EDIT AK1200 DATES

EDIT AK1200 DATES

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The Godfather of DnB in America, AK1200 has been the link between the music and the fans and DJs alike in the States ever since its inception. He is the longest running D DJ in the USA, and was the first to give exposure to hundreds of UK based DJs and producers. His annual Planet of the Drums tour, alongside fellow comrades Dieselboy and Dara and hype man Messinian has been the most successful running electronica tour since it began in 2000. Over the years, AK1200 has released 8 mix CDs, and 1 artist album, along with several singles, and has remixed countless well known electronic acts such as: Crystal Method, Rabbit in the Moon, Keoki, Dub Pistols, Cirrus, Freestyle, Rachel Wallace, Tribe called Quest, and many more. His remix of Cleveland Lounge's "Drowning", was on regular rotation on radio stations all over the USA, and is widely viewed as the most well known D&B tune in America, as well as being in dance charts all over the World. His 8 year stint as head of A&R with longtime friend Rob Playford, on Playford's legendary Moving Shadow label has helped make AK1200 one of the most influential D&B figures on the globe.

Dave Minner, better known as AK1200, started DJing in 1989 shortly after his introduction to clubs and underground club music. He grew up in Orlando Florida, which in the early 90's became a staple in the USA for next level music and its DJs.

After a few local residencies he began defining his style, and was quickly a favourite at the now infamous Edge raves of the early 90's hosted by DJ Icey. AK's work with Icey continued, as a heavy contributor to Icey's US Rave national paper. In 1990, he also opened one of the first strictly dance record stores in Orlando called The Hottie Shoppe. This is where he discovered the newest form of music, hardcore breakbeat or jungle techno, now known as DRUM and BASS.

AK's devotion to this sound and its evolution is what made Icey crown him with the AK1200 name, saying "He goes so fast, it's like an AK-47 on the 1200's."

After the Jungle explosion in '93 and '94, AK began writing reviews for UK's Mixmag Update. This was monumental as AK was an American writing about English music for an English publication. AK1200 was also the first American D&B DJ to play in the UK on both pirate radio and in clubs. Around that time, he teamed up with fellow junglist DJ Jeffee to publish another national magazine, called Junglized. With Junglized, AK hosted the first all D&B event in the southeast in September of 1995, also being the first person to bring the Number one D&B dj in the world, Andy C, to America.

His connections with virtually every label and distributor and practically every artist and producer in the UK, allowed him to get just about every tune that was worth playing, and helped him create exposure and attention for these artists and labels. His non stop touring of the States over the years has been a huge help in the rise of popularity for the music even today.

In 1996 he was asked to do a compilation mix CD for the first Sub Base USA release, titled Sub Base Classics. Shortly after that he was picked up by the biggest electronic label in the USA at the time, Moonshine Music, and released 4 mix CDs with them through 2001. Each CD had landmark sales for any DnB artist or DJ.

AK1200's popularity and stellar reputation caused him to be a sought after remixer for several artists and labels worldwide. Several of these remixes went on to be licensed to video games, film and other media formats. He went on to release one other mix CD after his original artist album, 'Shoot to Kill', which were both released on Run Recordings, a subsidiary of Lakeshore Entertainment, a Paramount company.

To date AK1200 has sold over 500,000 units combined worldwide, and is one of the most well known names in the United States for dance music. He has consistently been included in the Top 100 DJ's for each year in the states.

In 2000, he teamed up with friends Dieselboy and Dara to form an American supergroup called 'Planet of the Drums'. This came with the intention to bring their sound to the forefront of the dance industry, for the most part D&B DJss weren't given fair treatment compared to other DJ's in the dance community. Before 'Planet of the Drums', there was no main stage for this music, and there were no successful tours to promote D&B. DJ's from the UK hardly came to the US and didn't have the fanbase they do now. Promoters never received the attention from the D&B community to warrant any kind of reaction. This was all changed single handedly by Planet of the Drums and all their efforts. They went on to become the most successful annual electronic tour to last more than 9 years, and show no signs of tiring.

The groundbreaking mix CD, Weapons of Tomorrow, was released in October 2007, including 20 tracks from undiscovered D&B artists from all over the world. This CD's vast exposure and signings of many of the artists featured cemented the futures of these "soon to be" D&B legends. Autopsy, released in late 2008, is a collaboration with longtime friend and top notch producer, Gridlok. Signing with Project 51 was the next logical step for AK1200, having had years of production experience, his focus is once again set on getting back into non stop studio mode. Autopsy, a double CD, with one disc mixed from AK and Gridlok, and one disc of stand alone tracks, is a sign of some of AK's true artistry, with a few of his own tracks thrown in as well. It also included a brand new collaboration track with Gridlok, called Dub4Dub, which has seen massive support from the likes of Goldie, Andy C, Friction, DJ Hype, Dieselboy, and many others. This was featured on the B side of an Autopsy single, backed with Pornstar Feeder, a reworking by Gridlok of one of AK1200's most well known tunes, Pornstar Style, with Danny Breaks, previously released on Moving Shadow.

Since Autopsy's release and the sheer state of things, the next path for AK has taken him straight into the studio working on a number of projects, including a remix for the heavy metal band, Prong, for their Power To The Damager remix album.

His new label Big Riddim Recordings, is set for its 5th release, already having such names as Tech Itch, Kemal, Evol Intent, Dylan, Muffler, Digital, and AK himself, as well as others on previous releases. Many more massive releases to come at an average of one per month, Big Riddim will guarantee its place in the top of the D&B food chains for independent record labels.

After championing every possible feat in his home country of the USA, AK is ready again to set his sights on Europe and the UK, and other parts of the world. His 20 years of experience as a DJ will no doubt be reflected in his fierce sets and abilities to read a crowd and cater to whatever it takes to smash the dance, each and every time. His style of pure dancefloor rollers and anthems will satisfy every single face in the crowd. His style of mixing is proper old school, with cutting, fading, and the occasional bit of scratching, AK is a crowd pleaser and definitely entertaining to watch. 2010 get ready, cos this legend is coming to get you.

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