This Thursday, Made Event and ID&T unveiled the complete three-day lineup for the Awakenings stage at Electric Zoo this year. Added to the lineup were fan favorites such as Boris, Claude Vonstroke, Danny Tenaglia, Dixon, Julia Govor, Victor Calderone, and Yotto. Below you can find bios and mixes for each artist that will play at the Awakenings stage this September.
Boris
There are overnight sensations, and then there’s Boris. Baptized in the booths of New York City, the Russian native learned the craft of djing in front of the most demanding crowds in the world, developing a deep sense of what moves a packed floor in a moment, an hour, or a full night-to-morning extended session. He’s been a resident at every major New York nightclub including Pacha, Crobar and Roxy, and received award nominations at Club World Awards and America’s Best DJ. He has also released several compilations on local label Nervous, a label that captures the timeless nightclub sounds of the city.
Claude VonStroke
Danny Tenaglia
The tale of Danny Tenaglia’s love affair with music, and the world’s subsequent romance with him, is one of the critical veins in the body of Dance Music. He is every dancer’s secret discovery; a random purchase at the record store, a reluctant night out that unexpectedly turned to magic. Explosive success came not behind a major label release, or a world tour, or a radio hit remix: It happened when enough people had the exclusive Tenaglia experience for themselves around dance floors throughout the globe.
Dixon
Dixon has always maintained the importance of delivering an authentic message. As one of the founders of record label Innervisions, his striving for a unique identity has driven an obsession with making personal edits, tweaking tracks until they fit just right. Sometimes it means striking the right balance between educating and entertaining the crowd. But mostly it involves staying open to new ideas, following the urge to explore and trusting the same instincts that were formed in the very first years of his career. It’s a unique combination that has helped to create intimate, compelling and above all lasting memories on and off the dance floor.
Gaiser (Live)
Hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Gaiser began his musical education studying percussion with the symphony and playing drums in punk rock bands. It quickly transitioned to techno when at the age of fifteen he discovered the endless possibilities of new sounds that only synths and drum machines could provide. Weekend forays into Detroit’s nightlife ultimately led him to move to the city and brought him in touch with the Minus crew. It was only a matter of time until some of Gaiser’s work fell into Richie Hawtin’s hands and now the rest is history.
Henrik Schwarz
Hailing from the southern part of Germany, Bodensee, known as Henrik Schwarz, is a long time veteran in the German music scene. Djing was his first love, having built a reputation at major events in the early nineties. But a desire to breach musical and technological boundaries pushed Henrik into production and soon his live laptop sessions were born. Today he takes his live sets and nine years of production experience to crowds worldwide. His music has gained massive support from the likes of Jazzanova, Gilles Peterson and Sonar Kollectiv.
Julia Govor
Not everyone starts out as a singer for a Russian military band and ends up djing in New York with Jeff Mills. Unless you’re Julia Govor, a Russian DJ who has had an incredible journey—from military band performer to resident DJ at underground Moscow clubs to now an artist that tour all corners of the world. At the core of Julia’s music and live shows is an ever-present element of emotional truth and a quest to redefine her audience’s relationship with beat. Simply put, she firmly believes in churning out sexy techno grooves with dramatic expressions and select layers of sound. Not to forget the boundless charm and ambrosial melodies.
Paul Kalkbrenner (Live)
Berlin’s Paul Kalkbrenner is a unique international talent. In fact, with seven studio albums and more than 2.3 million Facebook fans, he is one of techno’s biggest superstars. In an age where EDM and cake-throwing DJs seem to be the most popular, Paul Kalkbrenner is keeping his cool. He trusts on his remarkable talent as a producer and live act with no added artificial flashiness needed. Kalkbrenner’s demanding compositions are full of energy. They exist to take listeners away from the everyday, from the weekly grind, into rapture, into art, ecstasy, absurdity friendship, hope and love.
Sasha
Grammy Award nominee, four-time International Dance Music Award winner and four-time DJ Mag award winner, the legendary Sasha is a man who needs no introduction. In the last few years, his already prosperous career has been burgeoning at an exciting rate, after his return to production with ‘Vapourspace’ in 2015 following a four-year hiatus. From tracks released on Last Night On Earth to the superb ‘Scene Delete’ compilation on Late Night Tales, world tours and sold out label showcases, Sasha continues to be a global phenomenon; the ultimate timeless artist, still enlisting new fans and appealing to the next generation.
John Digweed
Some DJ careers are built on hype. John Digweed’s career is built on substance. One of the planet’s most popular DJs, his sets never fall out of favor with clubbers the world over, as his relentless global gig schedule testifies. From ethereal, swirling cinematic soundscapes to energy-infused bass-bothering tech growlers, a new generation of clubbers are learning what we already know; that there’s nothing quite like being locked into a John Digweed set.
Victor Calderone
The words “world-renowned” and “influential” get thrown around all too often these days, to the point of almost becoming cliché. While few artists actually measure up, all it takes is one look at Victor Calderone’s years of releasing records and the facts speak for themselves. From past collaborations with some of the biggest names in pop like Madonna, Sting and Beyoncé Knowles, to more recent collaborations with the likes of Adam Beyer, Richie Hawtin, Nicole Moudaber and Paco Osuna, Victor’s constantly evolving approach and contributions to the worlds of house and techno music has earned him a place firmly at the top among the world’s most prolific DJs and producers.
Otto Yliperuttula, better known as Yotto, is the architect of an emotional style of dance music that is structurally rooted in house-music yet swims in between the club and the comfort of your couch. Having already garnered support from the likes of Pete Tong, Sasha, Laurent Garnier, Kölsch, Gorgon City and Kidnap Kid, it’s impossible to overlook the promise of his young career. Yotto’s ability to cross genres and labels is what sets him apart as an artist, his diversity and refusal to be defined is what makes him one of the most appealing new artists in dance music.
Come celebrate Awakenings 20th anniversary this coming Labor Day weekend on Randall’s Island! To purchase tickets click on this link.
