Stel

In the Electronic Music Arena, one becomes a DJ or a producer (or preferably both) out of the heartfelt, human desire to express him/herself through the wonderful medium of performing or writing music. That said, what happens when a classically trained musician/composer accidentally discovers the genre after a lifetime spent pursuing jazz, rock and classical music dreams accidentally discovers house music and is quickly catapulted into the upper-most circles of that particular scene? Stelios Vassiloudis may be, by his own admission, a "late bloomer" and a "novice" but what he lacks in experience and background he surely makes up in the volume and quality of the work he has under his belt after spending the last 3 years in the Electronic Music Arena. Surely, a quick look at the man's resume speaks for itself. Whether he is churning out tunes from his studio under his many different guises, or traveling the world to fulfill his DJ commitments, Stel's sound would have you easily convinced he is, if not an old hand, then at least at the top of his game. His discography so far has seen him produce original work and remixes for some of the hottest and most popular labels in the industry such as Audiotherapy, Bedrock, SAW, Hope, Armada, Baroque, Swift, Oxyd, Global Underground and many more while he has remixed tracks by John Digweed, Infusion, Gabriel and Dresden, Lostep, Pole Folder, G-Pal and a plethora of other highly regarded colleagues. Whether producing on his own, or with occasional studio partners such as Dave Seaman (under the name Group Therapy), Pole Folder, Loafer, Killahurtz, Good Newz (with whom he also produces as Fragile) and more, his productions are all characterized by the highest level of quality and can be heard by the world's leading DJ's in their sets and on their CD's. Producing under such a variety of aliases and with so many different partners has had a huge impact on Stel's development as a producer and composer, and the results have been nothing short of impressive spanning the genre's spectrum and thus gaining him support and recognition from DJ's across the board! On the DJ front, Stel has been quick to embrace the opportunities afforded to him by his flourishing production career and the stratospheric rise of his profile and, with the completion of his formal music studies allowing him to travel freely, has taken in gigs around the world at some of the most coveted venues: from Spirit in New York to Gossip 17 in Hong Kong and from the Love Parade in San Fransisco to Cavo Paradiso in Mykonos! When pressed for a description of the music he chooses for his sets, a task Stel proclaims "a fresh, intelligent and underground selection of electronic house. I don't believe in labeling and/or over-analyzing music-especially not in a genre as limitless and exciting as dance music. In layman's terms: good music is good music any which way you slice it-be it techno, progressive, minimal, tech, house or whatever other name you choose to brand it as. At the end of the day (or in this case, night) the most important thing is making the crowd have a good time and not undermining their intelligence by relying on obvious selections and mass-pleasing antics. The way I perceive my job is to entertain a crowd that is out to enjoy themselves and also present music that while enjoyable and effective, may not ultimately be something they are familiar with. I like pushing boundaries and mixing things up-that's why I DJ." Stel's development and subsequent responsibilities as a prime-time, main room DJ may have come at break-neck speed but clearly, the man has a precise sonic agenda to push and is very determined about how he goes about doing so-with huge confidence and infectious enthusiasm! As if being a fully accredited Bachelor of Science in Acoustics and Master of the Arts weren't already enough for him! After moving from Athens, to London, to New York for his studies Stel has now finally (hopefully) settled down in the United Kingdom where he works on a regular basis with Audiotherapy head honcho and Star DJ Dave Seaman developing their "Group Therapy" production outfit as well as several other projects. He also continues to diligently pursue his solo career and various other partnerships with no signs of slowing down or being affected by the much publicized and discussed impending "industry recession" around him. He also keeps a tight and ever-developing DJ schedule in his effort to constantly educate himself and promote his particular sound. And so, Stel, BSc, MA says he means to go on as he began-with a bang. His career thus far may have been riddled with accolades, support, praise and prestige but he remains humble at heart, thirsty for new experiences and sounds and above all a musician who recognizes he's only just begun. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.