Fedde Le Grand

Fedde le Grand stands on the edge of global superstardom. Behind him lies a glittering career that includes worldwide number ones, packed arenas, throbbing dance floors, A‐list collaborations and a raft of international awards. Just ahead – his first studio album called ‘Output’, setting the pace for what is already shaping up to be a fast track 2009.

It could be said that Fedde came out of nowhere, riding off the success of a hit record. Well, let’s set that record straight – you couldn’t get further away from the truth. The truth is that his parties had been rocking the Netherlands since 2001; his label Flamingo Recordings has been pushing its unique sound since 2004; and then in 2006 Put your hands up for Detroit happened. In fact ‘happened’ doesn’t do what occurred justice – quite simply, it exploded. The track hit No 1 in the UK, Spain, Russia, Finland and Bulgaria; won Best Underground House Track and Best Breaks/Electro Track at the IMDA 2007, Club Banger Of The Year at the 6th Annual Club Awards in Miami 2008 and secured Fedde the fiercely fought over Best Breakthrough Solo Artist gong at the IMDA 2007.

But though this may have been an impressive ‘beginning’, it was just that – a beginning. There was more to come from le Grand and the world was about to sit up and take notice of the Dutchman. Let Me Think About It, The Creeps and 3 Minutes to Explain all followed, setting clubland on fire and stamping Fedde’s name all over the global music charts. There was nobody anywhere that fell short of Fedde’s magic – including Grammy Award‐winning Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am and Madonna – need we go on? That the Queen of Pop should have picked up on Fedde came as no surprise to anyone with one eye on his meteoric career. After using Put your hands up to promote her Sticky and Sweet tour, she then personally requested Fedde’s remix skills for her global smash hit Give It 2 Me.

There aren’t many artists who can top that – of course Fedde being the exception to almost every rule, he rounded his year off with two mammoth tours of the North American and Australian continents, taking in a grand total of 24 cities, all falling under the Dutchman’s spell. Tours, tracks, remixes – the Fedde le Grand bow may well seem over‐laden with strings but he adds yet another as F.L.G. Since the early days his more stripped‐down production has won him an elite group of fans, allowing him to experiment with his darker, more minimal tech‐house side. Tracks like Take No Shh, Aah Yeah and Just Trippin’ have already done the business and 2009 kicks off with three more releases – F1, Amplifier and Pink Bird – that are destined to wow the filthier dance floors.

Which brings us to the present moment – and one that looks set to define the next era of le Grand. Fedde’s debut artist album Output will smash all preconceptions of how just and how high the Dutchman will go. Fedde has drawn inspiration from hip‐hop, funk and electronic dance – and working with Rob Birch (Stereo MCs), Will.i.am, Mr. V (NYC), Luciana, Ida Corr, Camille Jones and Andy & Dorothy Sherman, has produced something that will set the world on fire. A monster of an album, Output, lays waste to the notion of a DJ/producer and introduces the world at large to Fedde the pure artist.

Put all of the above together with some of the most electric sets at the world’s most prestigious clubs and you start to get an idea of just how huge a phenomenon Fedde Le Grand is. His summer residency at Pacha Ibiza, countless festivals and headline gigs around the world, his Flamingo Nights parties that re‐define the ‘dance floor experience’ – it all points to just one thing. There is only one name that matters for 2009 – and that name is Fedde le Grand.