Artists - Biography and discography, all albums and songs

DJ Mad Dog (real name Filippo Calcagni; born November 2, 1980, Rome, Italy) is an Italian DJ and producer, one of the key figures on the global hardcore and gabber scene. His career spans over two decades: he has performed at the biggest festivals, released genre-defining anthems, and runs his own label. Early years and path formation Filippo grew up in Rome. He became interested in music as a teenager, mainly electronic and club sounds with a strong, high-energy battle vibe. In 1995, at the age of 15–16, he formed a group called Hardcore Terrorists together with two friends. The project released its first EP and gradually gained recognition within the Italian hardcore scene. At a young age he was already organizing raves and playing in Roman clubs, including one of his first…

Baby Gang (real name Zaccaria Mouhib; born June 26, 2001 in Lecco, Italy) is an Italian-Moroccan rapper and one of the most prominent and controversial voices of the new wave of Italian trap and street rap. His work is built on autobiographical storytelling, social harshness, the reality of migrant neighborhoods, and the conflict between the system and the streets. In just a few years, he has gone from a local phenomenon to one of the most talked-about artists on the Italian scene. Early life Zaccaria Mouhib was born into a family of Moroccan immigrants and grew up between Lecco and nearby areas, spending part of his childhood in Morocco. His early years were marked by family instability, financial difficulties and a constant sense of marginalization. Baby Gang’s youth unfolded…

Sfera Ebbasta (real name Gionata Boschetti; born December 7, 1992 in Sesto San Giovanni, Lombardy, Italy) is an Italian rapper, songwriter, and one of the key figures of the Italian trap scene. He is considered one of the pioneers of Italian trap, the artist who helped take the genre from the underground to the mainstream and turn it into an international phenomenon. Early Life Gionata grew up in the suburbs of Milan — first in Sesto San Giovanni and later in Cinisello Balsamo. His family went through difficult circumstances: his parents separated, and his father passed away when he was around 13. Stepping away from a traditional academic path, he began working early and searching for himself through music. Path to Music He started releasing his first videos and tracks around…

Cloonee (real name — David Bissett) is a British DJ and producer from Sheffield and one of the flag-bearers of the modern tech house scene. He is known for his signature groove built on heavy basslines, minimalist yet catchy hooks, and bold use of vocal and genre samples. In the 2020s, he evolved from a promising producer into a global headliner with his own label and a distinctive brand. Early Years and Formation Born and raised in industrial Sheffield, Cloonee has been immersed in club culture, hip-hop, house and bass music since his teenage years. Unlike many of his peers, he had no formal musical education and came to production through intuition, experimentation, and working with samples. His approach is to “listen like a listener”: to create tracks that…

ICEGERGERT (real name — Georgy Yevgenyevich Gergert; born August 24, 2001, Bratsk) is a Russian rapper, lyricist, and a representative of the new wave of trap music, known for a criminalized narrative, aggressive delivery, and viral hits that gained traction on social media. He represents the Gazgolder label and is among the fastest-rising figures in Russian-language hip-hop of the mid-2020s. Early Life Georgy was born in the Irkutsk region but moved to Saint Petersburg as a child, where he was raised by his grandmother, grandfather, and aunt. He studied at a Suvorov military school and later continued his education at higher institutions with a security and law-enforcement focus. The strict regimen, hierarchical environment, and discipline would later shape the artist’s…

Front 242 — a Belgian outfit from Brussels/Aarschot, pioneers of Electronic Body Music (EBM) and one of the key groups that shaped the language of 1980s industrial electronics. Founded in 1981 by producer Daniel B. (Daniel Bressanutti) and musician Dirk Bergen; in 1982 vocalist Jean-Luc De Meyer and keyboardist Patrick Codenys joined (after a merger with their duo Under Viewer), and in 1983 the lineup was completed by frontman-percussionist Richard “23” Jonckheere. The signature style: martial rhythms, sequencers, spoken/ showcase-style vocals, meticulously crafted sampling, and a strict visual identity. Early years (1981–1984): the birth of EBM The debut album Geography (1982) set the course: minimalist electronics with no guitars, motorik drum-machine pulse, a…

