Bassnectar (real name Lorin Ashton) is a freeform electronic music artist, DJ, and producer based in Santa Cruz, California.[1] He is known for his live performances and light shows, and actively supports the non-profit group Conscious Alliance.[2]

Bassnectar
Also known as	Lorin Ashton
Born	February 16, 1978 (age 33)
Origin	Santa Cruz, California
Genres	Breakbeat Dubstep Electronica Glitch IDM dubtronica
Years active	1990s-Present
Labels	Amorphous Music Om Records
Website	Official Site
Members
Lorin Ashton

Bass Center Festival :

In October 2010, Bassnectar announced the line-up for his first headlining perennial festival, which took place at the First Bank Center in Broomfield, Colorado.[7] The event, which sold out, also featured circus performers and musical collaborators. Among the opening acts were Brother Ali, Emancipator, Nosaj Thing, That 1 Guy, and Dan Deacon.

At the end of 2010, Bassnectar announced additional winter tour dates including the initial lineup for the upcoming second Bass Center Festival to be held at the Asheville Civic Center in Asheville, NC on February 19, 2011.[8] The event sold out weeks before and filled the venue’s capacity with approximately 8,000 attendees. The opening performers included The Glitch Mob, Ana Sia, and Filastine.

Sonny Moore (born January 15, 1988), professionally known as Skrillex, is an electro house/dubstep producer from Los Angeles, California and former frontman for the American band From First to Last.[2][3] In late fall of 2007 he embarked on his first tour as a solo artist, the Team Sleep Tour with Team Sleep, Strata, and Monster in the Machine. After recruiting a new band lineup, Moore toured North America on the Alternative Press Tour, supporting bands such as All Time Low and The Rocket Summer, and appeared on the cover of Alternative Press annual 100 Bands You Need to Know issue.[4] In June 2008, Moore went into recording for his debut album, titled Bells, alongside producer Noah Shain. He released the Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites EP as a co-release between mau5trap and Big Beat record labels, and runs an imprint label called Owsla, named after an organization in the book Watership Down.

Skrillex
Skrillex performing at Sasquatch 2011
Background information
Born	January 15, 1988 (age 23)
Origin	Los Angeles, California, USA
Genres	electro house, fidget, dubstep
Occupations	Musician, DJ, singer, guitarist
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Atlantic, Sony BMG, Mau5trap
Associated acts	From First to Last, deadmau5, Korn
Website	www.skrillex.com
Notable instruments
Guitar, Ableton Live[1]

Solo career (2007–present) :

On February 27, 2007, Moore announced he had left From First to Last to pursue a solo career. He then launched a Myspace page displaying three demos ("Signal", "Equinox", and "Glow Worm"). This led to Moore's first performance since his leaving From First to Last. On April 7, 2007, alongside harpist Carol Robbins, Moore played several original songs at a local art building.

After months of releasing demos via Myspace, Moore played on the Team Sleep Tour with a full band. The tour also featured supporting acts Monster in the Machine and Strata. Moore made several demo CDs available on this tour, limited to about 30 per show. These CDs were tour exclusive, and were packaged in "baby blue envelopes", each with a unique drawing by Moore or bandmate.

In February 2008, Alternative Press Magazine announced the second annual AP Tour, with All Time Low, The Rocket Summer, The Matches, and Forever the Sickest Kids, as well as Sonny Moore. The tour started in Houston, Texas on March 14 and went through North America, ending in Cleveland, Ohio on May 2, with the majority of the shows being sold out. All bands playing the tour would be featured on the cover of Alternative Press Magazine's annual 100 Bands You Need to Know special, and would be interviewed on the Alternative Press Podcast. During this tour Moore's line-up consisted of Sean Friday on drums, Christopher Null on guitar, and Aaron Rothe on keyboards.

On April 7, 2009, he released Gypsyhook EP, a digital EP, which featured three songs and four remixes. Also included was a Japanese version of "Mora" entitled "海水". Physical copies of the EP were available at his shows. After going on tour with Innerpartysystem and Paper Route and opening for Chiodos on their European tour, Moore performed at Bamboozle on May 2. He performed on Bamboozle Left's Saints and Sinners stage on April 4. He toured with Hollywood Undead in April 2009 performing under the band name Sonny and the Blood Monkeys, with Chris Null (electric guitar), Sean Friday (drums, percussion & beats) and Aaron Rothe (keyboards, synthesizers, programming & turntables)

Although no official statement has been given regarding the album, Moore has been reported in interviews and at events saying Bells will no longer be released.

The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim and The Chemical Brothers, as well as other acts, members of The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s. They have sold over 25 million records worldwide.[1]

The group's brand of big beat music makes use of various styles ranging from rave, hardcore techno, industrial and breakbeat in the early 1990s to electronic rock with punk vocal elements in later times. The current members include Liam Howlett (composer/keyboards), Keith Flint (dancer/vocalist) and Maxim (MC/vocalist). Leeroy Thornhill (dancer/very occasional live keyboards) was a member of the band from 1990 to 2000, as was a female dancer/vocalist called Sharky who left the group during their early period. The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and have since then achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some of their most popular songs include "Charly", "Out of Space", "No Good (Start the Dance)", "Voodoo People", "Poison", "Firestarter", "Breathe", "Smack My Bitch Up", "Omen", "Spitfire", "Invaders Must Die" and "Warrior's Dance".

