THIS year Dutch hardstyle DJ/producer Brennan Heart fulfilled one of his lifelong dreams. “I’ve set up my own record label, Brennan Heart Music (BHM),” explains the 29-year- old. “I’ve always wanted my own musical platform.”
When he hasn’t been creating music (such as YouTube sensation ‘Lose My Mind’) this year, he’s been playing it. “It’s great to see that musical trends don’t stop at the borders of countries,” says Brennan, known to his mum as Fabian Bohn.
tyle: “Everything that hard dance music has to offer.” Best known
for: “Producing melodic tracks often completed with vocals.” Tune of 2012: “Brennan Heart & Wildstylez ‘Lose My Mind’.”
“What excites me is that there’s a lot more harder-edged tracks being produced lately. I love Hardwell and also Knife Party, they both have that raw energy that everybody can get into.” Brennan’s also been getting hot-under- the-headphones about Aussie music- maker Code Black. “He pushes the boundaries when it comes to hardstyle,” says Brennan. “There aren’t many producers out there doing that.” CLAIRE HUGHES
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If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “I want to be Scatman, and my superpower would be skib-be-di-bi-doo(snip! – ed).” Should you play to the crowd or for your- self? “In the studio I create music for myself, on stage I play tracks for the crowd.” What does EDM mean to you? “EDM = life.” Should celebrities be DJs? “If Arnold Schwarzenegger can be a governor, why can’t Paris Hilton be a DJ?!” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Last year I played an almost never-ending set, so the club finally ordered me to stop. but what a party it was!” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “When I started DJing, beat-matching with vi- nyl was standard, then CDs, now I use a USB stick with the Pioneer CDJ-2000s: who knows what DJs will use five years from now?” Where’s the next dance music capital? “The internet.”
50 48 41 TENISHIA
Style: “Prog trance.” Best known for: “Diverse productions fusing different elements with trance music.” Tune of 2012: “Omnia & Ira ‘Fusion’.” Breakthrough DJ/producer of 2012: “Orjan Nilsen.”
WHILE a certain other island grabs all of the attention, Tenishia continue to put Malta on the dance music map. Having crashed into the Top 100 last year, Joven Grech and Cyprian Cassar’s passionate Maltese and international fans have ensured they remain at dance music’s top table. Having originally been brought to international attention by Armin van Buuren, 2012 has been their best year yet. “This year was a big year for us, as we released our debut album ‘Memory Of A Dream’,” they say. “It has been the busiest and hardest so far, but definitely the most rewarding. Another big highlight has been our first ‘Tenishia In Concert’, which took place here in Malta
and attracted one percent of Malta’s population!” And it’s not just been a productive year, career-wise. “A few weeks ago Joven had to rush to hospital in Australia, just minutes after finishing a set in Melbourne,” they tell us. “None of us got hurt, but Joven’s girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy, Mason. Joven made it just in time — straight from the decks to holding his newborn baby!” IAN ROULLIER
If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? “To change people’s musical choices.” Should you play to the crowd or for yourself? “Both! Stick to what you’re known for, but find a good balance between the two.” What does EDM mean to you? “A genre of music that this decade will be known for.” Should celebrities be DJs? “We think that anybody who is looking for fame shouldn’t be a DJ. We suggest doing something else to get fame and attention.” Have you ever been thrown off the decks? “Not yet!” Are you a DJ if you don’t beat match? “Although there are far many more skills besides beat-matching that a DJ should possess, beat-matching is definitely part of an EDM DJ’s job.” Where’s the next dance music capital? “Malta! However lately everyone is suggesting Vegas!”