Hatiras, is a multi award-winning artist originally from Toronto, Canada. He has established himself as one of the planet's top, and most consistent electronic music DJs & producers.
Throughout the '90s Hatiras was involved in the scene as a rave promoter. He formed and led a promotions company called "Liquid Adrenaline" that attracted up to 10,000 people per event in zany venues including airplane hangers, train stations and convention halls.
His vast knowledge and contacts in the scene eventually led him into the world of music production and a fruitful record deal with IHR - the infamous Chicago based record label headed by Bad Boy Bill. At the time, the IHR/Mix Connection family, which included artists such as Hatiras, Paul Johnson, H-Foundation, CZR, Angel Alanis, Steve Smooth, JJ Flores and Bryan Cox was making a huge impact on the world of house music.
By 2001 Hatiras scored a massive worldwide hit called "Spaced Invader" that released on the UK's Defected Records and Australia's Ministry of Sound. It was exalted as one of the most successful house anthems of the new millennium. This technologically advanced, funk encoded song tracked at the number one position on Coolcuts and the UK's Buzz Chart, was repeatedly acclaimed as Pete Tong's "Essential New Tune", landed a top 20 UK hit and awarded Hatiras a prestigious Juno Award and Canadian SOCAN award for most radio airplay. It featured additional remixes from Hatiras, CZR, Olav Basoski, Darren Emerson, Ian Pooley, King Unique, J-Majik, Optical and High Contrast along with the exemplary vocal talents of Bassment Jaxx companion Slarta John. He quickly followed this release with the debut of his album "Arrival" that introduced a new style of energetic, spacey disco house that sent shock waves across the industry.
Receiving continuous support in clubs and heightening countless mix compilations, Hatiras’ funky sounds were heard complimenting the sets of DJs like Bad Boy Bill, Carl Cox, Dave Clarke, Judge Jules, Eric Morillo, Danny Rampling, Roger Sanchez, Danny Tenaglia, Pete Tong and The Chemical Brothers. With his energetic and wacky frequencies modulating the dance music scene, radio stations around the planet picked up the signals. Trade publications 7, DJ, Face, Jockey Slut, M8, Ministry, Mixmag, Loud, Move-X, Klublife and countless television programs raced to let the world know about Hatiras' new sound.
His original, wacky and energetic production style has been requested to remix for some of the biggest names and labels in the dance music world. His production wizardry has been featured on the music of artists such as pop diva Kylie Minogue, disco queen Loleatta Holloway, Kevin Irving, Junior Jack, Ministers de La Funk (Erick Morillo, Jose Nunez and Harry "Choo Choo" Romero), Tom Novy, Olav Basoski, Carole Pope, The Bomfunk MCs, MC Flipside, Canadian idol winner Eva Avila and labels including IHR, Azuli, Defected, Manifesto, Ministry of Sound, Parlophone, V2, Sony Records, Toolroom, PBR (to name just a few).
By 2004 Hatiras formed the first of his two record labels "Blow Media." Through this outlet Hatiras pushed a new brand of funky/electro house that featured collaborations with artists including France's Antoine Clamaran, Robbie Rivera, DJ Dan and the global introduction of a new breed of artists that included Macca, Adam K, Kid Massive, Chris Kaeser, Hirshee, MC Messinian and more. Notable releases included the massive "Money Shot", the Juno Award winning "Spanish Fly" and his collaborations with DJ Dan "Love For The Weekend" and "Baked From Scratch". He followed with a series of 3 albums called "Electronic Luv" and a fourth, joint album with Macca called "Whites & Dubs" that sold exceptionally well in a time where major labels were reeling from the effects of illegal digital downloading.
With the switch over to digital music in full effect, and the new domination of Beatport as the world's top digital download site for DJ music, Hatiras and his label Blow Media were among the first to embrace the new technology and release music digitally. His label increased the output, while maintaining quality to grow into one of the highest selling digital labels on Beatport, second only to a major label in the US. The impact of the Blow Media sound was felt around the world with an increased demand for Hatiras tour dates spanning the globe. Tour dates passed across Canada, USA, Japan, Colombia, Australia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, UK, Serbia and more).
