Who is Don Diablo? Well, for starters he is one of the five most popular dance artists in his own country, alongside Tiësto, Armin van Buuren, Junkie XL and Ferry Corsten, according to the recently held Radio 3FM Awards – the Dutch equivalent of BBC Radio One. What sets him apart though is his music; a refreshing blend of musical styles: rock, electro, breaks and hip hop are the main ingredients.
After signing his first record deal at age fifteen , Don Diablo has had the opportunity to grow as a producer as well as an artist. In 2004 he released his first artist album on Universal Music, which spawned two chart hits, both accompanied by a groundbreaking futuristic video. After that Don Diablo has had worldwide floorfillers and chart hits on prestigious (international) labels. The multitalented Don Diablo produces his own music, writes and sings his own songs, does remixes and production work for other artists and hosts a monthly Saturday night show on national radio in his own country.
On top of this, Don ‘Sleep is the enemy’ Diablo also makes music for motion pictures and commercials, runs two record labels – ‘Middle of the Road’ and ‘Sellout Sessions' – to push and create opportunities for a new generation of talented producers, directs his own music videos, and stays active on the charity front. He also made music for the 2005 TMF Awards (the Dutch ''Mtv'') campaign. His last two singles, ‘Who's your daddy’ and ‘Blow’, both climbed the Dutch Billboard Top 100 charts and ended up top 20, resulting in a massive touring schedule in his own country as well as performances at Top of the Pops. In the next few months, Don Diablo will also release several records on UK and US-based labels, including Sander Kleinenberg’s ‘Little Mountain Records’ and renowned breaks label ‘Boombox’. He is currently also working on his second artist album: ‘Respect Doesn’t Pay the Bills’.
As a DJ, Don Diablo has travelled around the globe from Japan to Brazil and from Australia to the UK. A peak on his list of performances shows gigs at: Ministry of Sound, Dancevalley, Creamfields, Innercity, Godskitchen, Haoman 17, The Liquid Room, Lowlands, and the list goes on and on. In 2005, Don Diablo was the only Dutch artist nominated in the category ‘Best Electro / Punk Artist’ at the Release Dance Awards, alongside Miss Kittin, Vitalic, Tiefschwarz and Dr. Lektroluv. And, believe it or not, in 2005 and in 2006 he was also voted ‘Most Sexy Male DJ’ in his own country!
The release of his first artist album was also a turning point in Don Diablo’s career as a DJ, as he decided to cut down on his hectic international touring schedule, and focus on defining a sound of his own production-wise, promoting his album and building a solid fan base in his native country by touring the Netherlands extensively. Well, what can we say: mission accomplished! Now, this industrious youngster is ready to take on the world again and put his mark on the international music industry.