DAVE202‘S TRANCE DJ SKILLS ARE IN HIGH DEMAND IN THE TRANCE/TECHNO SCENE

The Beginning

Dave202 organized hardcore parties and cooked up all sorts of crazy events for his friends in his local YMCA in Wädenswil for about three years. Soon his fame spread across the narrow borders of the sleepy town. Among others, the folks at Tarot showed interest in him and in 1994/1995 he joined them as a member at Grodoonia, the club they then owned.

Joining the Tarot family reaped almost instant benefits: in practically no time his great enthusiasm, combined with the know-how of the Tarot Crew got him bookings throughout Switzerland. Soon he was a main act at such big-name events like the Orbit and Goliath Parties. The regional papers and magazines hailed him as the new star of the techno scene. Clubs in Germany and Austria started asking about him. Dave202’s career was going in the right direction.

What‘s so great about this native Italian is that his success hasn’t spoiled him at all. Employers, party guests and colleagues alike all love him for his easy, friendly and down-to-earth attitude. The 29-year old spends a lot of his free time in the clubs and he is always up for a chat. He is one of the DJs who lives for his music and wants others to share his enthusiasm and pleasure. His positive energy infuses his music and directly affects the party guests.

How to characterize Dave202? Well, he is in constant motion, he’s always trying out new things and is never satisfied with what he has achieved – he is a true perfectionist. Dave has no problem admitting that he is a commercial DJ and that he is in it primarily to please the crowds. Whoever has followed his career will tell you ungrudgingly how much Dave deserves his success.

Streetparade 2000 and other CDs by Dave202

Dave202 published his first own production in May 1998. It was the Latenight Compilation Vol. 1 of Oxa Club, where he has been a resident for the last couple years. Dave202 selected the tracks himself and did an insanely good live mix. At that time he started collaborating more and more with the producer Ivan L. a.k.a. Phil Green. 2000 was a fabulous year for Dave202. In spring, the Futurescope-CD Vol. 14, mixed by him, was released. And then in summer his career really started to take off.

Dave202 was the main man at the Streetparade 2000. He mixed the official Streetparade Compilation „Believe in Love“. Dave produced the title song (the accompanying red-hot videoclip was a smash hit all summer long, by the way) which ended up being the official anthem of the parade. Dave202 was often heard on Radio Streetparade 88.8 FM and he, Daisy Dee and mas Ricardo also reported live from the Streetparade for Club Rotation on VIVA. And don’t forget the delicious live set he played at the parade!

True to his reputation, Dave202 didn’t take a break after all these activities but went straight on to mix the Magic Kingdom Compilation Vol. 2 in fall. And to end the year in style, he released his first Artist Album „Trancedance“ in December, which featured eight of his own productions and turned out to be a fantastic success.

In April 2001 he had already mixed a new CD: the OXA Trance Night Vol. 3, the compilation of the legendary OXA parties at which Dave202 cannot be missed.

Right on time for the Streetparade 2001, Dave202 and Phil Green released the summer hit „At The End“. This killer track made a huge impact and was played by almost every Trance DJ in Europe and was one of the most power-played tracks of the parade and the numerous after-parties. Dave202 played a wicked set at the Energy Party at the Hallenstadion in Zürich-Oerlikon, the biggest and most popular indoor party following the Streetparade.

Dave202 and Phil Green landed another major hit with their remixes of DJ Noise’s „Sibel“.

At the beginning of this year OXA released its next CD, the OXA Trance Night Vol. 5. With this CD Dave202 way surpassed the expectations of the trance community. Its release was celebrated at OXA with a sumptuous bash with food and drinks galore, and in true star manner Dave202 stole the show with his sinful set.