Neophyte — a Dutch hardcore group from Rotterdam, founded in 1992. The classic core of the lineup: producer and DJ Jeroen Streunding (also known as DJ Neophyte, and in hardstyle as The Beholder), as well as early members Danny Greten and Robin van Roon. The group is one of the key symbols of the 1990s Rotterdam gabber school: an aggressive sound, extreme tempos, cinematic sampling, and straightforward club functionality. Early years and breakthrough (1992–1995) Neophyte’s first releases came out on Rotterdam Records — the emblematic label of the city’s “hard” scene. The debut recordings quickly made it into rave compilation rotations and festival stages. From the start, the band’s sound set the early gabber canon: “sawing”…

Kevin Saunderson (born September 5, 1964) is an American producer, DJ, and one of the three key creators of Detroit techno alongside Juan Atkins and Derrick May. Together with his peers in the famed “Belleville Three”, he is regarded as an architect of the genre who shaped the club sound of the late 20th century. Saunderson is among those figures who transformed techno from a local musical experiment into a global culture. Early Years Kevin Saunderson was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved at an early age to Belleville, a suburb of Detroit. Attending school with Derrick May and Juan Atkins proved fateful: the trio were united by a love for futuristic electronics, synthesizers, European experimentation, and Afro-American rhythm. Formative influences included:…

Derrick May (full name — Derrick Leonard May; born April 4, 1963) is an American DJ, producer, and one of the three central architects of Detroit techno alongside Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. In music history he is known as a visionary of futuristic electronic sound, the author of “Strings of Life,” and a leading figure of the Belleville Three — the trio that helped define the face of modern techno. Early years Derrick May grew up in Detroit, a city of industrial decline and auto plants. That stark urban backdrop shaped his artistic worldview: music became an emotional response to a mechanical environment. As a teenager May met Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson — a bond formed around a shared love of European synthesizer music that sparked a historic…

Frankie Knuckles (full name — Francis Warren Nicholls Jr.; January 18, 1955 — March 31, 2014) was an American DJ, producer, and remixer, one of the key pioneers of electronic dance music, who earned the historic title of the “Godfather of House.” His contributions shaped the evolution of club culture, DJ artistry, and modern dance sonics in all their forms. Early Years Frankie Knuckles was born in New York City and came of age amid a fivefold mix of club influences: disco, soul, funk, Latin rhythms, and early R&B. In his youth he was swept up by Manhattan’s club culture and began his career as assistant to DJ Larry Levan — another legend of the era. This period shaped his understanding of: dancefloor dramaturgy, the importance of…

Husky (real name — Dmitry Nikolayevich Kuznetsov) is a Russian rap artist, poet, director, and media artist—one of the most recognizable figures of the postmodern and “dark” strand of Russian hip-hop culture. His work blends bleak imagery, social critique, street realism, austere lyricism, and deep cultural allusions. Early Years Husky was born on February 7, 1993, in Ulan-Ude (Buryatia). From an early age he was drawn to literature, audiovisual experiments, rap culture, and 20th-century Russian poetry. After school he moved to Moscow, where he enrolled at the Faculty of Journalism at Moscow State University (MSU), studying media, propaganda, and political communication—key themes that later surfaced in his lyrics. Beginnings Husky’s first notable…

Solardo — a UK duo from Manchester, made up of Mark Richards and James Eliot, and one of the flag-bearers of the modern house and tech house scene. Over a decade of activity, they’ve gone from local warehouse parties to mainstream festivals, launched their own label Sola, and forged a recognizable “Manchester” signature: driving groove, tight drum work, and hooky vocal refrains. Early years and formation Richards and Eliot started with DJ sets and studio experiments in Manchester, a city with a formidable club legacy. Their early sound blended tech house and house, built on propulsive basslines, rolling percussion, and minimalist lead synths. Quick support in major DJs’ playlists opened doors to festival stages across the UK and Europe. Breakthrough and…

Juan Atkins — an American electronic musician, producer, and DJ from Detroit, one of the three central architects of techno alongside Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. He is known worldwide as the “Godfather of Techno” — the figure who shaped the genre’s terminology, aesthetic concept, and early sonic grammar. His contribution laid the foundation for the future global electronic scene. Early Years and Influences Juan Atkins was born in Detroit and grew up within the city’s musical backdrop, where soul and funk were already thriving. As a teenager, he became fascinated with synthesizers, futurism, and sci-fi soundtracks, and he tuned in to radio shows that introduced Detroit’s youth to European electronic music: Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, Gary…

