Black Sun Empire
Encyclopedia
Black Sun Empire is the stage name
of a team of Dutch
disc jockey
s and Drum & Bass music (mostly darkstep
and neurofunk
) producer
s Rene Verdult and brothers Milan and Micha Heyboer.
Based out of Utrecht
, Netherlands
, they started making Drum & Bass in 1995
when they turned to the likes of artists such as Photek
, LTJ Bukem
, and Ed Rush
. Before that they enjoyed Techno and Breaks. After having a few releases on smaller record label
s, they managed to get the attention of bigger producers like Trace, currently known for his DSCI4 label. At the moment they have three labels of their own; Black Sun Empire Recordings
, oBSEssions and Shadows of the Empire. The group's name comes from the Black Sun Crime Syndicate, which appeared in the Star Wars novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
.
They also lent one of their tracks ("Arrakis") to the E³ 2006 trailer of the game EVE Online
titled "No Other Destiny".
In 2008 Black Sun Empire started to produce Dubstep
: "Cold Crysis"and "Hyper Sun" are examples of Black Sun Empire Dubstep production.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of a team of Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s and Drum & Bass music (mostly darkstep
Darkstep
Darkstep is a subgenre of drum and bass that fuses elements of darkcore with uptempo breakbeats and ambient noises . Darkstep music is typically composed in a chromatic scale...
and neurofunk
Neurofunk
Neurofunk is a subgenre of drum and bass which emerged between 1997 and 1998 in London, England as a progression of techstep. It was further developed by juxtaposed elements of heavier and harder forms of funk with multiple influences ranging from techno, house and jazz, distinguished by...
) producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
s Rene Verdult and brothers Milan and Micha Heyboer.
Based out of Utrecht
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, they started making Drum & Bass in 1995
1995 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....
when they turned to the likes of artists such as Photek
Photek
Photek is Rupert Parkes , a Los Angeles-based British record producer and DJ. He joined the drum and bass scene relatively early , and is still one of its most respected players...
, LTJ Bukem
LTJ Bukem
LTJ Bukem is the stage name used by the drum and bass musician, producer and DJ Danny Williamson . He and his record labels Good Looking and Looking Good Records are most associated with the jazzy, atmospheric side of drum and bass music....
, and Ed Rush
Ed Rush
Ed Rush is the recording name of Ben Settle; a prominent jungle/techstep/neurofunk DJ, who often produces tracks in collaboration with Optical. Hailing from west London, he came to prominence with the release of the track Bludclot Artattack in 1993...
. Before that they enjoyed Techno and Breaks. After having a few releases on smaller record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
s, they managed to get the attention of bigger producers like Trace, currently known for his DSCI4 label. At the moment they have three labels of their own; Black Sun Empire Recordings
Black Sun Empire Recordings
Black Sun Empire Recordings is a Dutch Drum and Bass record label run by production trio Micha Heyboer, Milan Heyboer & Rene Verdult aka Black Sun Empire. This record label mainly releases material from the owners, however the label has released material for various artists such as: Ill.Skillz,...
, oBSEssions and Shadows of the Empire. The group's name comes from the Black Sun Crime Syndicate, which appeared in the Star Wars novel Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire is a multimedia project created by Lucasfilm Ltd. in 1996. The original idea was to create an interquel, a story set between the movies The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi , and to explore all commercial possibilities of a full motion picture release,...
.
They also lent one of their tracks ("Arrakis") to the E³ 2006 trailer of the game EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
titled "No Other Destiny".
In 2008 Black Sun Empire started to produce Dubstep
Dubstep
Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in south London, England. Its overall sound has been described as "tightly coiled productions with overwhelming bass lines and reverberant drum patterns, clipped samples, and occasional vocals"....
: "Cold Crysis"and "Hyper Sun" are examples of Black Sun Empire Dubstep production.
12" Vinyl Records
- PIRUH001 – Skin Deep / Voltage(12") (01/01/2000)
- PIRUH003 - The Silent/Bombrun(12") (01/01/2001)
- DSCI4EP01 - Mutationz EP (EP) (01/09/2001)
- DSCI4LP001 - 23 degrees from vertical (LP) (01/10/2001)
- PEN007 - Telekinetic remix(12") (10/07/2002)
- DSCI4EP02 - Smoke EP(EP) (01/10/2002)
- NRV005 - Recharger remix(12") (04/10/2002)
- AND005 - Vessel/Fragment(12") (02/11/2002)
- BSE001 - The Rat/B'Negative(12") (28/11/2002)
- BSE002 - The Sun/Epilogue(12") (28/01/2003)
- BSE003 - Epilogue VIP/The Pursuit(12") (25/03/2003)
- BSE004 - Stone Faces/Ai(12") (14/05/2003)
- CITRUS009 - Unicorn MF remix/Skin Deep remix(12") (10/07/2003)
- TPT005 - Gunseller(12") (03/09/2003)
- BSE005 - Scorned/Ai VIP(12") (17/09/2003)
- BSESAM001 - The Sun VIP/Boris the Blade(12") (01/04/2004)
- BSELP001 - Driving Insane(LP) (01/05/2004)
- BSECD001 - Driving Insane + mix (CD) (01/05/2004)
- RL005 - Release Me(12") (25/06/2004)
- BSE006 - Insiders/Hydroflash(12") (13/09/2004)
- OBSE001 - Sahara/Cryogenic(bse remix)(12") (01/11/2004)
- ILL004 - B'Negative remix/Soulshaker remix(12") (10/11/2004)
- OBSE002 - Centerpod/Stranded(12") (01/01/2005)
- SOTE001 - Hyper Sun / Cold Crysis(12") (16/03/2009)
- SOTE002 - The Invasion / Dyneema(12") (01/05/2009)
LP / CD Releases
- BSELP001 Driving InsaneDriving Insane-Track listing :Disc One:#"Arrakis" – 7:29#"Don't You" – 7:50#"Breach" – 7:35#"B'Negative " – 6:32#"Driving Insane" – 6:29...
- BSELP002 Cruel & Unusual
- BSELP003 Endangered SpeciesEndangered Species (Black Sun Empire album)Endangered Species is a two-disc album by the Drum and Bass/Jungle band Black Sun Empire, released in 2007. It is their third album.-Track listing:Disk One # Potemkin# The End Of Me# Skyrider # Forever...
- BSELP005 Lights & Wires