Swizz Beats is an artist, p roducer, designer and p hilanthropist. Swizz Beatz isn't defined by any title; they all just describe him. Since writing his first successful song in the early 1990s, he has built a career that is difficult to sum up in a single word but simple to comprehend in another: unique. He has produced hit songs for... read full bio
Rapper Richard Morales Jr., also known as Gunplay, is from the United States. As a member of fellow Florida-based rapper Rick Ross's southern hip hop crew, Triple C's, Morales began his career in hip hop. 2009 saw the release of "Custom Cars and Cycles," the debut album by Triple C's. Gunplay announced in July 2012 that he has signed a... read full bio
When Arrival Of Autumn first formed, their goal was to play music without apology and to establish their own path in the music industry. Being from a tiny community in Northern Canada, the band didn't grow up in a scene with regular promoters, venues and fans in a big metropolis, therefore this was a required tactic. The band started planning their next... read full bio
Northern Californian progressive death metal band Arkaik was founded by Jared Christianson and Chance Strickland as part of the emerging Bay Area Tech Death scene, which would soon have an impact on many of the top bands of the present day. Arkaik conveys nuggets of arcane knowledge through intricate storytelling and their distinctive musical style, continuing to take each listener on an... read full bio
The East London DJ and singer Eliza Rose combines her love of UK soundsystem music with beautiful poetry. Eliza is a self-described selector and steadfast vinyl collector who is dedicated to providing dancefloor music that will make you listen as intently as you dance. Her career as a lyricist started when she added some vocals to a voice note for her... read full bio
Six official members of the creative 202 Collective, each with their own distinct identities and aesthetics, make up the group. Originally from the DMV area, based in Atlanta, Cole, Ric, Leek, Marc and Zer0 are at the helm. Cole Hughes, better known by his rap moniker "Giela," was born and reared in Northwest Washington, DC, and has since shook every city... read full bio
Matt Schofield, a British native who now resides in the United States, continues to push the limits and reinvent the British Blues tradition. After more than 30 years of performing and 20 years into his solo career, guitar virtuoso, singer, songwriter, producer and band leader Schofield's effect as one of the most influential and recognizable guitarists of his generation is undeniable. Three... read full bio
American Christian metalcore band Convictions hails from Ohio. Michael Felker on vocals and Zachary Schwochow on drums make up Convictions. The band characterizes their approach as "Aggressive Worship," which is a spiritually charged fusion of hardcore and ambience. The group's debut album, I Am Nothing, was released not long after the group's formation. The band released their Unworthy EP shortly after... read full bio
Tom Power is a musician from Canada who also works as a radio host. He is best known for hosting the shows Deep Roots and Radio 2 Morning on CBC Radio 2 as well as Q on CBC Radio One on occasion. While attending Memorial University of Newfoundland to study folklore, Power started presenting Deep Roots in St. John's, Newfoundland... read full bio
Olivia Irene "Chachi" Hildén, also known by her birth name Olivia Gonzales, was born in Houston, Texas. She was a part of the dancing group I.aM.mE, who took first place in America's Best Dance Crew's sixth season. Gonzales began receiving ballet training at the age of 6 when she joined in a nearby dancing school. Gonzales first saw a hip hop... read full bio
Michael Bingham, a band member of the Bay Area's Spiritual Cramp who was formerly in the post-hardcore bands Creative Adult and Self Defense Family, may be the band's most well-known member. Instead, Spiritual Cramp leans on danceable post-punk, propelled by Bingham's sonorous vocals and bears little similarity to either. It's a sound made by a large ensemble of musicians—six in all—who... read full bio
The ascension of Nia Archives to become one of the most well-known producers in the jungle genre has been nothing short of spectacular. She released her debut EP Headz Gone West, but since then she has worked with Congo Natty on a remix of Lava La Rue's "Magpie," which Elton John has played on his radio show. Her neo-nostalgic take on breakbeat earned her... read full bio
At the age of three, Makenzie embarked on her initial training in dancing. She trained multiple times per week at Nederlands Dance Theater in Holland, in addition to daily classes at Westside Dance Project and Murrieta Dance Project (Summer). She also received training in singing and acting. Makenzie is a graduate of Great Oak High School, where she was a... read full bio
The jump-jiving, rumba-writhing spectacle Dancing On Ice celebrates the quickness, intensity and sensuality of ice dancing. Wilhelm "Willy" Bietak is originally from Austria, and he participated in two Winter Olympics while competing internationally with partners Evelyne Schneider and Gerlinde Schönbauer. The World Figure Skating Hall of Fame welcomed him as a member. He started Willy Bietak Productions, a Santa Monica, California-based production... read full bio
The Folklore Mexicano Dance Company is a ballet folklorico ensemble that specializes in indigenous dances from Mexico's numerous regions, each of which has its own bright costumes, distinctive music and dance forms. Research is the foundation of the Folklore Mexicano Dance Company. Their dances are based on ethnographic and anthropological research they've done while traveling around Mexico and interacting with the... read full bio
The qualities that distinguish Los Vivancos as the best-selling and most important flamenco dance artists of the present day are soaring energy, bodies molded through hours of onstage effort, ensembles that blend tradition and modernity and sheer virtuosity. The family, made up of seven brothers who received their education in various cities around the globe, has always remained steadfast in their devotion to... read full bio
After 20 years of operation and a global audience of more more than 1.6 million, Flamenco Festival has presented more than 140 companies and 1250 shows, showcasing the top performers of the day, from well-known artists and traditional flamenco icons to the most avant-garde, rising young stars of dance and music in this genre. Miguel Marin developed and directed the... read full bio
Some musicians use their music to chronicle their lives. Others write life stories. The ability to tell their personal story via songs that also capture the essence of the people and places that have contributed to the overall definition of their age is a unique talent. Both Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan spring to mind. Certainly, Bruce Springsteen. But few... read full bio
One of Ireland's best-kept secrets is still Maria Doyle Kennedy. The raven-haired Dubliner's roles as Katherine of Aragon, nanny to a serial killer's son, or as the estranged wife of the charming Mr. Bates from the three critically acclaimed television shows The Tudors, Dexter and Downton Abbey are likely to be more well-known. Maria has spent more than two decades performing... read full bio
From her first recorded performance as the lead vocalist with the renowned traditional Celtic group DeDannan to her long-term collaborations with Nashville artists Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck and others, Maura O'Connell has combined an unmistakably deep, rich and versatile voice with her signature talent for finding what's most potent in the work of a wide range of genre-hopping songwriters in order to pull... read full bio
