MICHAEL BANEL, Founder of Iboga Records & Sofa Beats...
DJ BANEL, also writing as Behind blue eyes, is known for his many amazing progressive trance sets around the globe during the last 8 years and before that he was a well known DJ in his home country Denmark and in Sweden, playing sets since the early days of the techno/house scene in scandinavia.
Banel has played in some of the worlds biggest events, such as Boom 2006 and Voov 2005. As Behind Blue Eyes, Banel also played some big festivals and other events in Denmark, Germany, Israel, Mexico, Croatia, Italy, Turkey, Austria, Australia, Brasil and Spain.
Banel is a creative and administrative resource, a strong representive for the Iboga label and the artists around it. As one of the founders and owners of the label, Banel has been there since the beginning, being part of compiling and releasing more than 100 CDs and vinyls while working on the establishment of Iboga Records, as being one of the leading labels/team of artists in the world, in a broad range of progressive electronic dance and chillout music, now also putting loads of effort into the new realm of digital download releases...
Michael Banel got interested in electronic music in the eighties where a friend introduced him to acid house. He also took him to his first house partys in 1988, it was the Coma Club in Copenhagen, where he had to cheat to get a member ship because he only was 15 years old at that time. After these first encounters he started buying acid house records and tried to play them in his sets in a youth club. Later in the early nineties he began playing at underground parties in the Copenhagen area, and the "House/Techno" genres, which was much more connected at that time, exploded in many directions. It became obvious for him that he was interested in alot of these new directions, but after a few years he fell for the trance styles. The first years he only played with vinyl (spent all money on it), but mixed it with DAT in the period 1995-99, Eventually converted to CD use.
Between 1994-97 Banel was part of an organisation called "Rotundum", which organised alot of events in the Copenhagen area and played DJ sets at many of those events. Michael started buying equipment for music production, in the beginning with Rene from Beat Bizarre, and started the Iboga studio together with Amon, Emok and Jeppe and had a project with Amon called "Maheena". Around 1997 the ideas and planning of a Copenhagen label was taking shape and it was named Iboga Records...It was in those days that a "new" Copenhagen sound was developing, and Banel..s djs sets followed the progress. As the term "scandinavian trance" appeared, the Iboga team played a strong role in the development those early days.
RELEASES:
As part of the Fabel project, Banel & Alhad released tracks on Iboga, Tatsu and Transient records. Fabel was a project between some of the Iboga artists; Jeppe, Oliver, Alhad, Banel & Emok. There was talks of an Album but it was never released.
Banel released a mixed cd compilation on Iboga early in 2003 (Dj Banel in the mix).
In the last part of 2004, Rene (from Beat Bizarre) and Banel started a new project together called "Behind Blue Eyes". The first release came on the Iboga compilation "Playground" from December 2004.
In February 2005 He released His second mix CD (Iboga in the mix). It was released as a free CD which was included with an issue of the Greek Magazine "Freeze".
Behind Blue Eyes released It..s first album on Iboga Records in November 2005. The boys have put alot of effort into making a special ever changing live set, which has seen good success in countries like Australia, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Croatia and in hometown Copenhagen / Denmark.
A Behind Blue Eyes - Perfect Stranger collaboration took place in Spring 2006, which resulted in the track "Diamond in the Rough". The track has two versions and got released on Iboga and Flow Records..
Banel has also compiled a CD together with DJ Vedant from Mexico, released June 2006, holding the title "Tabernanthe 2 - Back to the Roots. Marking the opening of the new Mexican label "Iboga Mexico". A label working closely with the iboga HQ in Copenhagen.
After releasing single tracks on the Iboga compilations Summer Collection Vol. II & Nuance, behind Blue Eyes released another album in May 2007. This time a double CD (Remix album) with a new live recording and a big collection of remixes from a great line up of international artists.
Further more Banel & Emok in 2006 launched a new label called "Prestige Music". It aims at fat party music, progessive-house, dirty electro / club oriented sounds. First release was in December 2006, the CD compilation "Diversity" by label DJ Glen Clarke.
It was expected that this sub-label would release vinyls as well, BUT - Latest news (Aug. 2007) is that it was decided to drop Prestige music.
Through the time Banel also collected and got deeply inspired by chillout / ambient and downbeat music, and has been playing sets of this at some events from time to time. In 2005 Banel & Emok decided to open a sub label to Iboga called "SOFA BEATS", concentrating on a broad spectrum of electronic music in the chilled / downbeat end. It is on Sofa Beats that we find the successful "Floating Point Series" and artists like Seahorse transform, Digital mystery tour, Koan and Krusseldorf.
About Behind Blue Eyes - after the Sonica gig in Italy, August 2007, Rene nielsen (formerly Beat Bizarre) is stopping his involvement in the project and music production in general, leaving it up to Banel to continue the story..
Theres alot of activities in the planning and new tracks are on the way, among other things remixes for Zen Mechanics - "Holy Cities" and Darshan..s classic "Ephemeral", previously released on Flying Rhino. The "Holy" Cities Remix is scheduled to appear on a remix CD from Zen Mechanics.
After a visit in Israel August 2007, a new collaboration with Tom Lewis aka Kaleidoscope was started, and in October 2007 a new track with Annarchy, Kaleidoscope and Banel was written (Pace the Race).Also a collaboration with BBE - Flowjob and Joyce Mercedes has taken place and is scheduled to release in the summer of 2008 in three versions. Joyce Mercedes is preparing remixes of it too.
Behind Blue Eyes has also remixed C-Jay..s "Miko" & "Commencement", which will appear on his album in the summer of 2008 and on Iboga Records as digital download.
Further more theres a remix of Yotopia..s "Domination" on the way in 2008.
Released feb. 2008 is Behind Blue Eyes & Krusseldorf - The World is our Oyster (BBE mix), on the compilation "Set:8 - Electronic Ballroom - Compiled by Banel & Emok.
It will also be avaiable as digital download.
A new Digital Download EP is about to release spring 2008 with Koan "Watermarks" BBE Remix, on the EP is remixes by Krusseldorf, Koan & Vacuum Stalkers.
Remixes also in progress: Tikis (9 West) & Tom Lewis "Naive World".
Collaborations in planning: BBE & Excession, BBE & Maelstrom, BBE & Jetlag (Ibojima).
Behind Blue Eyes will release a new album in autumn 2008, new tracks ready "Thrilled" & "Photograph of the Imaginary". Remixes of the two tracks is planned to be written by Motion Drive + Virb & Padd respectively.
Stay tuned for more news and dont forget that DJ Banel is performing at Roskilde festival (Denmark) in July 2008 as well as the tsitraka Festival In Germany also in july 08 and at the Iboga Records 10 year anniversary events in Aarhus & Copenhagen may 30/31. Behind Blue Eyes is playing live at the trancendence festival in Brasil, july 08. In june 2008 in Malmö and at the dejavu event in the north of Sweden. May 23rd BBE visits Paris in France for a live / DJ set.
Michael Banel / Behind Blue Eyes / Iboga's Friend Space (Top 40)
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