The Japan Story

But there was another reason to be happy. Dave202 and Phil Green got fantastic feedback from the Far East for their track „At The End“. Apparently, this title is the it-track with the Japanese trance scene and soon enough the Tokyo-based pop band ELT (short for: Every Little Thing) asked them to do a remix. ELT are huge in Japan, comparable in popularity to the likes of teen queen Britney Spears. So Dave202 and Phil Green hurriedly started working on their remix of „Someday, Someplace“, and their rendition turned out pretty damn good. „Someday, Someplace“ climbed the charts at supersonic speed and was a massive club hit in the Far East. ELT sold more than a million copies of the CD that contained the remix. So it came as no big surprise that Dave202 was invited to represent Switzerland at the renowned mega rave „Avex Trance 2002“ in Tokyo. Dave202 accepted the invite and performed for 35,000 euphoric trance fans on the main floor of this impressive monster event together with world-wide top acts and DJs like Ferry Corsten, Rank 1, Johan Gielen and Hennes&Cold. The atmosphere at this rave – whose perfect organization of each and every detail can be compared to a U2 concert – gained more and more momentum and culminated as Dave202 started playing „At The End“ which sent the electrified crowd into a total frenzy.

At the following gigantic professional media conference Dave202 won the hearts of the Japanese journalists with his open and friendly manner. Dave202 clearly made his mark in the Japanese scene and already enjoys cult status over there. Dave202: „I am very honored.“ And the engaging DJ has been showered with requests by Japanese artists ever since.

End of 2002 Highlights

An additional highlight in Dave’s career was the Judge Jules Night at OXA in August 02. All of Switzerland’s media was reporting about this monster event at which Dave202 got to spin alongside Judge Jules. By then Dave and Phil Green’s Hijacker Track as well as “Living on the Edge” had already been included in Judge Jules’ play list for quite some time.
“Dave202 and DJ Noise GO CRAZY” – when Dave and DJ Noise joined forces it resulted in this CD which received rave reviews for both its aggressive beats and its soothing sounds.

Dave202 released his third own album called “Legends” in fall 2002 which instantly shot to 14th place in the album charts. And the German Top Act Green Court made a remix of the title track, “Legends”. At the same time, Dave202 and Phil Green’s remix of DJ Shog’s mega-hit “2nd Dimension” started to take off.

In mid November Dave left the record label TBA to join music distributor MV and Claude Bravi took over as his new A&R manager.

Knowing that Dave and Phil Green are the founders of SHOCKING RECORDS, you may expect big things from this label. Their first release “Tempest – Sounds of Life” (Dave202 and Phil Green Remix) was a killer club and sales hit. Watch out for forthcoming releases.

The time for their first Live Act had come on November 23rd. Dave202 and Phil Green performed live for the first time during the Major Dance event at Oxa. Dave handled the deejaying while Phil Green was in charge of sound engineering and production – they treated the audience to a fine combination of live act and DJ set, serving up a fresh mix of live sounds and records. Their live act came close to perfection and they received extremely positive feedback.
In the mean time, Dave202 has rocked the crowds several times at Liquid Club in Madrid – and the Spanish Trance Fans can’t get enough of him. The Spanish capital will be sure to get its fair share of Dave202 at future parties. He is also a very welcome guest at Bachatta.

2003: The Power Year

Dave202 played a mean set on New Year’s Eve during the Evolution event in the ABB halls in Zuerich-Oerlikon, but he was on a roll and managed to outdo himself by spinning an even tighter, ultra memorable gig on New Year’s morning at Oxa during the legendary After Hours.

Dave202 mixed the Trance Night CD Vol. 7 for OXA in February, and was able to continue the success of Vol. 5. For the first time ever a Trance Night anthem was produced – and no one else than Dave202 and his studio partner Phil Green were selected to do it. The „Trance Night Anthem 2003“ was released on their label Shocking Records, and its license was snapped up immediately by the English label Rising High.

Shortly before Easter OXA organized the „Tiesto Night“. That memorable evening in spring Dave202 played on the main floor alongside the Dutch megastar and the event was a full-blown success.

Even DJs get older, and if you happen to be Dave202 you simply have to celebrate your birthday in style. So Dave went all out and threw a birthday party of the superlatives. The incredible line-up at „Dave202 Body Night“ featured some of the finest German Trance DJs – from Cosmic Gate and DJ Errik to DuMonde, Charly Lownoise, Arne L2, Megara feat. DJ Lee, Green Court and Pulsedrive. But also Abel Ramos from Spain as well as Dave’s Swiss DJ colleagues did him the honors and played a set during the wild birthday bash.