The Prodigy
Maxim and Keith Flint at 2010's Spirit of Burgas Festival
Background information
Origin	Braintree, Essex, England
Genres	Electronic rock, Synthpunk, Alternative rock, Electronic punk, Drum and Bass, Electronica, Dance-punk, Rave, Oldschool Jungle
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Take Me to the Hospital, Ragged Flag, Cooking Vinyl, XL, Beggars Banquet, Mute, Maverick, Warner Bros., Elektra, Shock
Website	www.theprodigy.com
Members
Liam Howlett Keith Flint Maxim
Past members
Leeroy Thornhill Sharky

Debut album (1992–1993) :

The band's first full length album, the critically acclaimed Experience, followed "Charly" as a landmark release in the history of British rave music. The album closes with a live version of "Death of the Prodigy Dancers," featuring Maxim on vocals. There were five singles spawned from the album, "Charly", "Everybody in the Place", "Fire/Jericho", "Out of Space", and "Wind It Up (Rewound)"; the latter is a remix of "Wind It Up". The album was a commercial success in the UK, but failed to chart in other countries. Peaking at number 12, it was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.[8][9]

After Experience, and the run of singles that accompanied it, the Prodigy moved to distance themselves from the "kiddie rave" reputation that now dogged them. The rave scene was beginning to move on from its hardcore phase, with the Criminal Justice Act's "anti-rave" legislation on the horizon, calling rave music "repetitive beats".[10] The Prodigy responded to the bill by writing "Their Law".

Daft Punk are an electronic music duo consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (born February 8, 1974) and Thomas Bangalter (born January 3, 1975).[1][2][3] Daft Punk reached significant popularity in the late 1990s house movement in France and met with continued success in the years following, combining elements of house with synthpop.[1][2][4] The duo is also credited with producing songs that are considered essential in the French house scene. They were managed from 1996 to 2008 by Pedro Winter (Busy P), the head of Ed Banger Records.[5]

Early in the group's career, the band members were strongly influenced by groups such as The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones. Bangalter and de Homem-Christo were originally in a band called Darlin', which disbanded after a short period of time, leaving the two to experiment musically on their own. The duo became Daft Punk, and released their critically acclaimed debut album Homework in 1997. The 2001 release Discovery was even more successful, driven by the club singles "One More Time", "Digital Love" and "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". In March 2005, the duo released the album Human After All to mixed reviews. However, the singles "Robot Rock" and "Technologic" achieved success in the United Kingdom. Daft Punk toured throughout 2006 and 2007 and released the live album Alive 2007, which won a Grammy award for Best Electronic/Dance Album. The duo composed the score of the film Tron: Legacy and in 2010 released the soundtrack album of the film.

Daft Punk is noted for its elaborate live shows, in which visual elements and effects are incorporated with the music. The group is also known for its emphasis on visual and story components associated with their musical productions, as well as for wearing ornate robot costumes in public and while performing.

Daft Punk
Daft Punk performing at Wireless Festival 2007. From left: Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo
Background information
Origin	Paris, Île-de-France, France
Genres	House
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Soma, Virgin
Associated acts	Darlin' Phoenix Stardust Together Le Knight Club Crydajam
Website	daftalive.com daftpunk.com
Members
Thomas Bangalter Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo

Early years (1987–1993) :

Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo met in 1987 while attending the Lycée Carnot, a secondary school in Paris.[3][6] The two became good friends and later recorded demo tracks with others from the school. This eventually led to the formation of the guitar-based group called Darlin' with Laurent Brancowitz in 1992.[7] Bangalter and de Homem-Christo played bass and guitar, respectively, while Brancowitz performed on drums.[8] The trio had branded themselves after The Beach Boys song of the same name, which they covered along with an original composition.[9] Stereolab released both tracks on a multi-artist Duophonic Records EP and invited the band to open for stage shows in the United Kingdom.[9][10] Bangalter felt that "The rock n' roll thing we did was pretty average, I think. It was so brief, maybe six months, four songs and two gigs and that was it."[11] A negative review in Melody Maker subsequently dubbed the music "a bunch of daft punk." Instead of dismissing the review, they found it amusing.[6] As de Homem-Christo stated, "We struggled so long to find [the name] Darlin', and this happened so quickly."[12] Darlin' soon disbanded, leaving Brancowitz to pursue other efforts with Phoenix.[7] Bangalter and de Homem-Christo formed Daft Punk and experimented with drum machines and synthesizers.

Armin van Buuren, OON (born in Leiden, Netherlands on 25 December 1976) is a Dutch trance producer and DJ. In 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 he was voted number one in DJ Magazine's annual top 100 list of the most popular DJs. Since 2001 van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called A State of Trance and claims to have over 30 million weekly listeners in more than 40 countries, which would make it the most listened radio show in the world. His 2008 studio album, Imagine, entered the Dutch album chart at #1, a first for a dance artist in Dutch music history.[1]

Armin van Buuren has always had his own studio and worked alone in the beginning of his career. Since the release of his third studio album Imagine from 2008 he has been working with Benno de Goeij and DJ-RA of Rank 1 on all solo productions and remixes. He is well known for his annual "Year Mix" which incorporates clips and custom mashups from the year's most popular trance tracks. Each year-mix consists of about 85 individual releases, edited into a 2 hour mix which is released on double CD as well as aired on his weekly radio show at the end of each year. According to van Buuren, each year-mix takes several months to make, including thousands of digital audio edits and hundreds of audio plugins.

Armin Van Buuren
Armin van Buuren in New York, 2007
Background information
Birth name	Armin van Buuren
Also known as	Amsterdance, Armania, Darkstar, E=mc2, El Guitaro, Elect of DJ-RA, Gaia, Gig, Gimmick, Hyperdrive Inc., Misteri A, Perpetuous Dreamer, Problem Boy, Rising Star, The Shoeshine Factory
Born	25 December 1976 (age 34) Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands
Origin	Koudekerk aan den Rijn, South Holland, Netherlands
Genres	Trance, Progressive Trance, Vocal Trance, Uplifting Trance, Electro House, House Music
Occupations	Remixer, Producer & DJ Composer
Instruments	Synthesizer, drum machine, equalizer
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Armada Music (2003–present)
Associated acts	Alibi, Dark Matter, Electrix, Lilmotion, Major League, Monsieur Basculant, Red & White, Technology, Triple A, Wodka Wasters
Website	arminvanbuuren.com

A State of Trance 500 (ASOT 500) :

