacke, Frivolous and many others have graced the Background stage. The Label has been a major force in the presentation of minimal techno, introducing and educating the world to the geographic variable influences that exist within the genre.

As the years have passed, house music and techno have fused, segregated, split and recombined in countless ways. Both techno and house have drawn influences from one another to create hybrids that have changed the face of music as we know it. Andy could not ignore his undeniable appreciation for the house movement and therefore, decided to start a second label in order to help facilitate the growing relationship between global deep house and minimal techno: “A touch of Class / ATC” was born.

In 2000, Andy Vaz has released his own material. At first he started his Sound Variation [---] series. A set of 10 conceptual releases where as the sound can be defined by the criteria of one’s imagination constrained only by the definition of it being 4/4 based electronic music without following any clearly defined linear sound aesthetic or concept. All works simply defined by the criteria of re-use, recycling of same instrumentations, within the context of boundless compositional approaches.

Next to the series Andy Vaz also started putting out minimal techno dance material recently. Music, that is focused on the Groove and is based on his rich experiences as an internationally rewarded Live Act. Apart from having played countless clubs,festivals and venues, he’s done everything from the legendary “Liquid Room” in Tokyo to the Mutek Festival in Mexico. Andy has build up an excellent reputation as a crowd shaking and unique sounding live act. Known for extended two hour dance live-sets to more abstract listening performances Andy proves to be diverse and suitable in various musical contexts.

In march 2007 Vaz launched a new label called “YORE”, which will focus on the authentic old school Detroit & Chicago House Sound with original artists such as Detroit’s Rick Wade, Terrence Dixon, Todd Sines among others just to name a few, presenting a new platform for these artists as well as for himself, which will help spread his musical visions further to new audiences.