EXIT 2.0 Festival 2021

Born in 1981, Boris Brejcha started his musical education in his childhood. His first two releases in 2006, “Monster” and “Yellow Kitchen” were released on the Berlin label Autist Records. A few EPs later, Boris moved from Autist Records to Harthouse. With tracks like “Die Maschinen Sind Gestrandet” and “Lost Memory”, he combined his unique sound with a maximum of varieties. Consequently, he became the “exceptional Talent 2007” in the electronic music magazine Raveline. Boris also created his second alias called “ANNA” in 2007 and had some groundbreaking releases on Autist Records. After four years of touring, three albums and lots of singles, Boris became a constant favorite in today's club scene. With his ambition and desire for new and experimental musical directions, he shows his audiences over and over again how exciting minimal techno can be - so much more than just a conglomerate of repetitive and puristic elements. ~ borisbrejcha.de

With 2009’s multi-platinum One Love, two-time-Grammy-winning artist/producer/DJ David Guetta cemented his status as a genre-busting hitmaker whose in-your-face fusion of electro and hip-hop beautifully warps the pop landscape. Now, with his fifth studio album Nothing But The Beat, Guetta builds on that breakthrough momentum and takes his decades-spanning career to a frenetic new level marked by bigger hooks and more brain-bending beats. A star- packed powerhouse showcasing today’s hottest hip-hop and R&B artists, Nothing But The Beat backs up its high-gloss pop with ingenious electronic stylings that deftly flaunt Guetta’s DJ pedigree. In a nod to the driving force behind Guetta’s crossover success, the double album (due out August 29) also offers an all-instrumental disc designed to turn new listeners on to the hypnotic sound of house music.

Glasgow-based DJ/producer Hector Barbour (aka Denis Sulta) creates vivacious, melodic house with underground sensibilities. Born in Glasgow in 1993, he grew up with a keen interest in dance music, landing his first job at the infamous record shop Rubadub. It was during his tenure there that he took up both music production and DJ'ing under the guidance of his co-workers, who were all very passionate about the scene. His early tracks were darker in tone, but as he started playing more and more gigs, his music became more uplifting. To reflect the change in style, he reversed the name Atlus to Sulta and adopted Denis as a prefix (originally spelled "Dennis," a printing error led him to drop an "n" in favor of Denis). From there he went on to release EPs, eventually setting up his own label and brand, Sulta Selects. Barbour took the brand on a global tour, which became so popular that it spawned a full festival, FLY Open Air: Sulta Selects, held at Hopetoun House just outside of Edinburgh. ~ AllMusic

William Sami Étienne Grigahcine, better known by his stage name DJ Snake, is a French record producer and DJ from Paris, France. DJ Snake’s innate ability to deliver huge collaborations — with his contacts list including Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Cardi B, Gucci Mane, Young Thug, Diplo, Aluna George, Offset, and 21 Savage. DJ Snake has dropped two pieces of new music in 2020. Trap cut ‘Trust Nobody’ landed in June, and has amassed over 1.5m plays on YouTube at the time of writing, and a blistering Audrey Nuna remix, called ‘Damn Right Pt. 2’, which followed in October. Real name William Sami Étienne Grigahcine, his beloved Paris St. Germain nearly went all the way in the Champions League in 2020, eventually shut out by Bayern Munich in the final in August. Fans must be hoping he’s been busy in the studio through lockdown, ready to turn the world’s biggest stages back into a zoo again, once it’s safe to do so.

Honey Dijon had carved a distinct niche for herself in the world of underground electronic music, coming to be associated with exquisitely curated cross-genre sets and total dance-floor chaos wherever she plays - from Berghain to Space or Smart Bar. As a producer, her reputation for bringing this knowledge to her forward thinking creations is growing all the time. ~ Soundcloud

Nina Kraviz is one of techno’s most iconic DJs. Famous for both her dynamic and varied DJ sets, captivating performances and her acclaimed label трип (Trip), she’s been a techno powerhouse since she launched on the scene in 2009. In 2020, she played a series of live stream events and virtual festivals including an empty Dance Arena at EXIT and even on top of Mount Olympus in Greece. She also collaborated with streaming giants Spotify when she was chosen to be part of their trackID series, providing a regularly updated playlist to the platform that includes tracks from her own label as well as a diverse collection of releases from across multiple genres. That genre-hopping is also evident in her sets, where trance, techno, ambient and hardstyle can all be heard in one swoop, with her inimitable presence in the booth adding to the allure of Kraviz’s sets. As the DJ who played the most sets of any other in 2018, we’re sure she’ll be the first to hit the road again once it’s safe to do so. ~ DJMag