To mark the 10 year anniversary and 500th episode of his weekly radio show A State of Trance, Armin performed at five shows across five continents over five consecutive weeks along with various artists. The first show was held on 19 March 2011 in Johannesburg, South Africa at the MTN Expo Center. In addition to Armin - Blake Jarrell, Protoculture, Lange, Leon Bolier, and Jorn van Deynhoven were performers. Super8 and TAB were to be part of the South African show, however a flight cancellation caused them to be absent for the event. The event was attended by over 20,000 people. Miami's show was performed at the Ultra Music Festival on 27 March, and part of the show were Marcus Schossow, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Cosmic Gate, Gareth Emery, Ferry Corsten, ATB, and Sander van Doorn. Argentina held the third celebration of ASOT 500 in club G.E.B.A Buenos Aires, where Heatbeat (Argentina's Trance music icons at the time), Jochen Miller, Dash Berlin, Marcus Schultz, AVB, John O'Callaghan and W & W. It was the only of the 5 ASOT 500 celebrations that was held roofless, where AVB recorded a live video with his cell phone and uploaded it to Twitter while playing his live set, showing Argentinean's passion for Trance. Den Bosch in The Netherlands followed with the biggest event of 2011. Accompanied by more than 30 DJ's from countries all over the world, Armin brought together over 30,000 people in one long night's worth of trance music. DJ friends present were Markus Schulz, Gareth Emery, Above & Beyond, Paul Oakenfold and Sean Tyas. The event was radio broadcasted live from Den Bosch by Armin himself to over 30 countries as well as many of the DJ's using their sets as their live weekly or monthly podcast.[21][dated info] The final show was held in Sydney, Australia marking the 5th show of the ASOT 500 tour. It was held on 16 April at Acer Arena in Olympic Park and was a sold out event weeks before the night. Shogun, Australia's own tyDi, Menno de Jong, Aly & Fila, Alex M.O.R.P.H. and of course Armin Van Buuren were the lineup where Armin played for a 3 hour set in celebration of this epic 5 week tour.

Los Amigos Invisibles is a multiple-Grammy nominated and Latin Grammy winning Venezuelan band that plays a blend of disco, acid jazz and funk mixed with Latin rhythms. In addition to releasing six critically acclaimed albums, the band is lauded internationally for their explosive, live shows, spanning nearly 60 countries.

Los Amigos Invisibles
Background information
Origin	Venezuela
Genres	Acid Jazz Disco Funk
Years active	1991–present
Labels	EMI Luaka Bop Gozadera Records Nacional Records
Website	Official website
Members
Julio Briceño José Luis Pardo Armando Figueredo Mauricio Arcas José Rafael Torres Juan Manuel Roura

Band members

• Julio Briceño (a.k.a. "Chulius", vocals, percussion)
• José Luis Pardo (a.k.a. "Cheo" or "DJ Afro", guitar, songwriting)
• Armando Figueredo (a.k.a. "Odnam", keyboards)
• Mauricio Arcas (a.k.a "Maurimix", congas, percussion)
• José Rafael Torres (a.k.a "Catire", bass)
• Juan Manuel Roura (a.k.a. "Mamel", "Mamel" or "Mamulo," drums, percussion)

Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards.

One of the world's best-selling music artists, Pet Shop Boys have sold over 100 million records worldwide,[1] and are listed as the most successful duo in UK music history by The Guinness Book of Records.[2] Three-time BRIT Award winners and six-time Grammy nominees, since 1986 they have achieved 42 Top 30 singles and 22 Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart, including four Number Ones: "West End Girls", "It's a Sin", "Always on My Mind" and "Heart".

At the 2009 BRIT Awards, Pet Shop Boys received an award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. The duo's latest studio album, Yes (continuing their tradition of single word titles) was released on 23 March 2009

Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys live in Boston, 2006
Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	New Wave, synthpop, house
Years active	1981–present
Labels	EMI, Parlophone, Spaghetti
Associated acts	Electronic, Yoko Ono
Website	petshopboys.co.uk
Members
Neil Tennant Chris Lowe

Please and remix album Disco (1984–1986) :

In March 1985, after long negotiations, Pet Shop Boys cut their contractual ties with Bobby 'O', with a settlement giving Bobby 'O' significant royalties for future sales. Hiring manager Tom Watkins, they signed with the London-based Parlophone label. In April, Tennant left Smash Hits (where he had progressed to the position of deputy editor) and in July, a new single, "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)", was released, reaching number 116 in the UK. The B-side to this single, "In the Night", later resurfaced, in a longer remixed version, as the opening track to the duo's first remix album, Disco, in 1986. This version was also used as the theme for the UK television series The Clothes Show.
Unperturbed by the low chart position, the band returned to the studio in August to re-record "West End Girls" with producer Stephen Hague. Released in October 1985, this new version initially entered the charts at a similarly low position, but began a slow rise so that, by January 1986, it achieved the top spot. It was subsequently Number One in the United States, Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Israel, New Zealand and Norway and sold an estimated 1.5 million copies worldwide. It remains the most-heard Pet Shop Boys song to date.

After the success of "West End Girls", Pet Shop Boys released a follow-up single, "Love Comes Quickly", on 24 February 1986. The single reached number 19 in the UK Singles Chart and was followed by their debut album, Please, on 24 March. In June 1986, the band announced a European tour; however, their plans for a theatrical extravaganza proved to be too expensive and the tour was cancelled. Please started Pet Shop Boys' penchant for choosing one-word album titles, which Neil Tennant has since stated is now a Pet Shop Boys "signature thing", akin to e.e. cummings' use of exclusively lower case letters.[8] New versions of second single "Opportunities (Let's Make Lots of Money)" and album track "Suburbia" were also released in 1986, followed by a remix album, Disco, in November.

Cascada (play /kəˈskɑːdə/ [1][2]) is a German Eurodance act most famous for their hit singles "Everytime We Touch", "What Hurts the Most", and "Evacuate the Dancefloor". Cascada is a group of three musicians: Natalie Horler, DJ Manian, and Yanou, founded in 2004, and are widely considered one of the leaders in bringing euro-dance music stateside and in recent years worldwide, aiding in the transition to a more electro-pop oriented mainstream sound. Cascada has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and estimated 15 million digital downloads, their most successful album being their debut and most successful song being Evacuate The Dancefloor which went platinum in the USA.

