DJ BANEL, also writing as Behind blue eyes, is known for his floating and magical sets around the globe, and has played in some of the worlds biggest events, such as Boom 2006 and Voov 2005. He is a strong representive of the Iboga label and the artists around it. As one of the founders and owners of the label, Banel has been there since the beginning, been part of compiling and releasing more than 100 CDs and vinyls while working on the establishment of Iboga Records, as being one of the leading labels/team of artists in the world, in a broad range of progressive electronic dance and chill music...
Michael Banel got interested in electronic music in the eighties where a friend introduced him to acid house. He also took him to his first house partys in 1988, it was the Coma Club in Copenhagen, where he had to cheat to get a member ship because he only was 15 years old at that time. After these first encounters he started buying acid house records and tried to play them in his sets in a youth club. Later in the early nineties he began playing at underground parties in the Copenhagen area, and the "House/Techno" genres, which was much more connected at that time, exploded in many directions. It became obvious for him that he was interested in alot of these new directions, but after a few years he fell for the trance styles. The first years he only played with vinyl (spent all money on it), but mixed it with DAT in the period 1995-99, Eventually converted to CD use.
Between 1994-97 Banel was part of an organisation called "Rotundum", which organised alot of events in the Copenhagen area and played DJ sets at many of those events. Michael started buying equipment for music production, in the beginning with Rene from Beat Bizarre, and started the Iboga studio together with Amon, Emok and Jeppe and had a project with Amon called "Maheena". Around 1997 the ideas and planning of a Copenhagen label was taking shape and it was named Iboga Records...It was in those days that a "new" Copenhagen sound was developing, and Banelīs djs sets followed the progress. As the term "scandinavian trance" appeared, the Iboga team played a strong role in the development those early days.
RELEASES:
As part of the Fabel project, Banel & Alhad released tracks on Iboga, Tatsu and Transient records. Fabel was a project between some of the Iboga artists; Jeppe, Oliver, Alhad, Banel & Emok. There was talks of an Album but it was never released.
Banel released a mixed cd compilation on Iboga early in 2003 (Dj Banel in the mix).
In the last part of 2004, Rene (from Beat Bizarre) and Banel started a new project together called "Behind Blue Eyes". The first release came on the Iboga compilation "Playground" from December 2004.
In February 2005 He released His second mix CD (Iboga in the mix). It was released as a free CD which was included with an issue of the Greek Magazine "Freeze".
Behind Blue Eyes released Itīs first album on Iboga Records in November 2005. The boys have put alot of effort into making a special ever changing live set, which has seen good success in countries like Australia, Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Croatia and in hometown Copenhagen / Denmark.
A Behind Blue Eyes - Perfect Stranger collaboration took place in Spring 2006, which resulted in the track "Diamond in the Rough". The track has two versions and got released on Iboga and Flow Records..
Banel has also compiled a CD together with DJ Vedant from Mexico, released June 2006, holding the title "Tabernanthe 2 - Back to the Roots. Marking the opening of the new Mexican label "Iboga Mexico". A label working closely with the iboga HQ in Copenhagen.
After releasing single tracks on the Iboga compilations Summer Collection Vol. II & Nuance, behind Blue Eyes released a second album in May 2007. This time a double CD (Remix album) with a new live recording and a big collection of remixes from a great line up of international artists.
Further more Banel & Emok have launched a new label called "prestige Music". It aims at fat party music, progessive-house, dirty electro / club oriented sounds. First release was in December 2006, the CD compilation "Diversity" by label DJ Glen Clarke.
It is expected that this sub-label will release vinyls as well. Latest news (Aug. 2007) is that it was decided to drop Prestige music - and name it "Iboga vinyl" instead.
Through the time Banel also collected and got deeply inspired by chillout / ambient and downbeat music, and has been playing sets of this at some events from time to time. In 2005 Banel & Emok decided to open a sub label to Iboga called "SOFA BEATS", concentrating on a broad spectrum of electronic music in the chilled / downbeat end. It is on Sofa Beats that we find the successful "Floating Point Series".
Latest news about Behind Blue Eyes is that after the Sonica gig in Italy, August 2007, Rene nielsen (formerly Beat Bizarre) is stopping his involvement in the project, leaving it up to Banel to continue the story.
 Booking : booking@iboga.dk
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