By 2007 Hatiras was feeling overwhelmed by the exploded size of his Blow Media Label and all the administrative duties that came with it. He decided to go back to his artist roots and launch a more intimate, boutique label called Hatrax. The hit parade never stopped. In fact, Hatiras' sound continued to evolve with the times, adapt, and dominate both the charts and record crates. A new string of releases featured vocalist MC Flipside and fused elements of hip hop with new electro house ("Just The Tip", "Get Blahsted", "Autograph" and "Open Up Your Eyes"). Hatrax Records also saw the release of solo work ("Bass Monkeys", "This Sound", "Poppin Beats", etc.), collaborations with DJ Jelo ("Donkey Punch", "SpeakerHumper") and MC Messinian ("Out My Face" and "Tear The Roof Off"). All of these songs were, at the least, genre top tens on Beatport and often top tens overall (including many #1 spots).
By the end of 2008 Hatiras was nominated along with Deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Dave Spoon and Olivier Giacomotto as one of the top electro house artists on Beatport (a legitimate chart based on actual record sales not a fabrication based on advertising, payment or connections). Based on the momentum of his Hatrax releases Hatiras released a new album in 2008 called "Crazy Nights, Neon Lights". The album, which continues to be a huge success in both physical retailers and at iTunes led to the "Crazy Nights, Neon Lights" tour which lit up cities across the globe. The shows and adventures, which are all documented through online galleries have added more fuel to the fire, increasing Hatiras' direct friend/fan-base to over 100,000 and well over 1 million Myspace plays.
Throughout this whirlwind of touring and constant music production Hatiras continues to embrace the online world with the release of his weekly radio program called "Hatiras Presents." The show, which launched in 2006 on FM in Toronto, broadcasts to over a dozen stations and blogs worldwide. Each episode surpasses 100,000 listeners per show and can be found in the ipods and laptops of fans across the world. It features mixes by artists hand picked by Hatiras to help educate the masses on proper, fresh DJ-based music from the underground.
More recently, Hatiras has become involved with the Roots Society family of DJs that perform at the annual Burning Man festival that is attended by 50,000 people. Roots Society is spearheaded by dot-com guru Jefr Tale and consists of a true family of DJs and artists that include Hatiras, Joachim Garraud, DJ Dan, Jelo, Donald Glaude, Santiago & Bushido and others. They gather every year to camp in the desert, share their music and celebrate art and creative freedom. To try to explain the impact the Burning Man experience has on creative expression, evolution and community would only scratch the surface.
Hatiras continues to make a massive global impact and has no trouble keeping the clubs crowded with his supporters eager to join the gathering. Although he's been heavily involved in the dance/house music scene for well over a decade (and most of his life), he still feels that he's just "warming up" and has a lot of new tricks up his sleeve that'll continue to surprise us.
So what's next for Hatiras we ask? Well for one, tour dates and releases will continue at a frantic pace. New collaborations with DJ Dan, Laidback Luke and Dave Spoon are forthcoming. And you can expect him to revisit and update some of his classic sounds - including his "New Disco EP" and a forthcoming remix package of "Spaced Invader" for 2010 that features contributions by many of the industries heavyweights! Big!
Robb G is literally "in" the music when he's on stage, dripping with sweat as he screams at the crowd, possessed by the music while he throbs in a head banging body thrash. After seeing him live, there is no questioning that Robb G is a man who truly loves what he does. Known for his speedy beatmatching and continuously layered mixing, he's performed in Europe and from coast to coast in North America, appearing in over 50 cities on his native continent.
Robb G has had releases and remixes on over a dozen labels in the last decade. Remixing DJ Dan, Will Bailey, Hatiras and many more along the way. His 12 Inch Therapy single received tremendous acclaim, making its way to the top of URB, iDJ, and Mixmag’s Best Of 2008 lists. It hit the number 12 spot on the UK buzz charts and became the number 1 most requested song on Sirius Radio's Boombox Channel for the entire year. It is no surprise that the Plump DJs named him alongside Justice and Switch when asked who the most exciting producers are.
