Darude
Encyclopedia
Ville Virtanen better known by his stage name
Darude is a trance
producer
and DJ
from Eura
, Hinnerjoki, Finland
. Debuting in 1995, he released the hit single
"Sandstorm
" in late 1999 and subsequent album
Before the Storm. His music is characterized by its progressive/uplifting style.
While at a classmate's party, Virtanen played the song "Rude Boy" (written by Swedish
artist Leila K
) four times. 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.
"Sandstorm" was a smash hit #3 in Finland and UK, 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 single
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
," followed the success of "Sandstorm", reaching #1 in Finland for 2 weeks and #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.
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.
"Tell Me" was released in Finland on April 11, 2007 and "My Game" on September 19, 2007. The Finnish release date for Label This! was October 24, 2007.
Darude is currently ranked #96 on the DJ List as of December 11, 2010 and #314 in the DJ Mag Top 100.
World famous Brazilian mixed martial arts star and former PRIDE FC Middleweight champion Wanderlei 'The Axe Murderer' Silva currently uses "Sandstorm" as his entrance music for fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Sandstorm can also be heard playing at many sporting events worldwide.
Darude launched a label on January 1, 2011 with USA producer/DJ Randy Boyer called EnMass Music.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Darude is a trance
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
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...
from Eura
Eura
Eura is a municipality of Finland.It is located in the province of Western Finland and is part of the Satakunta region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is ....
, Hinnerjoki, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. Debuting in 1995, he released the hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Sandstorm
Sandstorm (song)
"Sandstorm" is a song by Finnish trance producer and DJ Darude. It was released on November 15, 1999 in Finland by 16 Inch Records, and re-released in Europe in 2000. "Sandstorm" was the best-selling 12" single worldwide in 2000...
" in late 1999 and subsequent album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Before the Storm. His music is characterized by its progressive/uplifting style.
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, he moved on to more serious production techniques.While at a classmate's party, Virtanen played the song "Rude Boy" (written by Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
artist Leila K
Leila K
Laila El Khalifi better known by her stage name Leila K, is a Swedish Eurodance singer and former rapper of Moroccan descent.-Biography:...
) four times. 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
MP3.com
MP3.com is a web site operated by CNET Networks providing information about digital music and artists, songs, services, community, and technologies. It is probably better known for its original incarnation, as a legal, free music-sharing service, popular with independent musicians for promoting...
. In 1999, he gave a demo for "Sandstorm" to his producer, JS16
JS16
JS16, real name Jaakko Salovaara, is a Finnish musician and record producer. He owns the dance music record label 16 Inch Records.His first release was the vinyl Hypnosynthesis at the age of 16...
(Jaakko Salovaara). Virtanen signed on with JS16's 16 Inch Records label, and shortly thereafter, "Sandstorm" was released as a single.
Early career
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
(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 single
12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
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
Feel the Beat
"Feel the Beat" is a 2000 song by Finnish DJ Darude. It was the second single from his debut album Before the Storm. It achieved some success throughout Europe, Oceania, and America. It even topped the singles charts in Finland and was a top ten hit in UK, Ireland, Canada and U.S...
," followed the success of "Sandstorm", reaching #1 in Finland for 2 weeks and #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.
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.
Recent developments
Darude is currently ranked #96 on the DJ List as of December 11, 2010 and #314 in the DJ Mag Top 100.
World famous Brazilian mixed martial arts star and former PRIDE FC Middleweight champion Wanderlei 'The Axe Murderer' Silva currently uses "Sandstorm" as his entrance music for fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Sandstorm can also be heard playing at many sporting events worldwide.
Darude launched a label on January 1, 2011 with USA producer/DJ Randy Boyer called EnMass Music.
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
FIN |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
SWE Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
US Dan |
US Indie Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
|||||||
| Before the Storm |
|
36 | 18 | 1 | 34 | 14 | 9 | 6 | 11 | |||||
| Rush Rush (Darude album) -Track listing:... |
|
— | — | 4 | — | — | — | 11 | — | |||||
| Label This |
Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIN | FIN Dance | UK United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
IRE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
NOR | SWE | NED Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
AUT Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
U.S. Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|||
| 1999 | "Sandstorm Sandstorm (song) "Sandstorm" is a song by Finnish trance producer and DJ Darude. It was released on November 15, 1999 in Finland by 16 Inch Records, and re-released in Europe in 2000. "Sandstorm" was the best-selling 12" single worldwide in 2000... " |
3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 40 | 5 | 83 | Before the Storm |
| 2000 | "Feel the Beat Feel the Beat "Feel the Beat" is a 2000 song by Finnish DJ Darude. It was the second single from his debut album Before the Storm. It achieved some success throughout Europe, Oceania, and America. It even topped the singles charts in Finland and was a top ten hit in UK, Ireland, Canada and U.S... " |
1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 24 | 25 | 7 | 20 | 5 | — | |
| "Out of Control" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001 | "Out of Control (Back for More)" | 12 | — | 13 | — | — | 52 | — | 50 | 72 | — | 45 | — | — | |
| 2003 | "Music" | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 51 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Rush Rush (Darude album) -Track listing:... |
| "Next to You" | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | "Tell Me" | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Label This! Label This! Label This! is a 2007 electronica dance album, the third from Finnish trance DJ Darude. The American edition was released in 2008, with the notable inclusion of Darude's newest single, "I Ran " featuring Blake Lewis, as the third track on the album... |
| "My Game" | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008 | "In the Darkness" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Selfless" ft. Blake Lewis | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dance4Life | |
| "I Ran (So Far Away) I Ran (So Far Away) "I Ran" is a song by English New Wave band A Flock of Seagulls. It was released on their debut album A Flock of Seagulls in 1982 and was its most successful single, reaching number 9 in the United States and number 1 in Australia.-Single:The single was promoted by a distinctive music video in... " ft. Blake Lewis |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Label This! (US Edition) | |
Official remixes and other productions
- 2000: Rising Star – "Touch Me (Darude Remix)"
- 2000: Rising Star – "Touch Me (Darude's Sandstorm Mix)"
- 2000: Blank & JonesBlank & JonesBlank & Jones is a Cologne, Germany based Trance duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank , known as Piet Blank; René Runge , better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold...