Cascada
Natalie Horler, singer of Cascada, 2010
Background information
Origin	Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Genres	Eurodance, electropop
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Robbins Entertainment, AATW, Zooland Records
Associated acts	Siria, Akira, Diamond, Spring Break
Website	Cascadamusic.de
Members
Natalie Horler (Vocals) DJ Manian (DJ/Producer) Yanou (DJ/Producer)

Early years (2004-2005) :

When Natalie Horler was 17, she was doing studio work for various DJs. Eventually she met Yanou and DJ Manian. Originally, they released music under the name Cascade, but due to Kaskade, another artist with a similar name, threatening a suit, they changed it to Cascada.[3] Simultaneously they released music under the names of Siria and Akira as well, but ended those projects due to the success of Cascada. Under Andorfine Records, they produced their debut and hit single, "Miracle", and its follow-up, "Bad Boy", in Germany.[4] This caught the attention of the American dance label Robbins Entertainment. They negotiated a contract and "Miracle" was released in 2004. However, it did not attract much attention, so Cascada offered them "Everytime We Touch".

Scissor Sisters are an American band "spawned by the scuzzy, gay nightlife scene of New York"[1] who took their name from a sexual position between two women also known as tribadism.[2] Formed in 2001, its members consist of Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real as drummer (who replaced Paddy Boom).

Scissor Sisters came to prominence following the release of their disco version of Pink Floyd’s "Comfortably Numb" became a commercial success and topped the charts throughout Europe eventually scoring a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording, their eponymous debut album became an international success particularly in the United Kingdom (a country they call their "spiritual home")[3] where the album reached number one, was the best-selling album of 2004, was later certified platinum by the BPI and accrued them three BRIT Awards in 2005. Several releases from the album also accomplished positions within the top twenty of the UK Singles Chart, including "Laura", "Comfortably Numb", "Take Your Mama", "Mary" and "Filthy/Gorgeous". The latter also scored the band their first number one on the Billboard chart for Hot Dance Club Songs. Although merely as successful in their native United States, the album was also a chart success in countries around Europe, in Australia and in Canada. The band's following up studio album Ta-Dah proved to be another commercial and critical success for the band and scored them their second consecutive number one album in the UK as well producing their debut number one single in the UK "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'". Displaying a shift towards a more club-oriented sound, their third studio album Night Work was released in 2010 and charted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, number one on Billboard's Top Independent Albums charts and in the top ten of several international territories.

Scissor Sisters are well-recognized for their controversial and transgressive live performances and have performed around the world. They have also collaborated with a number of other well known pop musicians including Elton John and Kylie Minogue; these particular collaborations have been received positively by both critics and other notable figures. In 2004, Bono, lead vocalist of rock band U2, described Scissor Sisters as "the best pop group in the world".[4] They also collaborated with Global Cool in 2007 on one of their green lifestyle campaigns.[5]

Scissor Sisters
Scissor Sisters at Super Bock Super Rock 2007, in Portugal
Background information
Origin	New York City, United States
Genres	Alternative, glam rock, pop, nu-disco, electroclash
Years active	2001–present
Labels	Polydor, Universal, Warner Bros., Jive, Nonesuch, Motown
Website	scissorsisters.com
Members
Ana Matronic Babydaddy Del Marquis Jake Shears Randy Real
Past members
Paddy Boom

History :

The band, originally named the Fibrillating Scissor Sisters, was founded in 2000, after Jake Shears and Scott "Babydaddy" Hoffman, two friends who had met in 1999 in Lexington, Kentucky, both moved to New York, enjoying its openly gay-friendly ethos. They subsequently decided to begin producing music together, with Babydaddy composing the songs and Shears writing the lyrics. The duo released a couple of singles to little success and began appearing at underground clubs on New York City's Lower East Side, which at the time was in the grip of electroclash, a genre that subsequently influenced them.[6]

On a trip to Disneyland, they met a woman named Ana "Ana Matronic" Lynch at a screening of Michael Jackson's Captain EO, and on a subsequent teacup ride they discussed the type of music that they liked, they discovered that they had a lot in common. Shears would later remark that "I really thought she was a freak but when I started singing "Just Another Part Of Me" she showed me the best moonwalk I've ever seen."[7] Ana Matronic ran a weekly cabaret event known as Knock Off at a club called the Slipper Room, where she liked to hire eccentric and alternative acts; one reporter described it as a place that "served up a racy, multigender revue of kitsch", and that a performer dressed as a giant vagina "enfolded me with her labia while singing "Lick Me in My Wet Spot" to the tune of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"."[8] Matronic invited the Scissor Sisters to appear at Knock Off, which they did on 21 September 2001, 10 days after the 9/11 terrorist attack shook the city. Shears dressed as his character "Jason the Amazing Back-Alley Late Term Abortion" whilst Matronic dressed as a reject from Andy Warhol's Factory. During the performance, she joined them on stage and sang. Shears and Babydaddy felt she was very effective and asked her to join the band on a permanent basis, to which she agreed. The trio then began appearing at other clubs, dropping the word "Fibrillating" from their name. They primarily played electroclash, which was popular at the time in the underground Club Scene in New York with bands like Peaches and Chicks on Speed.[9]

They were soon joined by Derek "Del Marquis" Gruen on lead guitar, who knew Shears from when they both worked at the IC Guys club where Shears had been a stripper.[10] They were joined by a fifth member, Patrick "Paddy Boom" Seacor, on drums, who – being heterosexual – had to explain to his mother after joining that "it's not a gay band … there [are] gay members, but it doesn't matter. It's about the music and about performance."[11]