Caity Baser — a British singer and songwriter from Southampton (England) who has become one of the standout voices in UK pop and the young alternative scene of the mid-2020s. She’s known for her candid Gen Z storytelling, bold aesthetic, humor, conversational delivery, and high-energy pop hooks. Baser’s career took off rapidly thanks to viral clips on social media, and by 2023–2024 she had grown into a national-scale act with chart entries and sold-out shows. Early Years and Formation Caity Baser was born and raised in Southampton, where she developed an early interest in music, singing, and writing lyrics. As a teenager she taught herself, experimenting with the sound of pop, indie, and contemporary R&B while immersing herself in British pop culture and…

Slayer — an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman, together with bassist/vocalist Tom Araya and drummer Dave Lombardo. Alongside Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, the group is part of the “Big Four” of thrash metal, defining the genre’s canon with speed, aggression, and uncompromising themes. Signature imagery includes the bladed pentagram/eagle, the sharp angular logo, and a monolithic stage persona. Formation and early years (1981–1985) Influenced by the NWOBHM and hardcore punk, the band developed its repertoire and high-velocity style: Show No Mercy (1983, Metal Blade) — a “demonic” debut with vivid guitar melodicism and already extreme tempos.…

“Chizh & Co” (Chizh i Ko) is a Russian rock band from Saint Petersburg, formed in the early 1990s by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Sergey “Chizh” Chigrakov. The group rose to fame for its blend of Russian rock, blues rock, psychedelia, and folk aesthetics, as well as for vibrant live performances that became the band’s calling card. Early history and formation In 1993, Sergey Chigrakov—previously known for his work with the band Raznye Lyudi (“Different People”)—recorded solo material in Saint Petersburg that led to the creation of a permanent lineup. He finally moved to the city, assembled a team of local instrumentalists, and began performing under the name “Chizh & Kompaniya,” which later evolved into the…

Dave Nada (real name — David Villalobos) is an American DJ, music producer, and one of the key innovators of club culture in the 2010s, widely known as the creator of Moombahton — a hybrid of reggaeton and electro house that later became an international phenomenon. He was born and raised in Washington, D.C., in a family of Latin American heritage, which strongly influenced his future musical style. Early years and musical formation David showed interest in music from his teenage years. He played guitar and took part in Washington’s underground punk/hardcore scene, absorbing DIY culture, the energy of live shows, and the collective spirit of local communities. Even then he began gravitating toward electronic rhythms and club experimentation. His Latin American…

Umar Keyn — a DJ, music producer, and composer from Tashkent (Uzbekistan), a representative of the modern club scene working at the crossroads of deep house and slap house. He is actively building his profile in the international digital space, promoting a distinctive authorial style and showing steady growth on streaming platforms since the late 2010s. Early Years and Development From childhood, Umar Keyn showed interest in electronic music and sound design. His first experiments took place on a home computer as he learned software sequencers and the basics of audio processing. Gradually, a hobby grew into a profession — he began to study the structure of dance tracks, the specifics of club drum sections, and working with vocal samples and atmospheric synths. The stage…

Black Sabbath are a British band from Birmingham (formed in 1968 as Polka Tulk/Earth), widely recognized as pioneers of heavy metal. The classic lineup: Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), Bill Ward (drums). Dark lyrics, down-tuned guitars, tritones, and a “heavy” riff-driven approach set the genre’s canon and influenced dozens of branches—from heavy and doom metal to stoner. History & Milestones Formation (1968–1970). From blues rock into darkness: the renaming to Black Sabbath; the eponymous debut (1970) and a rapid breakthrough with Paranoid (1970) — “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” “Iron Man.” Golden Classics (1971–1975). Master of Reality, Vol. 4, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,…

Tom Grennan (born June 8, 1995, Bedford, England) — a British singer and songwriter who blends pop-rock energy, a soulful vocal style, and modern pop arrangements. He’s known for a rugged, instantly recognizable tone, stadium-ready delivery, and candid lyrics that explore emotion, self-worth, and overcoming inner barriers. Early Years Tom grew up in an Irish family and loved music from childhood, but in his teens he seriously considered a different path — football. He trialed with several English clubs and dreamed of going pro. Injuries and a lack of stable prospects gradually pushed football into the background. At the same time, he picked up the guitar more often and sang at house parties, where people first noticed the unique color of his voice. A turning point…