15 Minutes of Fame: Learn Everything You Need to Know About the Finals!

With over 120 submissions, and the first round of the competition at a conclusion, we are heading into the final round of the Global Dance DJ Competition Finals on November 3rd! With 9 finalists having being selected we have a great variety of DJs who will be competing to play Main Stage at this years 2016 Global Dance Festival amongst many others including Bassnectar, Alison Wonderland, Louis the Child, and many many other wonderfully talented DJs!

To prep ourselves for this upcoming weekend, we’re gonna recap the 9 finalist, go over their style, and maybe provide some insight about them you didn’t know, but first, here is all the info you need to know about this years finals!

In the spirit of the holiday season, 100% of the profit will be donated to a wonderful organization, Santas in Blue, started by the U.S. Air Force in 1965 that buys presents for children on the Indian reservations and delivers them during the holidays. This is especially near and dear to the heart of Relentless Beats and our community here in Arizona because so many of our festivals are held on Indian reservations. This is our way of saying thank you and giving back to a community that allows us to host incredible events on a consistent basis. In past years Santas in Blue has brought a smile to many underprivileged kids who otherwise may not get any Christmas presents and we hope to increase our donations this year. While similar to the Salvation Army, what makes this charity so unique is that the presents are wrapped with the child’s name on it and presented by none other than Santa flown in a military helicopter!

Arietta

Arietta knew early on that music runs through her blood. She holds over 15 years of classical/jazz training as a multi-instrumentalist and as a composer, and has performed, competitively and freely in various projects ranging from an acid jazz band, an electroacoustic duo, and various symphony orchestras, bands, and choirs. Electronic music came into the picture in high school and after her first set of turntables there was no turning back. By the time she was 18 she held a club residency in her hometown of Phoenix, AZ, and was a frequent Drum and Bass performer in the Southwest US underground. After a brief hiatus, in 2015 she launched her breakbeat project, Proper Thirteen, with DJ Louder. Their love for electronic music allows for the duo to offer an eclectic take on bass music always with undertones of their diverse, nostalgic musical history. Recently, Arietta has been hard at work on her first solo Drum and Bass EP, “Perpetuate”, anticipated by the end of 2016.

Connect With Arietta: Facebook | Soundcloud

Astony

A resident of the Phoenix Trance Family, Astony, AKA Tony Winston, is known to spin and create some of the best trance music in the valley. On top of making it to the finals of this competition he also just realized his newest track “Skyfall” which you’ll have to make sure you listen for this next November 3rd at the competition. Astony spins mostly progressive trance with long builds ups that build suspension until finally everything is realized into a dramatic drop, with synth leads flying all over your head as euphoria fills up the room. Check out his mix that he originally submitted for the Global Competition to see what Astony is really capable of!

Connect With Astony: Facebook | Soundcloud

Dark Mark

With one hand in the light and one hand in the dark, DJ Dark Mark’s, AKA Mark Tomlinson, unrivaled versatility in the Arizona dance music scene has united dancers of both spooky and friendly beats under the same umbrella. Beginning in the early 2000s at the elegant Club Palazzo for the weekly industrial night Tranzylvania, he spun hard-hitting industrial dance music to crowds of 200 or more as they stomped about in knee-high boots, striped corsets, and ghastly makeup. Dark Mark’s brand of angry and happy dance music is quickly warping the playing field for present and future Arizona DJs and dance clubs. 2015 is coming to a close, and 2016 is in store for even bigger surprises.

Connect With Dark Mark: Facebook | Soundcloud

Decade

Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Decade (real name Bryce Holt) has always identified strongly with the underdog nature of the city he’s from and the hip-hop culture that has pushed the music industry into the internet age. A product of myriad influences that have built him into a fearless producer who combines elements from all realms of music to create a brand of hype bass sound that is signature to himself alone. Self-building a reputation on banging track after banging track, Decade’s originals and remixes on Soundcloud have garnered over hundreds of thousands of listens and support from the likes of Diplo, Laidback Luke, Borgore, Carnage, and Flosstradamus, expanding his horizons to new shores with every listen.

Connect With Decade: Facebook | Soundcloud

Ghost Effect

Ghost Effect, AKA Ruben Martinez, is our man who loves to spin some funky house music. Having opened up for Will Clarke + Sage Armstrong in late October, he’s definitely a contestant for which to keep your eyes peeled. With flawless transitions and smooth track selection, Ghost Effect first came into the scene when he opened for Dirty Disco as his first performance. Having never spun outside of his bedroom before, Ghost Effect fearlessly took the massive main stage for the opening set and absolutely nailed it. Check out his global mix submission to see how our man Ruben loves to get down!

Connect With Ghost Effect: Facebook | Soundcloud

Highline

Christian “Highline” Spillane (born March 10th,1997) is a native Phoenix bass and deep house producer, DJ and graphic designer. Opening for acts such as Zomboy, Ghastly, Torro Torro, and Donald Glaude, Highline is gaining support in the growing bass community that is Arizona. Keep an eye for his first single “Adrenaline” releasing in December.

Connect With Highline: Facebook | Soundcloud

Robby Robb

Robert Lafayette, born and raised in El Paso Texas and moved to Arizona in 2006. Music has always been a love and passion for him, as he started with choir and slowly taught himself how to play several different instruments. He eventually decided to try DJing in 2012. What most people don’t know is that his roots are in hip-hop and R&B and that’s what he started mixing because that’s all he ever listened to. After about two years of being a bedroom DJ, Robby Robb eventually got his first gig at a club in Scottsdale Arizona. Skip ahead to present day and the guy has now claimed Dubstep as his sound, and from that moment on Robby Robb has dedicated his life to making people band their heads on the front rail!

Connect With Robby Rob: Facebook | Soundcloud

Tryb

Tryb, hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, has dedicated his life to the study of music and performance. He draws his musical influences from multiple cultures, such as Jamaican, African, and Latin America and incorporates them with relevant pop music into his unique electronic performance. Tryb has opened for a variety of artists, such as Will Atkinson and Bare. Pineapples have become an important dynamic in Tryb’s performance as they represent the values of festivity, joy, community, and hospitality. Tryb showcases the pineapple theme in his production by releasing mixes as the term fruitlegs. His DJ Snake “Middle” Fruitleg has now reached over 40k listens.

Connect With Tryb: Facebook | Soundcloud

Yokaii

YŌKAII is a Phoenix based DJ, who after being a finalist in the DJ competition YourShot, used the platform to launch his career. He has a deep passion for dubstep, as that is what got him into EDM years and years back. With respect to his roots, he now tactfully incorporates it into his production of other genres. He has taken a liking to making bass house with harder dubstep vibes mixed in. He has been consistently booking shows for his versatile mixing ability, and he always brings a high energy to live performances. He has devoted all of his time to music, while still working and going to school full time. His dedication to this is second to none and it shows through his work. Being at a young age of 21, he plans to stay in this industry, pursue his passion, and give people that little escape from reality that music provides.

Connect With Yokaii: Facebook | Soundcloud

If you want more info on the show go ahead and check out this link here to find out everything you need! Additionally, don’t forget to purchase your Global Dance Festival tickets right here!