– "Beyond Time (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: Boom! – "Boy Versus Girls (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2000: Barcode BrothersBarcode BrothersBarcode Brothers was a Danish trance-duo consisting of Christian Møller Nielsen and Anders Øland. They are known for club hits like "Dooh Dooh", "Flute" and "SMS", and released two studio albums before disbanding in 2004.-Singles:*"Dooh Dooh"...
– "Dooh Dooh (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: JDSJDSJDS is a three letter acronym that can stand for*Java Desktop System* Jewish Day School* JDS Uniphase Common short form still in use from before the mergers with Fitel and Uniphase* Japan Defense Ship, a ship prefix in the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force...
– "Nine Ways (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: Waldo's PeopleWaldo's PeopleWaldo's People is a Finnish Eurodance band. The lead singer of the band is Waldo, whose real name is Marko Reijonen. They represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song "Lose Control". It won a place for the Eurovision final on May 16 as the jury's chosen act...
– "No-Man's-Land (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: Waldo's PeopleWaldo's PeopleWaldo's People is a Finnish Eurodance band. The lead singer of the band is Waldo, whose real name is Marko Reijonen. They represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, with the song "Lose Control". It won a place for the Eurovision final on May 16 as the jury's chosen act...
– "1000 Ways (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: ATB feat. YorkYork (group)York is a German electronica music duo, founded in 1997 by musicians and brothers Torsten and Jörg Stenzel. Producing downtempo, Chillout, House and Trance, their productions are known for catchy guitar hooks, atmospheric soundscapes and delicate dance textures....
– "The Fields of Love (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: Safri DuoSafri DuoSafri Duo is a Danish percussion duo composed of Uffe Savery and Morten Friis . Initially classically oriented, by 1999 they were discovered by a label executive working on classical music. After being signed, a track mixing both tribal sound and modern electronica was set to be released in 2000...
– "Played A-Live (The Bongo Song)(Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2000: The Thrillseekers – "Synaesthesia (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2001: Bleachin' – "Peakin' (Darude vs. JS16 Short Version)"
- 2001: Bleachin' – "Peakin' (Darude vs. JS16 Long Version)"
- 2001: JS16JS16JS16, real name Jaakko Salovaara, is a Finnish musician and record producer. He owns the dance music record label 16 Inch Records.His first release was the vinyl Hypnosynthesis at the age of 16...
– "Stomping System (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)" - 2002: DJ Aligator – "Lollipop (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)
- 2003: Gizelle – "Falling Over You (Darude vs. JS16 Remix)"
- 2004: KlamydiaKlamydiaKlamydia is a punk rock band from Vaasa, Finland. The band's name was chosen because it was the worst name that came to their minds. The band was assembled in 1988, and has been continuously active since then. The history of the band is long and eventful...
– "Darude's Aleksi Mutation" - 2008: Kenneth ThomasKenneth ThomasKenneth Thomas was Chief Financial Officer of the United States Chess Federation from April 23 to December 31, 2004. He took over the position of CFO of the USCF during a period of great financial distress, with the USCF having lost money seven years in a row, with total losses amounting to $1.7...
– "Stronger Creature (Darude Remix)" - 2009: Randy BoyerRandy BoyerRandy Boyer is an American DJ-producer and record company owner. He produces progressive and electro-trance tracks and he tours internationally.-History and accomplishments:...
& Kristina Sky feat. Cari Golden – "No Limit (Darude Remix)" - 2009: Alex Kunnari – "Eternity (Darude Remix)"
- 2010: J. Nitti feat. RowettaRowettaRowetta Idah , also known as Rowetta or Rowetta Satchell, is an English singer. She was originally a backing vocalist for the Happy Mondays, recording and touring with the band from 1991-2000...
– "No More Comin' Down (Darude Remix)" - 2010: Darude & Weirdness feat. Jo AngelJo AngelJo Angel is a former Australian cricketer who played in 4 Tests and 3 ODIs from 1993 to 1995....
– "Katson Autiota Hiekkarantaa" - 2010: 2AM2AM2AM is a South Korean four-member ballad boy band under JYP Entertainment. The members are Jo Kwon, Jinwoon, Seulong, and Changmin. 2AM is one of the two subgroups branched out from the eleven-member boy band One Day, the other being 2PM. They officially debuted on July 11, 2008 on KBS's Music...
vs. Darude feat. Georgia Haege – "Crazy World" - 2011: Paul Corson – "Midnight Train (Darude Original Mix)"
- 2011: Paul Corson – "Midnight Train (Darude Alternative Mix)"
- 2011: Randy BoyerRandy BoyerRandy Boyer is an American DJ-producer and record company owner. He produces progressive and electro-trance tracks and he tours internationally.-History and accomplishments:...
– "Brain Dysfunction (Darude Remix)" - 2011: Weirdness feat. Amy Hamblin – "Rain Falls On Me (Darude Remix)"