In 2002 the band signed with a small New York record company called A Touch of Class for a two single deal. Their first single, "Electrobix", dealt with gay men's obsessions with working out. The single proved to be less popular than its B-side, a cover version of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb". Later commenting on their rendition of the progressive rock classic, Matronic stated that "It's one of those songs that people were either gonna love or hate, and that's really, really powerful, because it basically means you're evoking a reaction in everyone. The first time I heard it, I thought that if it doesn't make us famous, it'll make us infamous because somebody will shoot us!" "Comfortably Numb" became a hit in many dance clubs and, after sending Pink Floyd themselves a copy, the Scissor Sisters received positive remarks from the song's original writers, Roger Waters and David Gilmour.[12][13] The song proved to be particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where various record labels soon took an interest in the band. In 2003 they decided they would tour Europe, which they believed would be more receptive of them and their music than their homeland.[14]

Axwell (born as Axel Christofer Hedfors, 18 December 1977 in Lund, Sweden) is a DJ, remixer, record producer and record label owner from Sweden. He is part of a three person group dubbed the Swedish House Mafia along with Sebastian Ingrosso and Steve Angello. On October 27, 2010, DJ Magazine announced the results of their annual Top 100 DJ Poll, Axwell placed at #10, up 4 from the previous year.

Background information
Birth name	Axel Christofer Hedfors
Born	18 December 1977 (age 33)
Origin	Lund, Sweden
Genres	Deep house, Electro house, Funky house, Progressive house
Occupations	DJ, remixer, record producer
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Axtone (2005–present) Data Records (2006–present) Soulfuric Recordings (2002–2005) also released through Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound Australia
Associated acts	Swedish House Mafia
Website	axwell.co.uk

Singles :

    1999 "Funkboy"
    2000 "Jazz Player"
    2000 "Pull Over"
    2002 "Black Pony" (with Stonebridge as Playmarker)
    2002 "Lead Guitar"
    2002 "Burning" (with Robbie Rivera)
    2003 "Burning - The Remixes" (with Robbie Rivera)
    2003 "High Energy" (feat. Evelyn Thomas)
    2003 "Wait A Minute" (with Nevada Cato)
    2004 "Feel The Vibe" (feat. Errol Reid)
    2005 "Feel The Vibe (Til The Morning Comes)" (feat. Errol Reid and Tara McDonald)
    2005 "Together" (with Sebastian Ingrosso feat. Michael Feiner)
    2005 "Watch The Sunrise" (feat. Steve Edwards) #70 UK
    2007 "I Found U" (feat. Max C) #6 UK
    2007 "Get Dumb" (with Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke)
    2007 "It's True" (with Sebastian Ingrosso vs. Salem Al Fakir)
    2007 "Submariner"
    2008 "What A Wonderful World." (with Bob Sinclar feat. Ron Carroll)
    2008 "Open Your Heart" (with Dirty South feat. Rudy[disambiguation needed])
    2009 "Leave The World Behind" (feat. Deborah Cox with Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso and Laidback Luke)
    2010 "One" (with Sebastian Ingrosso & Steve Angello)
    2010 "Nothing But Love For You' feat. Errol Reid
    2010 "Miami 2 Ibiza" (feat. Tinie Tempah with Sebastian Ingrosso & Steve Angello)
    2011 "Heart is King"
    2011 "Save The World Tonight" (as Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin)

Official Remixes :

    2011: David Tort feat. Gosha ʻOne Lookʼ (Axwell vs. Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike Mix)
    2011: Hard Rock Sofa & St. Brothers - Blow Up (with Thomas Gold)
    2010: Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime (Remode with Henrik. B)
    2010: Adrian Lux - Teenage Crime
    2010: Prok & Fitch ft. Nanchang Nancy - Walk With Me (With Daddy's Groove)
    2009: The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition (With Dirty South)
    2009: TV Rock ft. Rudy - In the Air (Ft Rudy)
    2008: Abel Ramos & Miss Melody - Rotterdam City Of Love
    2008: Adele - Hometown Glory
    2008: TV Rock - Been A Long Time (Ft Rudy)
    2008: Hard Fi - I Shall Overcome
    2007: Dirty South - Let It Go
    2007: Faithless - Music Matters
    2007: Bob Sinclar - Feel For You
    2006: Sunfreakz - Counting Down The Days
    2006: Madonna - Jump
    2006: Moby and Mylène Farmer - Slipping Away (Crier La Vie)
    2006: Nelly Furtado - Promiscuous
    2006: Lorraine - Transatlantic Flight
    2006: Bob Sinclar - World, Hold On
    2005: Pharrell - Angel
    2005: Deep Dish ft Stevie Nicks - Dreams
    2005: Ernesto Vs Bastian - Dark Side Of The Moon (with Sebastian Ingrosso)
    2005: Hard Fi - Hard To Beat
    2005: Roger Sanchez - Turn On The Music
    2005: Jerry Ropero & Dennis The Menace - Coração
    2005: C-Mos - 2 Million Ways
    2005: Average White Band - Let's Go Round Again
    2005: Rasmus Faber - Get Over Here
    2004: DJ Flex - Love 4 U
    2004: Usher - Burn
    2004: Mia Taylor - Shine
    2003: Eric Prydz - Slammin
    2003: Souledz - You Can't Hide Your Love
    2003: The Attic - Destiny
    2003: Clipse Ft Faith Evans - Mah I Don't Love Her
    2002: Room 5 - Make Luv
    2002: Soulsearcher - Feelin Love
    2002: Afro Angel - Join Me Brother
    2002: Deli pres. Demetreus - BetterLove
    2002: Robbie Rivera - Burning
    2002: Mendez - No Criminal
    2002: Playmaker - BlackPony
    2002: L'Stelle - Let It Go
    2002: Michelle Wilson - Love Connection
    2002: Mendez - Adrenaline
    2002: Enamor - I Believe
    2001: MixMaster & Axwell - Summerbreeze
    2001: Waako - I Get Lifted
    2001: OceanSpirit - BourbonStreet
    2001: Mendez - Blanca!
    2001: MowRee - Luv Is Not To Win
    2001: LoveSelective - El Bimbo Latino
    2001: Murcielago - Los Americanos
    2001: MixMaster - Latin Session
    2001: Sahlene - House
    2001: EasyStreet feat. Nevada - Be With You
    2001: Bikini - Nite&Day
    2001: Cape - L.O.V.E
    2000: Lutricia McNeal - Sodapop
    2000: Stonebridge feat. Dayeene - I Like
    2000: Antiloop - Only U
    2000: Tin Pan Alley - My Love Has Got A Gun
    2000: Da Buzz - Let Me Love You
    2000: Juni Juliet - Back In My Arms
    2000: Elena Valente - Love Is
    2000: Domenicer - Dolce Marmellata

André Tanneberger, under the stagename of ATB, (born 26 February 1973, Freiberg, Saxony, East Germany) is a German DJ, musician, and producer of Trance music. According to the official world DJ rankings governed by DJ Magazine, ATB was ranked #11 in 2009.[1] as well as in 2010.[2] He is also ranked as world number 1 according to "The DJ List."

