Darude

Darude or Ville Virtanen has been playing ‘em since he was in school. Born on july 17,1975 in Eura, Finland, this producer-cum-DJ is known for his progressive sound. Inspired by other great people’s great music on radio, he has evolved to become a favorite role model for aspiring DJs himself.

Darude is a tech freak using the latest in both hardware and software for making those uplifting sounds. The name Darude actually developed when he played one particular song many times at a pre-party in his friend’s house. The song was ‘Rude Boy’ by Swedish artist Leila K. Friends soon started calling him ‘Rude Boy’ which gradually developed to ‘The Rude’, ‘Da Rude’, and finally settled down at ‘Darude’.

Darude’s career kickstarted when acclaimed Finnish dance producer Jaakko ‘JS18’ Salovaara got interested in one of his compositions and signed him to his label 16 Inch Records and co-produced a track called ‘Sandstorm’. It went directly to the #1 position on the Finnish Dance Chart and hovered around the top mark for an incredible 17 weeks! Darude was to become the first Finnish artist ever to reach the top three positions on the UK singles chart, beginning an eventful musical journey.

‘Sandstorm’ took the world by storm selling platinum in Scandinavia and Ireland and going gold in Germany and the UK. Overall it sold about 2 millions copies worldwide being the world’s best selling 12” vinyl in 2000. ‘Feel The Beat’ the second single went on to top the Finnish Dance Chart, Mixology Dance Chart in UK , the UK Club Chart, and the Australian Dance Chart. His debut album ‘Before the Storm’ sold about 800,000 units worldwide.

Hitting the road regularly for around nine months in 2001, Darude was a phenomenal success with frenzied fans. Come 2002 and Darude finished a seven week Tour de Trance in the US making him the most sought after artist.

Then came his second album ‘Rush’ in 2003 with the first single titled ‘Music’, which went on to top the Finnish Singles Chart and the Finnish Dance Chart. The second single ‘Next to You’ again topped the Finnish Singles Chart on release. Both these singles were supported by some famous names in the DJ world including Ferry Corsten.

Darude has also successfully dabbled with Hollywood movies scoring for movies like ‘Ballistic’, ‘Ecks vs. Sever’ and ‘Like Mike’. He has also composed music for mobile ring tones, big sports broadcasts like the Olympics and Ice Hockey World Championships, and Playstation games.

2004 saw him tour officially as a DJ and his popularity continued to soar to greater heights. His uplifting melodic trance coupled with some tech, house and breaks, with an occasional foray into heavy metal have meant that dance floors would never be the same again. His Midas touch is evident from the fact that within one year of officially being behind the turntables, he has been voted the #97 on DJ Magazine Top 100 list.

Darude’s monthly mix show ‘Salmiakki Sessions with Darude’ on ETN.fm from 2005 is a great hit. Darude also does many guest mixes on top radio programs. Prominent among them is the show he does with Above & Beyond’s ‘Trance around the World’ on the Ministry of Sound Radio UK. Tune in for some fabulous trance.

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