With his current releases being played by a cast as wide as Carl Cox to Kissy Sell Out, a second full-length album already in the works and a 2011 touring schedule that’s taking him to the far 4 corners of North America and abroad, Robb G stock is on the rise.
Spawned and groomed in to society in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, JED HARPER was obsessed with music from an early age, which he initially expressed in his teens as a Hip Hop DJ under the name JEDI. Knowing that he wanted to make music his life’s work, JED HARPER completed a Bachelors Degree in Radio & Television Arts at Ryerson University, which lead him to the epicenter of Canada’s nightlife community; Toronto.
While still attending University, JED HARPER began playing open format “mash up” sets around Toronto, which caught the attention of CKLN radio station; who helped him land his first residency at VINCE CARTER’s INSIDE nightclub in 2001. After signing as a resident at INSIDE, the offers started rolling in, and JED HARPER (under the name JEDI) quickly became a leading force in the new sound of “mash up”. “At the time, you either played Hip Hop, or you played House”, explains Jed. “I would typically be playing a 5 hour set at my residencies; so playing one genre was really limiting, and got dull quickly. So I started playing whatever I wanted; and it worked. This was when mash-up was starting to explode, so everyone was booking me; and I was playing out typically 6 nights a week for years.” Over the course of the next 8 years, JED HARPER held the title of main resident at a majority of Toronto’s leading nightclubs, including GUVERNMENT, CiRCA, THIS IS LONDON, CENTURY ROOM, LOT 332, CHEVAL, COBRA; the list goes on. You name the club; he was probably the resident at its height of popularity.
Along the way, JED HARPER had a plethora of achievements, including Deejaying for KANYE WEST, and performing alongside names such as DAVID GUETTA, ROGER SANCHEZ, BASEMENT JAXX, BLACK EYED PEAS, and WYCLEF JEAN. JED HARPER’s success also found him being requested to perform at celebrity parties for icons such as SEAN COMB’s (P-DIDDY), PARIS HILTON, NELLY FURTARDO, and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE. To top off his list of name dropping, JED HARPER was also honoured with the offer to become the OFFICIAL TORONTO BLUE JAYS DJAY; a title that he still holds proudly.
In 2008, JED HARPER focused on pursing his love for electronic music, and launched his own record label, BAD CONCEPT RECORDS. In 2009, he released his first original production “GET IT GIRL Featuring CHOCLAIR”, which sat in the Beatport Top 100 for 5 weeks, reaching #31. Since then, JED HARPER has been producing & song writing for GIRLICIOUS (“2 In The Morning”; #35 Canadian Hot 100, #29 Canadian Hot AC), MEISA KUROKI (“Bye Bye My Friend”; #5 OMNICRON Chart), HOWIE of the BACKSTREET BOYS (“One Hundred”; TBR), and remixes for JRDN (“You Can Have It All”), CANDY COATED KILLERS (“Neon Black”), and DY & DANNY FERNANDES (“Passenger”). This year also saw Jed being requested on the festival circuit, including sets at ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL in Miami, USA, and THE BPM FESTIVAL in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.
In 2010, JED HARPER decided to hang up the name “JEDI”, and focus on electronic music production full time, under his real name. “I was spending so much time in the studio writing music, and everything that was coming out of me was house music”, explains Jed. “I had wanted to drop the name JEDI for a while; and I felt like this was the right time to do it. I was making a change in my music direction; and this seemed like a good anchor to identify the change”. To further signify the change in his sound, JED HARPER also started producing events through BAD CONCEPT RECORDS and began inviting guests such as JOACHIM GARRAUD, EDDIE HALLIWELL, and MICHAEL WOODS to perform. “I didn’t want to be producing electronic music all day, and then playing mash-up sets at night; it didn’t make any sense”, continues Jed. “I had 6 weekly residencies at the time, and was playing out from Tuesday to Sunday. So I pulled out of a few of my projects to focus on producing events that catered to my sound. My new focus is to make BAD CONCEPT RECORDS a completely 360 label, and have all of the projects I’m working on compliment each other”.
2011 sees JED HARPER continue with his fully loaded schedule; including DJ tour dates across North America, an onslaught of both original & remix productions, and producing events around the Toronto area.
