Godskitchen

Godskitchen is an international superclub brand which is associated with dance music and organises events, particularly in the UK and US. The company used to run a club night of the same name at their nightclub AIR, in Birmingham. Godskitchen has an in-house music label. This label annually releases compilation albums, in addition to supporting new artists whom they believe bring something new to the genre.

The brand is to be retired in 2016 with "Last Dance" events in Sydney in April, Melbourne in May and Birmingham in June 2016

Roots

Godskitchen's roots date back to the golden era of the UK rave scene of the early 1990s.

First events

They held their first event in the UK at the Junction Nightclub in Cambridge, launching a series of sell out nights across the UK. The regular sessions gained momentum at Air nightclub in Birmingham. Thereafter, Chris Griffin and Tyrone Matthews decided they would launch Godskitchen on a regular basis. In May 1996, Godskitchen began to hold weekly events in Northampton. Godskitchen sold out regularly, soon filling the 1,500 capacity Planet Nightclub in Coventry every Friday night.

Armin van Buuren

Armin van Buuren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑrmɪn vɑn ˈbyːrə(n)]; born 25 December 1976) is a Dutch trance producer, DJ and radio personality.

Since 2001, Van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called A State of Trance, which currently has more than 20 million weekly listeners in 74 countries on over 150 FM radio stations. This radio show propelled him to stardom and helped cultivate an interest in trance music around the world.

Van Buuren has won a number of accolades. He has been ranked the World No. 1 DJ by DJ Magazine in their annual Top 100 DJs fan poll a record of five times, 4 years in a row. He is currently ranked World No. 4 on DJ Magazine's list for 2015. In 2014, he was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording for his single "This Is What It Feels Like" featuring Trevor Guthrie, which makes him the fourth trance artist ever to receive a Grammy nomination. In the United States, he holds the record for most entries (21) on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart. His 2008 studio album, Imagine, entered the Dutch album chart at No. 1, a first for a trance artist in Dutch music history.

Ferry Corsten

Ferry Corsten (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈfɛri ˈkɔrstə(n)]; born 4 December 1973) is a Dutch DJ, producer and remixer of electronic dance music, the majority of which has been Trance. He is well known for producing many pioneering trance tracks and albums during the 1990s-2000s under his numerous aliases, including System F, Moonman and Gouryella. In recent years, he has shifted to a broader electronic music style, playing everything from progressive house to melodic trance; and hosts his own weekly radio show, Corsten's Countdown. He routinely plays at events all over the world with crowds in excess of tens of thousands. In 2004, Ferry Corsten ranked #5 on DJ Magazines annual Top 100 DJ Poll (entering at No. 77 in 1999).

Life and career

Before 1998: Early years

Judge Jules

Judge Jules (born Julius O'Riordan, 26 October 1966) is a British dance music DJ, producer and entertainment lawyer. Known for his DJ activities, music production and popular radio show which achieved global success. He was voted the No1 DJ in the World by DJ Magazine in 1995.

Education

Jules was educated at Highgate Wood Secondary School, a state school in Highgate Wood in North London and University College School, an independent school for boys in Hampstead (also in North London), followed by the London School of Economics (LSE), where he earned a degree in law. During his time at university, Jules started hosting small parties where he was the DJ and also earned the nickname "Judge Jules" due to his field of study.

DJ career and radio shows

Judge Jules began DJing professionally back in 1987. He was quickly hired by the then-pirate radio station Kiss (UK radio station). He began his show with Radio 1 in October 1997. When he first arrived, his show went out between 17:00 and 19:00 on Saturday evenings, ahead of Danny Rampling's show. From 31 July 2004, after the departure of Seb Fontaine from the station, his show was moved to between 19:00 and 21:00 on Saturday nights, ahead of Tim Westwood. The show was widely advertised as, "The UK's Saturday Warmup", or "The Weekend Warm-Up". One of the most infamous jingles used on the show during this time described it as, "The Sound Of Saturday Night". The show kept this slot until September 2007.