Darude

Darude is the stage name of Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen, a Finnish DJ and producer born in 1975 and associated with Hinnerjoki, Finland. He works in electronic dance music and is also described as making breakbeat, breaks, dance, drum and bass, dubstep and EDM.

Early development and name

Virtanen starts making music while at school, using tracker software on his PC. He continues developing his production skills in technical school and begins sending demos to radio stations in 1997, while also making music available online. His stage name comes from a nickname that develops from “Rude Boy”, which is in turn linked to the phrase “Da Rude”.

Breakthrough with “Sandstorm”

In 1999, Virtanen gives a demo of “Sandstorm” to producer JS16, also known as Jaakko Salovaara. He signs with JS16’s 16 Inch Records and releases the track as a single. “Sandstorm” becomes his breakthrough release: it reaches number one in Finland, sells platinum, stays at number one on the Finnish Dance Chart for seventeen consecutive weeks, and later becomes a major international hit. It also reaches number three in the UK Singles Chart, making it the first record by a Finnish artist to do so, and goes on to sell around 2 million units worldwide. The single is also described as the world’s biggest-selling 12-inch record in 2000.

Albums and later singles

His debut album, Before the Storm, follows shortly after “Sandstorm”. JS16 produces the album, which includes two of his remixes. The record sells around 800,000 copies worldwide, tops the Finnish album chart and earns three Finnish Grammy awards. Darude’s second single, “Feel the Beat”, follows the success of “Sandstorm” and reaches number five in the UK Singles Chart. Later singles include “Out of Control” and “Out of Control (Back for More)”, a remix featuring Tammie Marie, though these do not match the impact of his first two singles.

In 2001, Darude begins a world tour, and Before the Storm: Australian Tour Edition appears in that period. A special edition of the album follows in 2002 with a collection of remixes. His second album, Rush, is released in 2003, along with the singles “Music” and “Next to You”. Rush reaches number four in weekly Finnish album sales, and “Next to You” becomes a regular feature in DJ mixes.

Later releases and activity

Darude later posts the singles “Tell Me” and “My Game” from the album Label This! on his official MySpace page. “Tell Me” appears in Finland in 2007, followed later by “My Game”. He is also described as remaining active on the road, particularly in the United States and Eastern Europe, after the release of Rush.

Style and background

Darude is known for an anthemic trance style and for his work as an electronic dance music producer and DJ. He lives in Turku, Finland.