ARMAND VAN HELDEN

Armand Van Helden, born February 16, 1970, in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the most influential house DJs and producers in the world. The son of a Dutch-Indonesian father and a French-Lebanese mother, he grew up across the Netherlands, Latvia, Turkey, and Italy while his father served in the U.S. Air Force – a cosmopolitan upbringing that shaped his eclectic musical sensibility. Returning to Boston, he built his DJ career in the local club scene before relocating to New York City in the mid-1990s, where he quickly became a key figure on labels such as Strictly Rhythm, Nervous, and Henry Street. Club hits like "Witch Doktor" (1994) and "The Funk Phenomena" (1996) established him as a sought-after producer. In 1996 he collaborated with Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and Junior Sanchez as Da Mongoloids. His album *2 Future 4 U* (1999, FFRR) spawned the UK No. 1 "You Don't Know Me" (feat. Duane Harden). Further chart-toppers followed: "My My My" (feat. Tara McDonald), "I Want Your Soul", and "Bonkers" with Dizzee Rascal – all reaching No. 1 on the UK Dance Chart. As Duck Sauce, his duo project with A-Trak, he scored a UK pop top 3 with "Barbra Streisand". Van Helden also received a Grammy nomination for his remix of Tori Amos' "Professional Widow". With a catalogue spanning more than three decades and remixes for Katy Perry, Daft Punk, Britney Spears, and David Guetta, he remains a cornerstone of global dance culture.