TOMY DECLERQUE
A member of established Slovenian deejays, Tomy DeClerque grew up in an environment full of promising development in the sphere of electronic dance music. The local scene has been turning into a globally acknowledged style of techno music in front of his eyes in the hands of artists such as Umek and Valentino Kanzyani.A natural choice for a guy with talent and ambition was to jump the train and Tomy DeClerque has been on the road it ever since.
Performing as a deejay in a local venues since he turned seventeen, Tomy DeClerque soon realised that making his own production was essential if he wanted his career to really take off. He hooked up with his friend Zox to form the Tomy or Zox duo, and their hard work paid off as their single My Desire received favourable feedback in Spain, Russia and Mexico. However, it was the hit single Music Makes Me Happy that caught the attention of top artists, was remixed by the likes of Mainframe and ATCF, and released on several prestigious compilations, such as Ministry Of Sound, DJ Awards at Pacha Ibiza and Blanco Y Negro Mix. Tomay says that the greatest satisfaction at that time, though, was when we got a set as ‘Essential new tune of the week’ on Pete Tong’s celebrated Essential selection radio show.
Searching for genuine underground sound that could revive the authentic feeling of electronic dance music he experienced in his youth, Tomy turned to Valentino Kanzyani’s Jesus Loved You label in 2008, releasing the much praised single I Don’t Know. Things just opened for him on a much wider scale soon after that. Just two years later in 2010, his first solo EP entitled Learn To Play / Hard Softness was signed by no one else than Carl Cox and Jon Rundell for their Intec imprint. Keeping loyal to the label in the following years with many releases lead him to open a stage at the mighty Gashouder in Amsterdam for the Pure Intec event and, more importantly, to his debut performance at the Awakenings Festival in July 2018.
Two Mexican tours, crazy train ride in the Balkans, never-ending road trips throughout Europe, superb venues in Belgium, Germany, Spain, Austria, Ukraine, Serbia, Turkey, Bosnia, Croatia, Italy, Czech Republic, the UK, Switzerland, Slovakia, unforgettable memories from South Africa and a unique opportunity to work as the resident artist at the legendary club Ambasada Gavioli for a few years. Driven by his unstoppable passion for teamwork, he works with various musicians, local drummer Dave Morgan, the multi-instrumentalist KayKay, singers, percussionists and other talents. He wrote and produced a song with a talented singer Lea Sirk, who won EMA, a leading national competition, to represent Slovenia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.
TIM URBANYA
Tim Urbanya is a music producer, DJ, creator and host of the radio show on electronic music RH 202. If you have ever tuned in to your radio on a Friday night in the hope of finding dance tunes, you’ve probably been captivated by the sound treats from Tim Urbanya. The show features current global trends of the electronic music scene, support for Slovenian music production, live broadcasts from the hottest events and interviews with names that will make your heart beat faster. After mixing his hour-and-a-half-long sonic cocktail for five years, Tim caught the attention of the national broadcaster and his radio show Rush Hour gained an even bigger audience of avid fans on Val 202 under the name RH 202.
His career, which he’s been patiently building for the last 15 years, is proof that he’s more than just a good talker and a trustworthy presenter of hot trends. As a DJ, he quickly conquered the festival and club dance floors thanks to his innate feeling for rhythm. He also gained experience as a record store manager, whereas the parties he organized gave him an in-depth perspective of the field. So it’s no surprise his debut single EP Play it made an impact on many different leading charts of electronic music all over the world.
His thing is melodic house in the original meaning of the word. Deep bass lines that make people move and carefully selected vocals that arouse emotions.This is what propelled Tim onto the stages of the leading clubs and festivals in the region. He left his mark at Ambasada Gavioli, Byblos, Cirkus, within Festival Maribor, where he combined electronic and classical music, at Exit Festival, where he was a prominent representative of Slovenian sounds, and Stožice Arena, where he stirred up the audience long before David Guetta came on stage.
MARX.P
Marko P. a.k.a. Marx.P was born in Maribor, Slovenia. He came in touch with music at a very young age. In 2002, just as he finished high school, Marko started his career as an MC at different electronic music events and in different clubs around Slovenia and Austria. He was a resident DJ at Club Impulz in Maribor from 2002-2008, where he was managing his own events and started his DJ career. After spending a year living in Graz, Marko established a non-profit organisation called Play2Play Promotions to manage his own events in Graz clubs like Postgarage, Niesenberger, Loft, etc. In 2014, Marx.P decided to become a professional electronic music producer.
He released his first track on the cross-world sub-label Cubic Ball Records from London, UK, called Turn Things Off. In 2017, he released the track I’ve got my Jams on the Ukrainian underground label Whoyostro LTD that signalled Marko’s transition to a minimalistic and dub DJ and music producer. Marx.P played with big-name artists, such as Marko Nastić, UNER, Technasia, Dominik Eulberg, Paul Ritch, Subb-an, Nastia, etc., and appeared in festivals, such as Springfestival Graz, Eco Festival Nova Gorica, Festival Lent and Peal Festival!
- Marx.P (Play2Play, Innocent Music, Whoyostro, eMBi Music, Vzletnaya)
JAN BITEŽNIK
Jan Bitežnik is a DJ, music producer, sound technician, promoter, and amateur designer. He’s currently stationed in Berlin where he studies music production at the dBs Music Berlin faculty, and spends most his days and nights producing music and DJing, focusing mostly on electro music, such as house and techno.
He appeared in several big-time gigs in Slovenia and has been DJing for the better part of the last 6 years. Two years ago, he won the DJ contest at the Halamoye festival in Tolmin. Despite leaving Slovenia for Berlin six months ago, he’s already scheduled to appear at two club gigs, all while running a radio show at Etikett Radio. Jan Bitežnik expects to release his first EP in a few months that will carry his design and art production.
NIASH POYMA
Niash Poyma is a music producer, DJ and audio engineer from Maribor. He first got his hands on CD players at the age of 13 and learned how to mix electro music. He created his first cuts not long after that. Niash’s first focus was melody (trance, progressive house, etc.), but he later turned to rhythm (disco, house, techno).
He’s an excellent guitar player and part of his soul will always belong to rock music, but he’s settled down with tech house during recent years. He announced his appearance at Festival Lent with the following words: “My set will be full of groovy rhythms, intoxicating bass lines, tireless shakers and melodic vocals, all packed into a summer dance event for the ages. Niash Poyma coming in heavy!”
