Shimon

Body Rock. Hush Hush. Night Flight. The Shadow Knows. The Predator. Quest. Screamer. The list of anthems that have had drum and bass aficionados going crazy the world over could go on and on. The one thing all these massive tunes have in common: legendary DJ/producer Shimon, whose nearly two decades in the music scene have resulted in some of the most seminal drum and bass of all time.

Hailed as Ram Records’ “golden boy” and one of their “most valuable assets” by venerated drum and bass rag Knowledge Magazine, Shimon has long been a compelling force in the international drum and bass scene. Born and bred on rock, the self-confessed “Floyd-head” discovered dance music in his adolescent years, sneaking into now legendary rave nights such as Elevation and A.W.O.L at Paradise Club. The flourishing dance music culture consumed him and Shimon was convinced that this was his future.

It began innocently enough: Shimon borrowed the money to buy his first set of turntables from his uncle and learned to mix. But with the subsequent purchase of a sampler, Shimon came to the realization that he wanted to make the music he loved, not just blend other people’s tunes, and spent “thousands of hours” developing his maverick style and production techniques on his Akai 950 and Atari ST computer.

Before long, Shimon’s individual efforts – in particular a catchy beat and bass line – caught the attention of his good friend, DJ and label owner Andy C. They immediately joined forces, producing arguably one of the most popular drum and bass 12”s of all time: “Quest,” with “Nightflight” on the flip. Shimon’s professional relationship with Andy C and the renowned Ram Records had begun. With the inclusion of his hit tune “Recharge” on Ram Records’ LP ‘The Speed of Sound’ (1995), Shimon solidified his place as an indispensable part of Ram.

The duo was unstoppable, going from strength to strength, culminating in 2001’s legendary “Body Rock.” The track was the first ever triplet tune with a swing beat, and its innovative production transcended the underground and entered the mainstream, reaching Number 28 in the UK pop charts – an exceptional and rare distinction, particularly for an acoustic drum and bass track with no sign of a catchy vocal.

Shimon, along with Ant Miles and Andy C then became the iconic Ram Trilogy, and further acclaim followed, with three Ram Trilogy singles reaching the UK singles chart in 2002 – “Chapter Four” (#71), “Chapter 5” (#62) and “Chapter 6” (#60); this was followed up with numerous smash hits, including “Screamer” and “Titan,” the latter of which was nominated for various industry awards, including Knowledge Magazine’s coveted Best Tune of the Year in 2004. Individually, Shimon’s mix of Ram Records’ beloved ‘Ram Raiders’ compilation was released to much acclaim, and Shimon’s last release on Ram Records, ‘The Shadow Knows’ EP (2006), remains to this day DNB Arena’s top selling EP of all time.

Despite his numerous accolades in the world of drum ‘n’ bass, Shimon’s musical curiosity and awareness found him experimenting more, producing the nu-skool breaks tunes “I Like You,” “Around the Edge,” and “White Noise,” which were released on esteemed breaks label Fingerlickin Records. The tunes were quickly embraced by the genre’s key players, touted by the likes of the Stanton Warriors, Crystal Method and Plump DJs, et al.

With such an obvious yearning for musical challenges and a concentrated passion for music, it is hardly any wonder that Shimon’s name is synonymous with high-grade, quality dance music. It seemed only natural that he should take the ultimate step up in his musical calling: In 2007, Shimon became a label head with the highly anticipated launch of AudioPorn Records.

In just a few short years AudioPorn has become a force to be reckoned with, exclusively signing some of the scene’s most exciting and sought-after newcomers, including the five-man Parisian outfit Dirtyphonics, and Austrian duo Camo & Krooked. Dirtyphonics’s debut releases “French Fuck” and “Bonus Level” instantly garnered widespread acclaim; shortly thereafter, Dirtyphonics was awarded the gong for Best Newcomer Producers at DNB Arena’s Drum & Bass Awards, with AudioPorn credited with bringing Dirtyphonics to the world’s attention. Their subsequent release “Vandals,” released on AudioPorn in 2009, remains one of the top tunes of all time on the Beatport Drum and Bass Classics Chart.

In 2008, AudioPorn released the Shimon and Sparfunk tune “The Smoker,” which garnered a great deal of DJ support and went straight to #1 on Beatport. The track was subsequently remixed by Tantrum Desire in December of 2010, reaching #1 yet again on DNB Arena and Track It Down. In 2010, AudioPorn also released ‘The Quarks’ EP, with the title track by Dirtyphonics becoming one of the biggest tunes of the year; the EP also featured the return of Ram Trilogy with the track “Asylum.” Reaching the top of the charts everywhere, the release was praised by the scene’s most influential names, with premier drum and bass DJ and BBC Radio 1Xtra host Bailey proclaiming, “This is how you change tempo from dub to dnb.”

Another string of successful releases followed, including Dirtyphonics’s “Teleportation”, Shimon’s “Pimp Slap” with fellow Ram Raiders Ant Miles and Moving Fusion, and the Camo & Krooked tracks “History of the Future” and “Verve” featuring MC Tali, with the former becoming the #1 track for all genres on Track It Down. AudioPorn had struck talent gold again: like Dirtyphonics before them, Camo & Krooked were voted Best Newcomer Producers in 2010’s DNB Arena Awards.

This year, AudioPorn is excited to release MC Tali’s coveted artist album ‘Dark Days, High Nights,’ featuring drum and bass and dubstep collaborations with a mouthwatering cast of artists, including Benny Page, Dirtyphonics, Shimon SKisM, Ed Rush, Atlantic Connection, Lynx and Sparfunk.

Shimon also has a busy year ahead with his own releases (including tunes with Sparfunk and DisasZt, scheduled for release on AudioPorn), along with headlining festivals such as Sun & Bass in Barcelona, the Beatport Festival in Vienna (playing on AudioPorn’s exclusive stage, second year running), as well as a tour of Japan, to include a set at Tokyo’s famous Womb nightclub.