Even though reality shows have been trying to prove otherwise, a successful career as a musician, even as a pop star, cannot be forced with a pre-packaged crash course. As of 2010, Paul Kalkbrenner has tallied up more than 15 years of experience as a producer and live act, all the while learning what it means to go purposefully from one step to the next. When the Berlin Wall fell, he was 12. The soundtrack of his youth, and of the majority of his generation, was still in its infancy, awaiting its breakthrough: techno music.,The fall of the wall meant reunification, but above all, a sense of no holds barred. The eastern part of the city became the anarchic, creative playground for a euphoric youth, now freed from bureaucracy. The early 90s were formative years for a young Paul Kalkbrenner as well. Eventually, in one of many long and sleepless nights on the dancefloors of E-Werk, Planet and Whale, the dream was born to make music himself, and anything less important would be put aside. A job as TV editor got him through the mid-90s and financed his first music gear. By this point Paul had already decided that he did not want to be a typical DJ playing other people’s records, but rather to play only his own music, live in a club setting. His first tracks were released in 1999 on Berlin-based BPitch Control (the newly founded label from Ellen Allien) as the Friedrichshain EP, titled after his home district in the city’s east. A series of further singles and two full-lengths (Superimpose and Time) followed, plus continuous live performances that threatened to shatter the grid of his calendar.,Together with Paul Kalkbrenner, BPitch Control gained a strong momentum. Interviews in respected German magazines like Spex and De:Bug paved the way for regular international bookings. The Lufthansa fetishist had now become a frequent flyer. Paul’s third album Self (2004) would mark the beginning of a new era. His melodic sound, with its affinity for grand emotional gestures, obeyed the logic of the dancefloor, but Self introduced a narrative aesthetic, serving as a soundtrack to a film that didn’t exist (at least, not yet…). It was Paul’s most musical and mature album to date, although still taking cues from the dancefloor and rave culture, offering a first glimpse of what was yet to come. "Gebrünn Gebrünn”, released one year later, became a crossover hit found in every DJ’s record bag and finally cemented Paul’s status as a Techno MVP.,In early 2006, German director Hannes Stöhr, an avid fan of Self, decided to get in contact with Kalkbrenner. His idea was to produce a film about a musician in Techno City during the new millennium, and Paul would compose the soundtrack. The two met, traded ideas and experiences, and soon after began working on the screenplay’s first draft. In the course of their exchange, Hannes had the realization that Paul should not just contribute the music, but that he would be the perfect choice as the film’s star. Without hesitation, Paul accepted the offer. They decided to title the film Berlin Calling. For the soundtrack’s production, Paul and his friend (and BPitch colleague) Sascha Funke spent half a year in Cézanne’s hometown of Aix-En-Provence in southern France.,Unencumbered by the cold, gray Berlin winter, Paul devoted himself entirely to the musical aspect of the project. One song already had a title: “Sky and Sand” with vocals by Paul’s brother Fritz. Upon Paul’s return to Berlin in 2007, the filming began, and the finished work was brought to German theaters in October 2008. Berlin Calling and Paul’s debut acting performance received positive reviews, and the film, thanks to its authentic depiction of the Berlin club scene and drug culture, became, slowly but surely, a cult classic.,The soundtrack and especially the single “Sky and Sand” broke all sales records. That track in particular went gold in Belgium where it remained in the charts’ Top Ten for weeks. The 2009 DVD release of the film brought Paul to a new, much larger audience around the world. By the end of the year, Paul separated with BPitch Control after a decade-long relationship to take the next steps of his career alone. In early 2010 Paul completed a twelve-city live concert tour throughout Europe (with over 50,000 tickets sold within just a few weeks), followed by many headlining appearances at summer festivals. More tours and new challenges await him.

For more than two decades, the world has known Paul Van Dyk as one of Germany’s most successful musicians and as one of the ultimate superstars of electronic music. As an artist, DJ and producer, Paul has surpassed various milestones over the course of his career, including having sold more than 3.5 million albums and being twice voted the world’s No.1 DJ. He has remixed the likes of Madonna, Justin Timberlake, U2 and Depeche Mode. Earning a Grammy nomination and accepting the “Order of Merit” from the state of Berlin are just two of Paul’s numerous accomplishments and accolades for his talents.,His sensational DJ sets attract expansive crowds on every continent. Not only does van Dyk fill the world’s best-known venues, but every year he transforms New York’s Central Park into a unique open-air festival.

For Solomun, music isn’t just a tool to make people dance. Music is as diverse as life itself: many different shades, moments, and memories to be made.Solomun