DJ Hell

Hell – once, a long time ago, Helmut Geier – is 46 years old and has DJed for more than half those years. In 1985, he was one of the first in Germany to DJ house music, back when Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley made the first Chicago house tracks. Later, through Gigolo, he put out lost classics by Chicago house legends Bobby Konders and DJ Pierre. He also re-released what’s considered the first Detroit techno song, “Sharevari” by A Number of Names, and rekindled the career of new-wave heroes Tuxedomoon. One of Gigolo’s key releases is Hell’s compilation of early-’80s German post-punk, New Deutsch.

In 1992, Hell’s haunting debut single, “My Definition of House Music” became a dancefloor hymn, selling 50,000 copies. Three years later, Hell recorded a live BBC John Peel Session in Munich, which came out as the “Original Street Techno” EP. As a producer, Hell has covered a lot of ground. He’s one of the pioneers of German house and techno, and today, as Teufelswerk attests, he’s in the finest form of his life.

Peter Kruder

Peter Kruder is Viennese trip-hop-dub producer , best known as one half of Kruder & Dorfmeister and also for his solo project Peace Orchestra. Austrian ( Vienna ) DJ Peter Kruder is a man who needs no introduction. Being the master of mixing nu jazz, future funk and soulful samples into uptempo minimal loops at 120-130 bpm he burns the dancefloors all around the world.

Anja Schneider

Anja Schneider has four jobs: She’s a label head, a DJ, a producer and a radio personality all rolled into one. No wonder one interviewer called her a “perpetual motion machine”: her wheels never stop turning.

A Berlin resident since 1994, Anja started out on the airwaves, producing for KissFM and later Fritz Radio, where since 2000 she has hosted the weekly radio show Dance Under The Blue Moon. The show broadcasts on the air and on the web every Saturday night, and trainspotters should take note: She doesn’t mix records on the show, she plays them, talks about them and, thankfully, tells you what they’re called, which makes the show a welcome way to find out what is bubbling under in Berlin.

Anja Schneider also runs the label Mobilee Records and its new offshoot Leena. Despite its short history, Mobilee has grown into one of Berlin’s most closely watched outfits, with a close-knit roster of producers including Sebo K, GummiHz, Exercise One, Pan-Pot and Marcin Czubala. With its discography now running into the mid-30s, Mobilee has managed to carve out its own distinct sound in a city where everyone seems to be making music: the label’s mix of pristine minimal, slinky grooves and deep house manages to push dance music forward while remaining instantly accessible.

Jeremy Caulfield

JEREMY P CAULFIELD : DUMB-UNIT / BERLIN / TORONTO At a time when so much techno feels like endless variations on a played-out theme, it’s heartening to know that there are still a handful of artists, labels and DJs who can combine experience, skill and forward-looking ideals in style. Step forward Jeremy P. Caulfield, who amply ticks all of the above boxes.

As proprietor of leading neuro-minimal imprint Dumb-Unit, DJ of widely-acclaimed repute, and occasional producer of stripped-back, ominous dancefloor bombs, Jeremy has emerged from his early days on the Canadian techno circuit to become a leading light of today’s underground club scene. Using his fifteen years of DJing experience as a springboard, Jeremy has utilised Dumb-Unit as a pivotal platform for the blossoming careers of artists including Butane, Lee Curtiss, Sweet N’ Candy and Seph, loosely defining a hinterland micro-scene of murky, intricate sounds that play with the darkest recesses of the mind while remaining firmly attached the propulsive drive of the dance-floor.

Elon

In less than two years in the studio, New York ’s Elon has made the jump from DJ to producer, taking the technorati by storm with a slew of high-profile releases this year …. but don’t mistake him for some studio-monkey-come-lately. His solid instrumental background playing bass and guitar, augmented by his longtime work as a sound engineer, brings a canny sense of musicianship to the table. He continues to tickle the borders between house and techno … what Elon calls, “Post-Minimal”, splaying the wax wide open with his signature splattered reverb and juicy metallic swing.

In spring 2007, the Israeli-born producer made his debut with the two-track “Movin’ In” EP on Jesse Rose’s imprint, Made to Play. Originally self-released as a white label, “Movin’ In” impressed Rose when he heard it at the 2006 Winter Music Conference and he not only signed it, but included the track on his Body Language Vol. 3 mix on Get Physical. Since then, Elon has enjoyed a steady release schedule for 2007 on Infant Records in May, “Radio Engine” on Clink in June, as well as various remix projects. In his music, Elon focuses on making tracks dark and dance-floor ready. “My stuff is more bleepy, dark, and punchy; it’s minimal but at the same time you could play it in a house set, too,” he explains. “I’m trying to break down boundaries between styles, make it about the production. I’m inspired by details, the ways to employ effects, spending time cutting and editing, putting in little reverbs and delays from every angle. These are the things I care about!”

Elon has also spent a good portion of 2007 perfecting his live PA in addition to his already honed DJ abilities, and is performing regularly in the States and Europe.

Connie

Born and raised in Queens, New York City, Connie appeared in the electronic music scene six years ago and has become a familiar face in the NYC underground house/techno scenes. Connie has spun her eclectic mix of funky house, tech house, electro, acid, minimal and techno all over the world and alongside the most talented DJs/producers, like Trentemoller, James Holden, Italoboyz, Vincenzo, Michal Ho, Nico Purman, Guy Gerber, Davide Squillace, Alka_rex, Mark Henning, Sweet & Candy, Jeff Bennett, Konrad Black, Terry Mullan, Jesse Rose, Adultnapper, Nick Warren, Misstress Barbara, Patrick Chardronnet, Jay Tripwire, Jason Jinx, Chris Duckenfield (SWAG), Ladytron, Jimmy van M, Camea, and the Hacker. Connie spins regularly at NYC’s top venues like Crobar, Pacha, Sullivan Room, Love & Cielo, but also DJs at more underground but high-profiled events and parties, eg. Minimoo, LESS @ Annex, and Resolute, for which she is a resident of.