Armand Van Helden

House music isn’t a genre that’s necessarily popularly associated with the United States - for one reason or another, it’s often seen as a much more European sound - but whilst Armand van Helden’s Dutch roots certainly provide him with a name that carried plenty of credibility in that respect, he’s actually one of America’s premier DJs, emerging from Boston in the early nineties. He had a slew of chart hits throughout that decade, including ‘Cha Cha’ in 1996, but he didn’t really break through on the record front until 1998, with his seminal 2 Future 4 U becoming a key release in the genre’s history. Today, he continues to be revered, and has continued to find ways to sneak into the mainstream; along with A-Trak, he forms part of the duo Duck Sauce, who went to number three in 2010 in the UK with the novelty hit ‘Barbra Streisand’. His live sets, too, remain at the forefront of the house genre; referencing a career that’s now been ongoing for almost twenty-five years, he mixes classics of the style with new cuts and inventive remixes to ensure that he’s still a staple of the clubs in both the UK and overseas.

Hot Since 82 has had the most whirlwind of years. 82 real name Daley Padley has gone from growing up in Leeds to playing sets at Coachella, back 2 backs with the legend, Pete Tong, and recently setting up his own record label, Knee Deep In Sound, named after his breakthrough 8 minute deep-house stomper 'Knee Deep In Louise'. Live, Padley is a permanent must-see for house music fans like myself. Playing in a dark tent at this year's Parklife festival as part of Heidi's Jackathon line-up, his deep-house and techno knowledge meant the whole two hour set was essential listening. Dropping tracks like , 'The End' and 'Shadows' from his debut album 'Little Black Book'. I say listening, because you could only just about see Padley through the green strobe lights wich amped up the rave atmosphere. His sets are always rammed and with an upcoming UK tour in October, it can't come soon enough!