Background information
Birth name	André Tanneberger
Born	26 February 1973 (age 38)
Origin	Freiberg, Saxony, Germany
Genres	Electronic dance music
Occupations	DJ, Producer, Remixer
Years active	1998 – present
Labels	Kontor Records
Associated acts	see Co-production section of ATB discography.
Website	Official website

Musical career :

In the late 80s on the weekend Andre frequented club Tarm Center in Bochum, to listen to the music of DJ Thomas Kukula (better known as the General Base). In 1992, he decided himself to do music composition. His equipment consisted of an Amiga computer and a small synthesizer. Thomas, seeing a young boy, he offers to work in his recording studio to finish the song. In the studio, Andre used his first professional synthesizer Sequential Pro One, which gave him the idea to name his first project Sequential One.

Tanneberger started his music career at the dance music group Sequential One. He was the brain of the group from 1993 to 2002. In February 1993 under the name of Andre Sequential One released their debut single «Dance» and «Let Me Hear You». Singles brought them small financial benefits - Andre gained the opportunity to organize a mini-studio. In 1994 the band increased by 3 members: Ulrich Poppelbaum, Woody van Aiden and vocalist Morfa. In the early 1995 House Nation label on the first album Sequential One «Dance».

After the great success in his native Germany, Sequential One gradually became known in other countries of Europe. The second album, «Energy» apart from Germany, was also released in the Netherlands , Austria , Switzerland and Hungary. Despite the success and growing popularity of two members of the project - Woody van Aidan and Morpha - still left him in 1998. In the group were only Andre and Ullrich. In 1999 Sequential One ceased to exist. But shortly before the collapse, Andre managed to release the last single «Angels» and album of the best works of «Decades».

In 1998, Tanneberger also started a solo project named ATB. His first track under this name was "9pm (Till I Come)," included in the Movin' Melodies album, which topped the United Kingdom music charts in 1999 and is widely regarded as the UK's first trance number one.[3] The track features a guitar riff that became hugely popular. This guitar sound, which he accidentally found while experimenting with a new producing deck[citation needed], became the trademark of his early hits. ATB continues to evolve and change with every album. His current style involves more vocals and varied sounds, with frequent pianos.

Despite only releasing a few more singles in the UK, namely "Don't Stop!" and "Killer," he still regularly releases music in his native Germany and in other parts of Europe, where he has scored big hits such as "I Don't Wanna Stop" and his cover of Olive's 1996 hit "You're Not Alone."

Two Worlds (released in 2000) was his second studio album. It is a two-disc album based upon the concept of different types of music for different moods. The titles of the two CDs are: "The World of Movement" and "The Relaxing World." This album includes two songs featuring Heather Nova: "Love Will Find You" and "Feel You Like a River." Also the song "Let U Go" features on the "The World of Movement" disc featuring the vocals of Roberta Carter Harrison from the Canadian pop band Wild Strawberries.

His third album, Dedicated, was released in 2002. It includes two top hits: "Hold You" and "You're Not Alone." The title refers to the September 11 attacks. In 2003, ATB released Addicted To Music, which included hits such as "I Don't Wanna Stop" and "Long Way Home." The same year, ATB's first DVD was released, Addicted To Music DVD. It featured all his videos, a tour documentary and photographs.

ATB's hits "Ecstasy" and "Marrakech" came from the album No Silence (2004). "Marrakech" was also included on the soundtrack for the film Mindhunters.

In 2005, ATB released Seven Years, a compilation album of 20 songs, including all his singles. Additionally, Seven Years includes six new tracks, including the single "Humanity" and the 2005 rework of "Let U Go." Many of ATB's recent albums have featured vocals from Roberta Carter Harrison, singer for the Canadian band Wild Strawberries.

His next album, Trilogy, was released on 4 May 2007. The single "Justify" was released from The DJ 4 in the Mix compilation. The single "Renegade" was released on 12 April 2007, and features Heather Nova. The third single was "Feel Alive," released in July the same year.

In a Trance.nu interview on 11 May 2007, ATB considered "Don't Stop!" to be his worst production to date, and he no longer stands by it, due to it being similar to his first hit, "9pm (Till I Come)."[4]

He is married to Anna Tanneberger, and dedicated the song "A Dream About You," from the album Trilogy to her.

The album Future Memories, was released on the 5th of May 2009. The single, "What About Us," was already promoted and released.

As of 23 September 2010, ATB's most recent release, 'Could You Believe' reached #7 the US Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart.[5]

On 8 March 2011, ATB announced on that the title of his ninth studio album would be Distant Earth. On 10 March 2011, ATB announced that Distant Earth will be released on 29 April 2011.

Brazilian Girls was a band from New York City known for their eclectic blend of electronic dance music with musical styles as diverse as tango, chanson, house, reggae and lounge.[1] None of the members are actually from Brazil and the only female in the band is Sabina Sciubba.[2] Other members include keyboardist Didi Gutman, drummer Aaron Johnston and former bassist Jesse Murphy.

The band released three studio albums: their self-titled debut on 1 February 2005, Talk to La Bomb in 12 September 2006, and New York City on 5 August 2008.

