Julien Chaptal (FR)

Born and raised in Paris, Chaptal moved to Amsterdam around the turn of the century. There he witnessed the local scene grow to staggering heights, as he himself steadily developed from a local hero to the internationally acclaimed artist he is today. From the moment Chaptal first arrived in Holland’s capital, he worked very hard at becoming a professional producer. Mixing bands and dj’s at night as an audio engineer, he used his days to further perfect his own musical style and technique. Chaptal first rose to fame as a member of the Dutch outfit Le Clic. Touring around the country with them, he gained a lot of useful stage experience. These days Chaptal is known as one of Holland’s most agile techno performers – solo as well as together with like minded musicians. This is evident when playing with Kabale und Liebe, Quazar, Boris Werner, David Labeij and Lauhaus under the Amsterdam 661 moniker. Showcasing some of the finest in contemporary techno from the Dutch capital, they’ve had some amazing appearances at places in – and outside of the Netherlands. When Remote Area signed Chaptal as a solo artist, connoisseurs abroad started to get acquainted with his captivating grooves. ’Moldy Beans/Wonderland’ (2006) and its follow up ’Am I Loco Lima’ (2007) set the blueprint for Chaptal’s signature sound, which hovers pleasantly between the rhythmic techno of his Amsterdam contemporaries and the housey roots of his Daft Punkian fatherland. With his first collaboration ’Freedom Fries’ (2007, produced with fellow New Schooler Lauhaus) Chaptal manifested his dexterity as a studio collaborator. But Chaptal’s definite breakthrough was established with his critically acclaimed debut album ’Tokens’ (2008), a collection of dancefloor-oriented grooves that took the techno scene by storm. ”Once in a while a techno album comes along that gets the balance just right”, Mixmag put it, praising Tokens as ”a veritable box of delights for the DJ’s”. The techno express rumbles on, as ’Mamdaye’ (2009) shoots to the top twenty of best sold records on Beatport. Or should we say house train. In 2010 Julien hit the top of the charts again with his Pump EP which resonated through dance floors around the planet and brought him an new wave of recognition , be it in Colombia, South Africa, or The USA, where he toured extensively in 2011. His Latest releases on 2020vision and Intacto Records have received massive DJ support and are now being played, not only by Pete Tong on Radio 1, but surely also on a dance floor near you. With more releases planned to hit the international club systems expect to see and hear more from world citizen, Julien Chaptal.