Moonbeam (band)

Moonbeam is a Russian electronic music project, founded in 2003 by brothers Vitaly and Pavel Khaleev. The name was coined by one of the project's singers, Chris Lunsford. By writing their own house, techno, trance, dubstep, and minimal techno tracks and remixes, the duo has amassed fans around the world. In 2008 the group released their debut album Storm of Clouds in Russia, followed by the world premiere of the record Consumption. In 2010 Moonbeam was listed in DJ Magazine's Top 100 DJs at position number 42, becoming the third Russian musician in history to make the list. At the end of March 2010 the group released the studio album Around The World on the Dutch label Black Hole Recordings.[1]

Biography

Vitaly (born September 17, 1979) and Pavel (born May 27, 1984) Hvaleev were born in the city of Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan, Russia. In 1996 Vitaly graduated from one of the local schools and enrolled in Nizhny Novgorod State Pedagogical University's geography department, and then continued his studies in graduate school, earning a degree in human psychophysiology. Pavel, after graduating from high school, attended Kazan State Technical University. In 1999, Vitaly moved to Nizhny Novgorod, where he began working as a DJ at Pechora, a local nightclub. Pavel moved to the same city five years later.

Early Work

As students, Pavel and Vitaly began to create tracks, remixes and arrangements using all sorts of samples, and with the availability of computers pursued this more intensely. While working under the pseudonym "Black & Cap", they wrote several tracks, including a mix of the song "Flow" with Anastasia Sorokina. After a few successful experiments, in 1997 the project changed its name to "Exaltation" and began work with guitarist Sergey Fedotov. Working together in the studio, the team also performed at small parties in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia. In 2002 a local newspaper published an article about the project, where the brothers spoke about their work and shared their plans for the future, including performances in nearby towns.

Career

In 2003, American vocalist Chris Lunsford came to Nizhny Novgorod; the brothers recorded the track "Raven Gypsy" with him, and then created 2 more works: "Consumption" and "Forgotten Grey". At this time the brothers took a new alias, "Moonbeam". In 2004 they released their first single with Portuguese label Feed Me Records. Pavel and Vitaly then went to Zurich and gave their first official performance at the nightclub Supermarket.

2005-2007

At the end of 2005 Moonbeam created a platform for the release of their own works, the first Russian digital record label Moonbeam Digital (with sub-labels - Disoma Records and Moon Tribal Records, which have since closed). Moonbeam Digital has worked with Jeff Bennett, Jon Silva, Joshua Collins, Stephan Hinz, LeRon, Yves Eaux, and others. Besides its own label, the project appeared on labels such as Distraekt Records, Feed Me Records, Flow Records, Dirty Blue Records, Kickin Records, Pure Substance, and Toes In The Sand Recordings. In cooperation with German label Traum Schallplatten, the group published the EPs "Eclipse" and "Spring Story".

In 2006 the Swiss division of Universal Music signed an agreement with Moonbeam to include their vocal single "Malaria" in the compilation "Private Fiction Vol.3". Later on, the track "Vision" (Main Mix) was included in a compilation by DJ Hell on the label International Deejay Gigolo Records.

2007-2009

In 2007 Moonbeam signed contracts with some of the biggest labels in the Netherlands - High Contrast Recordings, which released the Cocoon EP, and Black Hole Recordings, which became home to two new releases, "I Love Mornings" and "See The Difference Inside".

2008 began with a remix of Perfect Strangers' "Ode Ao Sol". Later, Moonbeam published a remix of Marcus Schossow's "Chase My Rabbit" on Black Hole Recordings.

In addition, Markus Schulz includes Moonbeam's remix of Lens' "Beyond The Shadows" in his compilation Amsterdam'08, and Incentive Company and Ministry of Sound signed a contract to produce a remix in the UK and Ireland. In 2008 many of Moonbeam's original tracks and remixes found their way into various collections, such as Mr Sam's "Opus Secundo", Trance Mission, Trance Energy, Ibiza Trance House 2008, and others.

In the spring of 2008 the brothers went on an international tour, stopping in places such as Miami, Japan, and Australia. At the end of the same year, English label SOUNDZ produced the world premiere of the album "Consumption".

2009-2010

2009 saw the release of the single "30 Days Of Drought", which was released on the label Proton Music. This was followed by several more releases on various labels. In late spring Moonbeam took part in a Depeche Mode remix contest. A month later, the duo opened for Tiesto in the "Tiesto Summer Tour" in Kiev. Many tracks were released during this period, including the single "Angel / Lacula" on the label Black Hole Recordings and several remixes. The group toured in Germany, Holland, India, France, Japan, Australia, Ukraine, and Russia.

At the end of 2009, the track "About You" (ft. Avis Vox) was included in the compilation A State Of Trance Yearmix 2009, mixed by Armin van Buuren. In late 2009, Moonbeam announced that they would release a new studio album, titled Around the World, on March 22, 2010 on the label Black Hole Recordings.

Radio Show

Moonbeam produces "Moonbeam Music", a monthly one-hour radio show showcasing their own songs as well as those of similar artists.[2]

Discography

Albums

Compilations

DJ Mixes

Videography

References

  1. ↑ http://www.moonbeamonline.net
  2. ↑ https://soundcloud.com/moonbeamru

External links