Mike Dierickx
| Mike Dierickx | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dirk Dierickx, but changed his name to Mike Dierickx in 2000 |
| Also known as | M.I.K.E Push, Solar Factor, The Blackmaster , Return of the Native, Plastic Boy, Absolute |
| Born |
20 February 1973 Antwerp, Belgium |
| Genres | Trance, progressive house |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, DJ, remixer, composer, musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | synthesizer, drum programming, engineering |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Club Elite, Coldharbour, Armada Music; Bonzai Records |
| Associated acts | Armin Van Buuren, Tetsuya Komuro, Rank 1 |
| Website | www.mike.be |
Mike Dierickx (born 20 February 1973), formerly known as Dirk Dierickx, and most commonly recognized under the aliases M.I.K.E. Push or Plastic Boy, is a Belgian DJ. Best known for the song "Universal Nation", he has also released other singles including "The Legacy" and "Strange World". His style is primarily trance.
Producing and DJing under the name M.I.K.E., he has been releasing records under the guises: Solar Factor, M.I.K.E, The Blackmaster, Return of the Native, Plastic Boy, Šand, and Push. In total, there are around 85 different aliases that span his career, because of either collaborations with other artists, or adapting new aliases simply to suit the nature of a particular track, covering the trance, techno and house scenes. As a DJ, Mike's style is very similar to the music he makes—progressive trance with a techy-edge. He is at the forefront of Europe's new sound, regularly topping the dance charts in several leading countries.
As an 11-year-old boy he discovered the potential of samplers and keyboards, his interest in electronic music developed further over the next years. At the age of 18, Mike handed his first demo tape to the Antwerp-based record company, USA Import. Shortly after, his first record, "Vision Act" was released on the Atom label in 1992. Mike released a series of successful records before he signed up with Lightning back in 1996.
M.I.K.E became very popular and, in 1998, although a commercial crossover had never been anticipated, 'Universal Nation' won several dance awards, and is recognized as one of the classic dance-records of the trance era until this day. The number 1 position of the song in worldwide dance charts helped putting the Belgian dance scene firmly on the map. His Push follow-up single 'Strange World' was also a hit and played throughout hundreds of clubs all across Europe. This was followed by another excellent performing release, 'The Legacy', once again topping most dance charts across Europe and entering the British National charts at #21. Over the years Mike received several music awards including best club singles and best dance-producer, and entered the national top 40 in the UK 6 times.
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