Darude
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darude (Ville Virtanen) (July 17, 1975) is an electronic dance music producer and DJ from Eura, Hinnerjoki, Finland. Debuting in 1999 with the smash single Sandstorm and subsequent album Before the Storm, Darude is known worldwide for his progressive/uplifting style.
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[edit] Biography
[edit] Beginnings
Virtanen started his career as an amateur musician while in high school, making music using his PC's tracker software. As his interest in music production rapidly grew (and his grades correspondingly dropped), he moved on to more serious production techniques.
While at a classmate's party, Virtanen repeatedly played the song Rude Boy by Swedish artist Leila K. This earned him the nickname "Rude Boy", which gradually morphed into "Da Rude", which in turn inspired the name "Darude".
Virtanen continued producing music while in technical school, occasionally releasing demos to radio stations beginning in 1997, and offering his music for download on MP3.com. In 1999, he gave a demo for Sandstorm to his producer, JS16 (Jaakko Salovaara). Virtanen signed on with JS16's 16 Inch Records label, and shortly thereafter, Sandstorm was released as a single.
[edit] Early career
Sandstorm was a smash hit in Finland, topping the Finnish Single Chart, selling platinum and holding the #1 spot on the Finnish Dance Chart for seventeen consecutive weeks. Word quickly spread about the track, which found global success. After becoming the #3 single in the United Kingdom (Becoming the first record by a Finnish artist to do so), Sandstorm eventually sold 2 million units worldwide, and was the world's biggest selling 12-inch record in 2000.
Shortly thereafter, Darude released his debut album, Before the Storm, selling 800,000 copies worldwide, topping the Finnish album charts, and earning him three Finnish Grammy awards. Before the Storm was produced by JS16, and features two of his remixes.
Darude's second single, Feel the Beat, closely followed the success of Sandstorm, reaching #5 on the UK Singles chart. Subsequent releases, Out of Control, and Out of Control (Back for More) (A remix of the former, featuring vocals by Tammie Marie) failed to match the success of Darude's first two singles.
[edit] Recent developments
Darude began a successful world tour in 2001, releasing Before the Storm: Australian Tour Edition in the process. 2002 saw the release of Before the Storm: Special Edition, featuring a collection of remixes of Darude's work. Since the release of Rush, Darude has remained on the road, particularly the United States and Eastern Europe.
In 2003, Darude released his second album, Rush, along with singles Music and Next to You. All three had modest success, with Rush reaching #4 in weekly Finnish album sales and Next to You being commonly featured in DJ mixes.
Darude's expected third album is tentatively named Label This!.
[edit] Trivia
According to a newspaper story, Darude once spotted the famous Finnish musician Kirka Babitzin in a train, and asked him for his autograph. Babitzin refused, saying "You're too young to like my music anyway. Why don't you go ask that Darude guy for his autograph?" Darude answered that that would be a bit too difficult, because he was himself Darude.
Darude is also known for his quirky crowd interactions while on tour. He often communicates with the crowd by holding up cryptic signs, sometimes featuring coded shout-outs to members of the audience, or sometimes simply a smiley face. Darude has also in the past recorded his cheering crowds live and mixed their chanting into his music.
Darude is currently ranked #24 on the DJ List (Link) and #84 in the DJ Mag Top 100 (Link).
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 2000: "Before the Storm"
- 2002: "Before the Storm Special Edition"
- 2003: "Rush"
[edit] Singles
- 1999: "Sandstorm"
- 2000: "Feel the Beat"
- 2000: "Out of Control"
- 2001: "Out of Control (Back for More)"
- 2003: "Music"
- 2003: "Next to You"
[edit] Remixes
- 2000: Rising Star - "Touch Me (Darude Remix)"
- 2000: Rising Star - "Touch Me (Darude's Sandstorm Mix)"
- 2000: Blank & Jones - "Beyond Time (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: DJ Alligator - "Blow My Sandstorm Whistle (Dj F.A.S.A. Mix)"
- 2000: Boom! - "Boy Versus Girls (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: Barcode Brothers - "Dooh Dooh (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: JDS - "Nine Ways (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: Waldo's People - "No-Man's-Land (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: Waldo's People - "1000 Ways (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: ATB - "The Fields of Love (Darude Remix)"
- 2000: Bleachin' - "Peakin' (Darude vs. JS16 Short Version)"
- 2000: Bleachin' - "Peakin' (Darude vs. JS16 Long Version)"
- 2001: Safri Duo - "Played A-Live (The Bongo Song)(Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2001: The Thrillseekers - "Synaesthesia (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2002: DJ Alligator Project - "Lollipop (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