Background information
Origin	New York City, New York, USA
Genres	Alternative dance Downtempo Electronic Pop
Years active	2003–2010
Labels	Verve Records, Verve Forecast
Website	braziliangirls.info
Members
Didi Gutman Aaron Johnston Sabina Sciubba
Past members
Jesse Murphy

History :

The band itself formed in 2003, while rocking out at a New York club, Nublu. While playing a weekly gig, the band wrote many of the original songs that would appear on their debut album, which was eventually released in February 2005.
In 2006, the band recorded "Crosseyed And Painless" for the AIDS benefit album Silencio=Muerte: Red Hot + Latin Redux produced by the Red Hot Organization, as well as releasing their second album, entitled Talk to La Bomb
Their third album, New York City came out in 2008. They toured through October, at which time the band took a break for Sciubba to deliver a child. The song "Good Time" off of New York City was featured in an ad for Amstel Light.
On January 25, 2011, the band wrote to its fans on Facebook: "It's becoming painfully obvious the band Brazilian Girls is over. We thank you from all our heart for your loving support and all the fun we had. ... Who knows, maybe when we're old and grey we'll do a reunion tour!"
In June 2011, despite rumors of a split, Brazilian Girls collaborated with Forró in the Dark and Angélique Kidjo on the track Aquele Abraço for the Red Hot Organization's newest charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.

Emilíana Torrini (born May 16, 1977) is an Icelandic singer, best known for her 2009 single Jungle Drum, 1999 album Love in the Time of Science and for performing "Gollum's Song" for Peter Jackson's film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Background information
Birth name	Emilíana Torrini
Born	May 16, 1977 (age 34)
Origin	Iceland
Genres	Indie pop, Alternative
Occupations	Singer, Songwriter
Instruments	Voice
Years active	1994–present
Labels	EMI, Rough Trade Records
Associated acts	GusGus, Kylie Minogue, Sneaker Pimps, Björk
Website	www.emilianatorrini.com

Early life :

Torrini grew up in Kópavogur, where, at the age of 7, she joined a choir as a soprano, until she went to opera school at the age of 15. In 1994, she became well-known in Iceland after winning the song competition of junior colleges in Iceland (Icelandic: Söngkeppni framhaldsskólanna), at the age of 17, singing "I Will Survive".

Her father is Italian and her mother is Icelandic. Because of name regulations in Iceland at the time, her father Salvatore Torrini had to change his name to "Davíð Eiríksson", which also implied that Emilíana Torrini had to use the surname after her father in the traditional way; "Emilíana Torrini Davíðsdóttir". A few years later, the name regulations were changed,[1] and she was again allowed to use her original surname.[2][3]

She grew up with her parents in Iceland. Her father owns and operates a well-known Italian restaurant in Iceland (Italia, located at Laugavegur 11 in Reykjavik) where she once worked as a waitress. After playing a session of gigs in London, Torrini decided to stay and live there. She has one child, a son, who was born September 6, 2010.

Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965),[2] better known by his stage name Moby, is an American DJ, singer-songwriter, and musician.

Moby sings and plays keyboard, guitar, bass guitar and drums. He became a successful artist on the ambient electronica scene, and achieved eight top 40 singles in the UK during the 1990s. In 1999 he released the album Play, a mix of melancholic chill-out, ambient music, and upbeat electronica, that was critically acclaimed and produced an impressive eight hit singles (including his most popular songs "South Side," "Porcelain," "Natural Blues," and "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?"). Play became a commercial success, selling over 10 million copies worldwide[3] (the best-selling electronica album ever)[citation needed] and with its eighteen songs receiving an unprecedented licensing in films, television and commercial advertisements.

His follow-up album, 18 (2002) was also successful, selling over 5 million copies worldwide and receiving mostly positive reviews. His next offer, the mostly upbeat Hotel (2005) received mixed reviews and sold around 2 million copies worldwide. Moby released his most recent albums, Last Night (2008) and Wait for Me (2009), finding higher critical acclaim and moderate sales. AllMusic considers Moby "one of the most important dance music figures of the early '90s, helping bring the music to a mainstream audience both in the UK and in America."[4] Moby's latest album, Destroyed, was released on May 13, 2011. Worldwide, Moby has sold over 20 million albums.[5]

Moby has also co-written, produced or remixed music for Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Brian Eno, Pet Shop Boys, Britney Spears, New Order, Public Enemy, Guns 'N' Roses, Metallica and more.

Background information
Birth name	Richard Melville Hall
Born	11 September 1965 (age 45) Harlem, New York, US
Origin	Darien, Connecticut, US
Genres	Electronic dance music Electronica Electronic rock Alternative rock Ambient
Occupations	DJ Singer-songwriter Musician
Instruments	Turntables Keyboards Guitar Bass guitar Vocals Drums
Years active	1982–present
Labels	Mute Records (UK), V2 Records (US), XL Recordings (UK), Elektra (US), Instinct (US), Outer Rhythm (UK), Virgin Records/EMI Records (Brazil)
Associated acts	Vatican Commandos, UHF, Voodoo Child, Diamondsnake,[1] Mylène Farmer
Website	moby.com

 2009–2010: Wait for Me :

In a November 2008 interview Moby spoke about the follow up album to Last Night. "I want to make a really emotional, beautiful record. I don't know if I will succeed, but my goal is to make something very personal, very melodic, very beautiful."[13] On 14 April Moby confirmed that the album would be released on the 30 June .[14] "I recorded the album here in my studio on the lower east side (although 'studio' always seems like an overly grand word for a bunch of equipment set up in a small bedroom). In the past I've worked in large and small studios, but for this record I wanted to record everything at home by myself," said Moby on his journal.[14] "I started working on the album about a year ago, and the creative impetus behind the record was hearing a David Lynch speech at BAFTA, in the UK. David was talking about creativity, and to paraphrase, about how creativity in and of itself, and without market pressures, is fine and good. It seems as if too often an artist's, musician's or writer's creative output is judged by how well it accommodates the marketplace, and how much market share it commands and how much money it generates. In making this record I wanted to focus on making something that I loved, without really being concerned about how it might be received by the marketplace. As a result it's a quieter and more melodic and more mournful and more personal record than some of the records I've made in the past."[14] The album, titled Wait for Me, was released in June 2009.[15] [16]

Moby and David Lynch discussed the recording process of the album on Lynch's online channel, David Lynch Foundation Television Beta.[17]

The first single off the album was "Shot in the Back of the Head," and the video for it was aptly directed by Moby's muse, David Lynch.[14] The single was available for free download from Moby's website.

