DJ Darkzone
Encyclopedia
DJ Darkzone is a German
underground
electronic music
producer
and DJ
.
-only single
"I Like the House" under the alias "Beatproduction." The song became quite popular throughout local clubs and private radio stations and would earn Baur considerable success. With his newfound success, Baur went on to establish his own recording studio for his music and advertising productions, and he also founded a music publishing company.
One of the Manifold label's greatest successes came in 1995, when Baur, working under the alias "DJ Crack," released the song "Singular." The song was played during the Mayday
music festival of that year, and quickly became an underground club hit.
To this date, Baur has released numerous successful club hit singles, most popular in the underground club scene in Europe
. However, Baur's first move into the mainstream
music scene came when he licensed several of his label's songs to be included on the soundtrack
for the highly popular Rockstar
racing video game Midnight Club II
.
. Baur is notorious for his use of many aliases in order to differentiate between the many genres of his music productions. His use of numerous aliases arguably enhances his underground status to an extreme. Most of his releases are under the "DJ Darkzone" and "DJ Crack" aliases, both classified under techno and trance. DJ Darkzone is most famous in the United States for his song "Infinity in Your Hands," which was primarily featured in the commercials for Midnight Club 2.
Under another alias, "Michael da Brain," Baur produces songs in the acid techno
genre. Fellow label producers Franz Merwald and Ray Clarke also produce their own acid techno songs under their own separate aliases. Together, the three release their acid techno songs under the group alias "Brain," sometimes collaborating on individual Brain songs as well. Along with their song names, Brain songs are given numbers in the order of their time of release, starting from "Brain 1."
Michael Baur and several other artists (including labelmates Ray Clarke and Eric del Mar) produce songs under the group alias "Code" in the same fashion as "Brain." Baur has over 13 unique aliases, not including those used in group aliases. Genres of his music include, but are not limited to: hip hop
, hardcore techno
, jungle
, acid techno, trance, dance, and house. Michael Baur tends to remix his labelmates' songs exclusively. He has been known to remix one of his own songs and then attribute the mix to a different alias of his.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
underground
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
.
Career
Baur worked for some time as a club DJ, a radio DJ, and a music producer for various advertising companies. In 1989, Baur expanded his musical career by establishing the Manifold Records Music & Marketing label. For the label's first release, Baur produced the vinylGramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
-only single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"I Like the House" under the alias "Beatproduction." The song became quite popular throughout local clubs and private radio stations and would earn Baur considerable success. With his newfound success, Baur went on to establish his own recording studio for his music and advertising productions, and he also founded a music publishing company.
One of the Manifold label's greatest successes came in 1995, when Baur, working under the alias "DJ Crack," released the song "Singular." The song was played during the Mayday
Mayday (music)
Mayday, like the former Love Parade, is one of the oldest and most reputed electronic music festivals in Germany, having its debut on 1991. Despite the name, Mayday festivals date oscilates between 30 April and December...
music festival of that year, and quickly became an underground club hit.
To this date, Baur has released numerous successful club hit singles, most popular in the underground club scene in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. However, Baur's first move into the mainstream
Mainstream
Mainstream is, generally, the common current thought of the majority. However, the mainstream is far from cohesive; rather the concept is often considered a cultural construct....
music scene came when he licensed several of his label's songs to be included on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the highly popular Rockstar
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...
racing video game Midnight Club II
Midnight Club II
Midnight Club II is the first sequel to Midnight Club: Street Racing, published for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows. Players race through cities inspired by Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo...
.
Genres and aliases
Currently, Michael Baur tours as a club DJ throughout Europe and the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Baur is notorious for his use of many aliases in order to differentiate between the many genres of his music productions. His use of numerous aliases arguably enhances his underground status to an extreme. Most of his releases are under the "DJ Darkzone" and "DJ Crack" aliases, both classified under techno and trance. DJ Darkzone is most famous in the United States for his song "Infinity in Your Hands," which was primarily featured in the commercials for Midnight Club 2.
Under another alias, "Michael da Brain," Baur produces songs in the acid techno
Acid techno
Acid techno is the term used to describe a style of techno that developed out of late 1980s Chicago Acid house. Acid house was essentially house music made with a specific sound, obtained by using very distinctive instruments created mainly by Roland, such as the TB-303 for bass and lead sounds,...
genre. Fellow label producers Franz Merwald and Ray Clarke also produce their own acid techno songs under their own separate aliases. Together, the three release their acid techno songs under the group alias "Brain," sometimes collaborating on individual Brain songs as well. Along with their song names, Brain songs are given numbers in the order of their time of release, starting from "Brain 1."
Michael Baur and several other artists (including labelmates Ray Clarke and Eric del Mar) produce songs under the group alias "Code" in the same fashion as "Brain." Baur has over 13 unique aliases, not including those used in group aliases. Genres of his music include, but are not limited to: hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, hardcore techno
Hardcore techno
Hardcore techno is a type of electronic music typified by the rhythmic use of distorted and atonal industrial-like beats and samples...
, jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
, acid techno, trance, dance, and house. Michael Baur tends to remix his labelmates' songs exclusively. He has been known to remix one of his own songs and then attribute the mix to a different alias of his.
Singles
- 1999 Des Teufels Antwort
- 2000 Watching You
- 2000 Power & Energy
- 2001 The Human Form
- 2002 Overdrive
- 2002 Megamix
- 2002 Infinity in Your Hands
- 2002 Da Name of My DJ
- 2004 Melo Surrounding
DJ Mix Compilations
- 2000 DJ Darkzone at the Club
- 2001 DJ Darkzone Presents Power & Energy 2001
- 2001 DJ Darkzone Presents Clubmasters
- 2002 DJ Darkzone vs. DJ Crack - Techno Universe
- 2003 Webster HallWebster HallWebster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...
TranzWorld All Stars V.3 - DJ Darkzone vs. DJ Crack - 2005 DJ Darkzone Presents Club Stars
External links
- Manifold Records Music & Marketing Official Website (link works only in Internet Explorer)
- Discography on Discogs.com
- Midnight Club II Official Website