Promo

Promo is the stage name of Dutch DJ and producer Sebastian Hoff, born in the Netherlands in 1976. He also uses the names The Hardcore Brothers, Brian Acardy and Section-8, the latter as a collaboration with The Prophet. His work sits across electronic, gabber, hardcore techno, hardstyle and industrial music, and he is associated with House the 90s.

Early releases and aliases

As Section-8, he appears on the compilation Thunderdome IX - The Revenge Of The Mummy with an early hit when he is 19. He also has a remix of No Doubt’s “Don’t Speak” and records “Shut Up” on Shut Up! / Born Whappie!, which becomes a major success. He says this track is made partly to annoy his brother, who plays in a rock band.

Style and development

Promo then moves towards a different kind of hardcore techno, developing a sound that is melodic, dark, hard and rough. He experiments with hardcore by layering and reworking it to find something new, and his tracks are sometimes considered too experimental for top hardcore DJs to play at parties when they first appear, although they are still popular with hardcore audiences.

The Third Movement

He founds the label The Third Movement with DJ X-Ess and Catscan. After a dispute, X-Ess and Catscan leave in 2004 to set up their own label, and Promo continues the label on his own.