Ken Thomas, who had previously produced some Sigur Rós albums, mixed Wait for Me.[14] According to Moby, "mixing the record with him (Thomas) was really nice, as he's creatively open to trying anything (like recording an old broken bakelite radio and running it through some broken old effects pedals to see what it would sound like. It's on the record as a 45 second long track called "Stock Radio"). And as a geeky technical aside, we mixed the record using purely analog equipment in true stereo, akin to how records were mixed in the late '60s, some of the songs sound pretty amazing in headphones, if I do say so myself..."[14]

Moby plans to tour for the new album with a full band again, something that occurred rarely during Moby's Last Night promotion, except for selected festival performances.[18] Moby raised between $75,000 and $100,000 to help those affected by domestic violence[19] after all funding for the state's domestic violence program was cut in July. To do this, he donated the profits from his upcoming shows in California (San Diego, San Francisco and Los Angeles). Moby headlined the Australian 2009 Falls Festival,[citation needed] as well as the other Sunset Sounds festivals.

On February 22, 2010, Moby announced a UGC competition with Genero.TV asking his fans to create a videoclip, that will be serviced worldwide as the official videoclip for his upcoming single "Wait for Me," the last single from his album Wait for Me. On April 19, Moby chose the winning videoclip out of 500 entries, "based on it's creativity, production value, concept, and humor."[20] The chosen videoclip, written and directed by Nimrod Shapira from Israel, portrays the story of a girl who decides to invite Moby into her life. She attempts to do so by using the "How to Summon Moby Guide for Dummies," putting herself through 10 bizarre and comical steps (each is a tribute to a different Moby videoclip). The single was released on May 4, 2010.

In March 2010, Moby released a new single "Wait For Me," the title track from his original album. It was released on May 3, 2010.

Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That". Following the release of their fourth single "Sometimes", the duo established themselves on the UK Singles Chart and became one of the most successful artists of the late-1980s and early-1990s.

From 1986 to 1997, Erasure achieved twenty-four consecutive Top 20 hits in the UK, while they only had 3 Top 20 hits in the USA (on the Billboard Hot 100) : "A Little Respect", "Chains of Love" and "Always". By 2009, 34 of their 45 singles & EPs (of which 8 out of the 45 were not chart eligible in the UK) had made the UK Top 40, with 17 climbing into the Top 10.

Labeled "the definitive synthpop superstars",[1] the duo is most popular in their native UK and Mainland Europe (especially Germany, Denmark and Sweden) and also in South America (especially in Argentina, Chile and Peru). To date, Erasure has sold over 25 million albums worldwide.[2]

The band is also popular within the LGBT community for which the openly gay singer Andy Bell has become a gay icon.

Background information
Origin	London, England
Genres	New Wave, synthpop
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Mute, Sire
Associated acts	Andy Bell Yazoo The Assembly Depeche Mode
Website	http://erasureinfo.com
Members
Vince Clarke Andy Bell

Beginnings and international success: 1985-1994 :

Erasure's first three singles were commercial failures in the UK, although the third, "Oh L'amour", charted well in Australia and a few European countries (especially in France, where it still remains Erasure's only hit to date). Their debut album, Wonderland, was mostly recorded in 1985 and released in June 1986. Although it only made the UK Top 75, it made a sizable impact in Germany, making the Top 20.

It was with the release of their fourth single, "Sometimes", that Erasure finally received recognition in the UK in late 1986. The song peaked at number two and spent many weeks in the UK Top 40, marking the beginning of a long string of major hits for the duo.

The single's parent album, The Circus, was released in March 1987 and reached number six and turned platinum in the UK with three additional hit singles: "It Doesn't Have To Be", "Victim of Love" and "The Circus". The album remained on the charts for over a year.

Erasure's third album, The Innocents, was released in April 1988. Preceded by the Top 10 single "Ship of Fools", the album hit number one in the UK on its initial release and returned to the summit a year later, eventually going triple platinum. It also turned platinum in the U.S., generating two Top 20 hits in "Chains of Love" and "A Little Respect".

Bell has said being so open about his sexuality meant they only remained an underground dance act in the US telling Spin magazine, "If I'd never said I was gay I think Erasure would've taken off years ago in America." Clarke explained to Kirk of Melody Maker magazine, "It came back to us that people in the record company in New York were saying it was really bad that Andy was making it plain he was gay because they were worried 'it would affect our sales.'"

In the UK they remained a mainstream pop act. The Innocents was the first of five consecutive number one albums for Erasure in the UK, including the greatest hits compilation Pop! The First 20 Hits. In November 1988, the Crackers International EP, led by the song "Stop!", hit number two in the UK singles chart. The albums Wild! (1989) and Chorus (1991) both contained four Top 20 singles and were major sellers.

Crackers International was bettered in 1992 by another EP, Abba-esque, covering four ABBA hits, which became Erasure's first (and to date only) number one in the UK Singles Chart. It featured a memorable video of the duo dressed in ABBA outfits, and was one of the principal drivers of the ABBA revival scene in the 1990s.

Also in 1990, Erasure contributed the song "Too Darn Hot" to the Cole Porter tribute album "Red Hot + Blue" produced by the Red Hot Organization. Later that year, a singles compilation, Pop! - the First 20 Hits, also hit number one and went triple platinum, featuring all the band's singles released from 1985 to 1992.

In 1994, Erasure released I Say I Say I Say, their fifth consecutive number one in the UK Albums Chart. Its first single, "Always", became the band's third Top 20 hit in the United States and became their final UK Top 5 hit until 2005.