Tommie Sunshine (US)
"Tommie Sunshine just might be the guy who could make dance music fun and important again this year..." Paper, 2006 Influenced by equal parts of Kraftwerk, AC/DC, and Farley Jackmaster Funk, mid-west rave legend and Brooklyn, NY resident Tommie Sunshine is raising the bar. Covering ground as artist, remixer, producer, vocalist, radio jock, label owner, DJ and songwriter and with his legendary hybrid of live performance and DJ sets now traveling the globe it wont be long before there will be, at least a little, Tommie Sunshine in your life. "Need big-room house mixes of Sarah Conner or Andy Hunter? Check. How about a rock-house hybrid for The Stills? Got it. Gary Glitter shuffle-beat for Good Charlotte? Not a problem. And lets not get started on the weird quirky techno. All of this is leading Sunshine somewhere. Perhaps as a producer with a platinum record on his wall." DJ Times Magazine, 2005 His studio collaborations have included Felix Da Housecat, James Murphy, Arthur Baker, Mylo and DJ Hell; he has played everywhere from Hong Kong to Reykjavik. As an established remixer, Tommie (alongside long time collaborator Mark Verbos) has been requested to retouch work from a diverse list that includes Louis XVI, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Good Charlotte, Kid Alex, Princess Superstar, Elvis Presley, Fallout Boy, Gang of Four, My Robot Friend, The Killers, Da Brat, P.O.D., Fischerspooner, The Faint, Kill Hannah, Ima Robot, Ladytron and Avril Lavigne. Furthermore, major fashion houses have asked Tommie for his deck time such as Versace, Raf Simons, Chanel, Xavier Delcour and Jeremy Scott Beverly Hills. Tommies original music has also been featured in a film by designer Jeremy Scott; NY hotel Tribeca Grands website, Blockbuster Video radio spots, a cd advertisement for the fashion label Chanel and on the CBS show Without A Trace. His work was also featured in Entertainment Tonights coverage of the Academy Awards, as well as the Hollywood release Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Not one to wait for innovative outlets for his music, his tunes have been in video games such as NBA 2K6 which features an unreleased track titled And Then as well as Need For Speed: Underground 2. Now with all this under his belt, Tommie is setting the international stage for the release of his debut album to hit next year, prefaced by his first compilation CD coming fall 2005 After six years in Georgia where he ran Satellite Records - Atlanta and held down two residencies at Club Sol and Fusion, he moved back to Chicago for four years establishing club nights ElectroSweat and Degeneration. He also held down the position of promotional director of the Midwest dance mecca Dust Traxx and being named in URB magazines Next 100. As a member of Thee Maddkatt Courtship with longtime collaborator Felix Da Housecat, Tommie co-produced "Cosmic Pop" for ffrr/London Records and worked again with Felix & Miss Kittin - co writing Silver Screen, Happy Hour and Glitz Rock - on the award winning 2002 Kittenz & Thee Glitz LP. Thom Yorke of Radiohead is quoted in URB Magazine saying, That should have been fucking number one all over the world. The single "Silver Screen (Shower Scene)" continues to be a dancefloor classic around the world years after release. The duo returned to the studio again for the single Rocket Ride which is co-produced and co-written, as well as the track Everyone Is Someone In LA. Tommie also worked with International Deejay Gigolo records supremo DJ Hell and DFAs James Murphy on Hells NY Muscle LP. "...Sunshines quirky ear, knack for being ahead of the curve and an enthusiasm bordering on the obsession for music cant be understated." DJ Times, 2005 His long history in the mid west rave scene made him a major source for those who wanted to learn more about the underground dance culture. He wrote the preface to Mireille Silcotts novel, Rave America and his knowledge on all things centric to this particular music cycle earned him an appearance in Peter Jennings Reporting on ABC, two separate BBC documentaries on House Music as well as the just out on DVD rave documentary Rise and featured DJing in Billy Corgans post smashing-Pumpkins band Zwans video for the song Lyric He has also been establishing his own presence as A&R and label owner with xylophone jones Recordings to include a cast of shocking newcomers alongside well established artists and Tommie himself. His xylophone jones Recordings Showcase at WMC 2004 was named by URB Magazine as the number 2 event of Conference in between Ultra Music Festival and BBC Radio 1 Essential Selection. ). 2004 also brought Tommie to radio, doing a monthly feature on XM Channel 80: The Move - nominated for a DanceStar award in 2004. 2005 proved to be the year of expose for Tommie, as his face graced both DJ Times and URB Magazines covers. He then went on to win Best DJ of Hong Kong 05, which in turn got him his first International Residency at Hong Kongs famous nightclub Volar. "Having DJd everywhere from the dirtiest rock n roll dive bar to the Guggenheim Museum, Sunshine spins a unique blend of modern rock and future-forward dance music." HX, 2006 Stay tuned in 2006 as Tommie preps us all for his two releases. The first will be the Systematic Sessions Vol. 2 - Tommie Sunshine & Marc Romboy is out on German label Systematic Recordings in late June/early July, followed by the Ultra Records release of his double CD chock full of his remix and production work, past and present, with many surprises in store.