Featured Artist: Darude

ARTIST BIO

To date, Darude remains one of dance music's most influential stars. At the age of 24 and at the height of the trance boom of the early '00s, Finnish electronic artist Ville Virtanen created the milestone single 'Sandstorm' under his pseudonym Darude. The track became one of the biggest-selling dance singles in electronic dance music history. With global sales of over 10 million units and more than 600 million streams, making it one of the most significant trance records ever made. 

What started as a national release in Finland would become a worldwide phenomenon. Achieving the #1 spot on the Finnish Dance Chart, where it would dominate for 17 weeks. 'Sandstorm' would become the world's best-selling 12" vinyl by the end of 2000. 'Sandstorm' achieved cult-like status and earned support from industry tastemakers such as Radio 1's Pete Tong, Tiësto and Paul van Dyk. The single also received pan-wide international radio support. More recently, DJs such as Calvin Harris, Zane Lowe, Martin Garrix, Hardwell, Diplo, and David Guetta have played the track.

In September 2000, Darude released his debut artist album, Before the Storm. The album went double Platinum in Finland and Gold in Canada. Darude embarked on an album tour with shows throughout Europe, Australasia, and Asia. Before heading to North America for a 7-week run of shows. Where he solidified his name throughout the North American club scene.

In 2003 Darude released his 2nd artist album, Rush. The first two singles from the album, 'Music' and 'Next to You' conquered the #1 position on various charts across Europe. In 2006, after several years on the road, Darude returned to the studio to work on his 3rd artist album, aptly titled, 'Label This!'. The album was a melting pot of the modern sound of Darude.

Over the years, Darude has won various prestigious awards, including 2 x German Dance Awards, a Dance Star Award, a USA Golden Turntable DJ Award, and is a 3 x Finnish Grammy Award winner. Darude has also been featured in polls, such as the Top 100 DJs and America's Favourite DJ and had 'Sandstorm' listed in polls for one of the ‘greatest dance track of all time’.

With appearances globally across radio and TV, the sound of Darude has featured in Hollywood movies, adverts for Nike, and PlayStation, as well as being a popular feature for sporting broadcasts like the NFL, Ice Hockey World Championships, Wimbledon, UFC, Premier League, UEFA European Championship, Winter Olympics, and FIFA World Cup. Additionally, Darude's 'Sandstorm' footprint would also weave itself into the fabric of the dawn of the Esports streaming era.

As a touring artist, Darude's music has taken him to perform at the most notable events dance music offers. From festival appearances for Tomorrowland to Parookaville, Dancefestopia, Colors Festival, Radio 1's One Big Sunday, Groove Cruise, Weekend Festival Baltic, and Future Music Festival. Darude has also headlined many of the world's best clubs, including Ministry of Sound, Exchange LA, and Home. A proud Finnish native, Darude was honoured with ushering in 2017 with a New Year's Eve countdown performance in front of 100,000 people to celebrate 100 years of Finnish independence. 

Following several years of straight touring, Darude returned to the studio to complete his 4th artist album 'Moments'. The 2015 release was a new and exciting chapter in his career, showcasing a range of styles and influences, featuring both song-led and club-focused records. The 'Moments' era of Darude's career began with the widely acclaimed first single 'Beautiful Alien', followed by the album's release through Warner Music.

That same year, he embarked on his Moments tour, playing dates across North America, culminating in a headline slot alongside deadmau5 at the after-party for the inaugural TwitchCon in San Francisco. Darude returned the following year to headline TwitchCon's 2016 event alongside Dim Mak boss Steve Aoki. 

Other new music came in the form of 'Singularity', a remix of Max Millian's 'You Are The One', and 'Surrender', a collaboration with Ashley Wallbridge and on Gareth Emery's Garuda imprint. 'Surrender' premiered on Armin van Buuren's ASOT and later claimed the #1 spot in the Beatport Trance charts. Other subsequent releases followed on Garuda, including 'Timeless' and 'Hide' on Magik Muzik, a remix for Gabriel & Dresden's single 'Twelve' on Anjunabeats and a rework of tyDi and JES' 'Just Believe' on Blackhole Recordings.

Ever the experimentalist with his music, Darude accepted an invite to represent his home country Finland in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest held in Tel Aviv - the world's biggest live music event uniting some 200 million people every May. Working with The Giant Leap frontman Sebastian Rejman, Darude appeared at Eurovision with the nation's selected song choice, 'Look Away'. The song was one of three possible options that included 'Release Me' and 'Superman'. All tracks were signed and released via Armada Music. 

With further touring across North America, Australasia and beyond. Darude has continued to enthral crowds worldwide, making recent appearances at prominent events such as Dreamstate SoCal, Ministry of Sound and Tomorrowland. Alongside his in-person appearances, fans have also been able to catch him during his weekly live-streaming party #VibingOut. The show format allows Darude to connect with fans, chat with guests, discuss production topics and industry insights, and throw down a DJ set. 

 2023 is the beginning of a new chapter in the #VibingOut story. With an ambitious drive to nurture impactful new music, embrace new technologies, and support artists. Darude will evolve the spirit of Vibing Out into a broader creative hub by launching his audio and visual record label of the same name.

TRACKLIST

    • Gabriel & Dresden - Bias (Extended Mix)
    • Grum ft. Sarah Appel - Come Alive (Tommy Farrow Extended Mix)
    • Above & Beyond & Andy Moor - Air For Life (Dosem Extended Mix)
    • Collide The Sky & Dark Matter - Dark Sky (Extended Mix) 
    • Adam Novy - How I Feel My Love (Original Mix)
    • LÜRUM - Eccentricity (Extended Mix) 
    • Adip Kiyoi ft. Romy Wave - Found You (Extended Mix)
    • James Hype & Miggy Dela Rosa - Ferrari (Luke Bond & Triqz Future Rave Remix)
    • Darude & House Body & Oskr - Outlaws (Extended Mix)
    • Kojun & Kev Blundy - Nova Aurora (Original Mix) 
    • Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus (Kajis 'Warmup' Bootleg)
    • Above & Beyond - Screwdriver (Jono Grants Summer Of 95 Extended Mix) 
    • Genix - Fly Away
    • StanV - The Embrace (Extended Mix) 
    • Andrew Bayer & Kaleena Zanders - Break The Rules (Extended Mix)

        Recent Episodes

        Artists

        Read More