Mischa Daniels

After the auspicious musical start that Dutch-born Mischa Daniels enjoyed, it's no wonder he's at the helm of the aptly named FAME label and rapidly racking up club hits and plaudits from the likes of Erick Morillo and Pete Tong. After experimenting with drums and trumpets from the age of 7, he discovered house music and switched his allegiance to a pair of turntables. Playing out at parties from the tender age of 12, Mischa soon got interested in producing his own tracks: ?It's a real adventure choosing what direction is right for you? he says.

Playing out at parties from the tender age of 12, Mischa soon got interested in producing his own tracks: ?It's a real adventure choosing what direction is right for you? he says. ?I always liked that about music, but I didn't realise it could become like it is now ? a profession.? At 16 he won a national DJ contest on live radio, but just as the DJing took off Mischa decided he should start studying. ?You never know with music if you'll have the success that you dream of, so it's good to have something to fall back on,? he says.

He needn't have worried; at 22, with a Real Estate masters degree under his belt, his debut release ? enthusiastically titled Pumping Groover. - on WORK Records (home to Dutch house pioneer Olav Basoski) sold bucketloads, and WORK signed him up. The following half dozen releases brought him to the attention of a number of big labels, and in 2005 Armada Music snapped up Mischa to start his own label with them, FAME.

Now the only house Mischa's interested in is the sort that reverberates a dancefloor; having honed his style of pumping beats and groovy disco loops he plays ?house, slightly progressive house, tribal house, but it's got to have energy. I love what Erick Morillo does ? combining huge diva vocals from the likes of Jocelyn Brown with house music and tribal beats.?

The professional admiration is mutual ? Mischa's 2006 production Take Me Higher appears on Subliminal Sessions 10, earning Mischa the plaudit of being the first Dutch producer to be featured in the hugely credible mix series.

A video is now underway for Take Me Higher; in addition to Mischa's own massive productions the FAME label boasts tracks and remixes by the likes of Rooster & Sammy Peralta, Eddie Amador and Tom de Neef, and has released classics with a special Mischa Daniels remix, like Yavahn's "Everybody be Somebody".

The success of his productions, the label, and regular gigs (including a residency at the monthly FAMOUS night every last Saturday of the month at top Amsterdam club, Panama), are keeping Mischa busy and he couldn't be happier. ?This is the only thing I want to do ? it's music all the way?


Sally Learmouth