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We’re serving up some European flavors on this edition of our Sun City Music Festival sound clash. Representing Turkey, Germany, and France, we’re putting two of our talented acts under the microscope. Though one creates anthemic bangers with that big room sound and the other creating his own ní®che with rock-influenced techno, we are looking forward to the great music that will be blaring through the speakers when Deniz Koyu and Gesaffelstein take the stage at Texas’ largest dance music event this August 31st and September 1st — no matter how different those two sounds may be.

Deniz Koyu

Though Sun City talent Deniz Koyu discovered dance music when he was 18 years old, it would be safe to say that he has more than a firm grasp on the genre. Having played piano from a very early age, music has always been a part of this Turk’s life. Born in Germany, as Deniz grew to his teenage years, he discovered synthesizers and has been in love ever since. Referencing the styles of artists like Eric Prydz and Steve Angello to draw inspiration for his own production, Deniz worked diligently to ultimately find a sound that was uniquely his own.

Though he has been releasing a steady output of originals and remixes since 2007, Deniz’s big break didn’t come until 2011 with his massive single “Tung.” “I did it very quickly in, like, four days in the studio, I just had a rough idea — this unique sound. It’s hard to describe; it sounds like an instrument, like a vuvuzela,” Deniz explains. “I started to play the melody and I got a rough idea with the beats, and then, to be honest, I had no idea what I was actually doing there — I just finished the track there very quickly. I sent it to Fedde [le Grand] and he was really amazed by the track. I got perfect feedback from it, and I thought, ‘Hey, maybe it’s a cool track [after all], let’s see what happens!’ But I didn’t think it would go so big.”

In March of this year, Deniz released the banger “Rage.” The energetic track starts off with a suspenseful breakdown that drops into some serious pounding drums that are sure to spike your blood pressure. Known for banging out monstrous progressive, electro house anthems, get ready to rage with us and Deniz Koyu at Sun City Music Festival this year. Tickets are still available for purchase, buy your tickets today!

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Gesaffelstein

Gesaffelstein is an unstoppable mystery. If you were to draw a continuous line on a world map illustrating the cities and countries Gesaffelstein has played in this past year, it would look like the most intense lie detector-test reading you’ve ever seen. Literally hoping back and forth between the hemispheres, the Frenchman’s feverish tour schedule is just a testament to how in-demand he is right now. And he made it here with few to no interviews, no Twitter account to speak of, and a Soundcloud account that was just set up last month. Who is this mystery guy that the world loves so much?

Though Gesaffelstein released his first EP Modern Walk on Goodlife Records, label of electroclash pioneer The Hacker, it is the revered imprint Turbo Recordings that hosted many of his releases before joining the Bromance gang with fellow countryman and other Sun City talent, Brodinski.

Recently dubbed the “new prince of techno,” Gesaffelstein’s output is an ominous work of art. Often creating an intense feeling of tension in his productions, his signature metal-clad techno makes for dark and intriguing delight. His EP Rise of Depravity released earlier this year features two tracks both beginning with eerie, high-pitched synths resonating in thin air as a huge bass line is sweltering beneath them. Never short on dynamic percussion either, every Gesaffelstein set is a perfect marriage of all his signatures for the ultimate build-up dance fans crave. You’re in for a menacingly awesome treat when Geasaffelstein goes back-to-back with his labelmate Brodinski for Sun City Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend! Tickets are still available for purchase, buy your tickets today!

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Hailing from England, Sun City Music Festival talent John Digweed has long since cemented his name in the pages of dance music history. His list of achievements have molded dance music history to say the least. Like creating the first fully licensed DJ mix/compilation with Sasha called The Mix Collection. He and Sasha were also the first British DJs to hold a residency at what was then regarded as the world’s most popular club, Twilo. Pioneer only begins to describe him.

Growing up in Hastings, England, John’s journey began at the age of 15 in the blossoming scene of acid house. Working on building his craft, John first sent a demo to Sasha in 1992 and scored a gig at the Renaissance Club in Mansfield. Together, their residency at that venue was where they saw their popularity began to rise. As Sasha and Digweed, the two are by far one of the most successful if not the most well-known DJ duos of all time.

John became known for supporting the progressive house sound that became popular in Europe and America in the late 90s and early 2000s. Between 2000 and 2005, John promoted his Bedrock sound with monthly club nights for members and newcomers to the dance music scene. The moniker “Bedrock” is actually three different things; a record label, a promotions company and a studio production partnership with Nick Muir. He started the imprint Bedrock Records to further promote the music he was playing at the time and as one half of Bedrock the production duo, he has landed two tracks in the top 40 with the classic anthems “Heaven Scent” and “For What You Dream Of,” the latter of which made it into the movie Trainspotting.

His Transitions Radio show is now in it’s 10th year and is still one of the most successful dance music shows, being broadcast to more than 30 countries across the world to a weekly audience of 12 million+. There is a very good reason as to why John Digweed is one of the most-respected, analyzed and imitated DJ’s in the world. You’ll find out why when he closes out the Beatport stage at Sun City Music Festival. Tickets are still available for purchase, buy your tickets today!

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