Infected Mushroom, Butch Clancy at Stereo Live

Internationally known Winter Fantasy talent Le Castle Vania has been building his empire for quite some time now. Still infecting audiences with his intensely, high energy sets filled with his signature, horse-powered tracks, seeing Le Castle Vania perform is always an exciting experience where nobody gets out alive.

Born Dylan Eiland, the Atlanta native began DJing at warehouse parties and raves when he was only 16. The Southern metropolis had a booming music scene which greatly inspired the budding talent. Encouraged by his surroundings, Dylan developed a passion for music and nightlife. But having a successful career wasn’t the original goal, “I never really set out to do this professionally. I thought it would be cool, but I didn’t even have that picture in my head at all. I never thought, ‘yeah, I’m gonna be a huge DJ, and I’m gonna tour all over the world’ – I wasn’t thinking that at all. I was just having fun.”

Fun turned career in 2006 when Eiland was asked to remix a song called “Black Eyes” from friends and fellow Atlanta musicians Snowden. Jokingly using the name of an old video game “Le Castle Vania” for the remix, once the track hit the music blogosphere and audiences responded with massive impact and the name stuck. Carving out his signature sound of a well-balanced blend of gritty electronic beats, melodic synth leads, and punk-rock aggression, Le Castle Vania’s music is known for its dark and dirty style while equally uplifting as seen in hits like “Awake,” or his remix of Vitalic’s “Stamina.”

As a producer, Le Castle Vania has amassed countless originals and remixes, giving many of those away to his dedicated fans. Akin to the grassroots approach, Le Castle Vania is constantly on the prowl for new artists and tunes – which is why he developed his very own label, Always Never. The imprint is a fresh outlet for which he can release both his own music as well as his friends and newcomers to the scene. We love his self-made approach to the music industry and more importantly, his individuality, “I’ve always just kind of done my own thing. I didn’t want to be seen as one of those artists under another artist, or like being steered by someone else. I’m just doing me, music is a creative thing that comes from the individual.”

If he’s not on the road, then Le Casle Vania is probably in the studio fine-tuning his tracks. Having just released his debut EP Prophication on mau5trap September 2nd and an artist album due out in 2014, we’re sure you’ll get a preview when Le Castle Vania takes the stage at Winter Fantasy this year. Tickets are still online so buy yours today.

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It’s quite exciting to watch the dominating Winter Fantasy duo Showtek continue to charm the world with their talent. In the past decade, the two have influenced a vast audience across the globe, as they continue to skyrocket dance floors and sell out big shows with their eclectic and distinctive sound.

Native to Eindhoven, Netherlands, brothers Wouter and Sjoerd Janssen started producing music in 2001 as a hobby in their late teenage years – Wouter played piano while Sjoerd made beats using a computer to remix tracks and make studio mixes. Their hobby turned career when the two released their debut single “Defqon 1 Anthem 2006” followed by their debut album, Today Is Tomorrow.

Initially producing and playing techno, the two have expanded their music style throughout the years by blending a variety of genres including hardstyle, progressive/electro house and everything in between. Known as the “Kings of Hardstyle,” the brothers have evolved to become some of the leading producers in the industry with a most unique sound. “Our sound is catchy, melodic and harsh. Sometimes it’s well thought out, but it can also be spontaneous and loose. Nevertheless our sound is always recognizable as being a typical Showtek track.” These words rang very true in 2009 when Showtek became the first within their (then) music style, to lend their talents to the famous BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix.

Within their years of experience, the Showtek brothers have had a rapid rise to fame. Since 2012, they’ve continued to build the series of collaborations, under the project called Crazy Collabs, “So after all of those years we said we were going to start up a new project called Crazy Collabs. The first collab, ‘Hell Yeah’ with Tiësto was a massive track. The second was with Hardwell, ‘How We Do.’ And the next is with Bassjackers. It’s going to be on Musical Freedom.”

The duo keeps the momentum going by delivering massive hits like their latest single “Booyah,” which features We Are Loud and Sonny Wilson. And since they produce everything from techno to hardstyle, there is no telling what madness Showtek will bring when they perform at this year’s Winter Fantasy in Hidalgo, Texas on Monday, December 30th. Tickets are still available online but selling fast.

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