As summer drew closer, so did the Streetparade – which usually means Switzerland gets busy planning and organizing for the mega event. When Dave202 switched over to MV he got the opportunity to mix the Mainstation Compilation and one of his biggest dreams came true. But what followed he couldn’t have imagined even in his wildest dreams. The official anthem of the Mainstation Party – produced by Dave202 and Phil Green, of course – blew everyone away and became an ultra smash hit. „Moments of Silence“ was the track of the summer and one of the most played songs of the parade. It goes without saying that a killer track needs to be accompanied by a killer video clip. The movie was shot in cool, crisp colors and caught everyone off guard with its beautiful special effects and gracefulness – props to the producers! „Moments of Silence“ headed the Diva Dance Charts for five long weeks. Something that was unheard of before!

The Streetparade usually involves a lot of stress for a DJ, but Dave remained calm like the true pro he is. He rocked the Mainstation with his two sets at the hall of Zurich’s central train station and his was one of the most anticipated sets at the Energy, where Dave played alongside superstars like Paul van Dyke. And we would like to remind you that in addition to his gigs, Dave was also playing a major role in the Mainstation DVD that was being shot live. He had to stop on and off in the middle of the huge crowds and do announcements and interviews. His efforts were highly rewarded with a DVD that proves that Trance is still very much alive.

This fact is further proven by the huge success of Dave202’s producer Phil Green who also produces in his own name. His track „Tribal Trance“ is featured on the play lists of many a great DJ and even Paul van Dyk promoted the track during his radio show and his sets. Furthermore, Phil was asked to mix the Streetparade Live CD. There is no need for Phil Green to prove his talent – he has already earned everyone’s respect with his unique productions.
The Decibel Outdoor Festival in Rotterdam, Holland, was the next massive event where Dave202’s presence was requested. His wicked set in the Hard Trance tent (hosted by „Beat Please“) attracted a lot of new Dutch fans. His fan base has grown immensely, just check out www.dave202.tk to see it for yourself. One of his biggest admirers put together the first Dave202 Fanpage, and to our knowledge Dave202 is the first and only Swiss Trance DJ who has his own fan page.

Dave202 is also well known in the remix business. He did his latest remixes for the German legend Talla 2XLC, for Cosmic Gate, DuMondel and Freestate. In addition, he also remixed the Decibel Outdoor Festival Anthem.
In September 2003 Dave202 released his new album „Destinations“. It was a true artist album, featuring his own tracks as well as a couple of his producer Phil Green’s and some of their joint remixes. Of course all these tracks flow in Dave’s signature-style mix. Besides his brand-new single „Destinations“, the album includes five more tracks by Dave202, which all bear huge potential and are already sought worldwide by labels and DJs alike. The long hours in the studio really paid off: „Destinations“ is a hugely unique album with top tracks that will not only appeal to die hard Dave202 fans. The new „Destinations“ video clip is already being power played on all major music channels.

We all agree that the first real album deserves an appropriate release, but Dave took it up a notch by organizing an entire release tour. It blasted off with a load of video screens and other special features on September 26th at OXA where a very enthusiastic crowd celebrated “Destinations”. The cool MAD Club in Lausanne was chosen to present the album to the audience in the Romandie and the German fans were invited to Top Ten in Singen for a listen and a dance.

Future Plans

It won’t be hard for Dave202 to keep his resolution. He wants to stay true to Trance, and by the way things are going for him these days, there is no reason for him to stray. He is planning Dave202 Nights, in the style of the „Tiesto Solo“, in which he will be the main act of the evening. Starting in November Dave202 will be hosting his own radio show on Radio Top. He will present his killer sound and fresh information each Sunday evening from 8-10pm.
And in early 2004, Dave202 will start compiling the Trance Night Compilation. It’s going to be volume 9 already, but it is still going strong and it remains an indispensable Trance CD. And last but not least, it’s just an absolute must have for every fan of Dave’s sound.