Funkerman

Best known as a globe-trotting house DJ, Funkerman, the alias of Ardie van Beek, is also a successful producer and the co-founder of Flamingo Recordings, also home to DJ/producer Fedde le Grand. Born in 1975 in Breda, the Netherlands, van Beek began spinning records in 1990, initially rap and R&B. Over time, he got into house music and began spinning professionally; his first residency was at the Spock club in Breda. His weekly DJ gigs at the Spock led to other opportunities, including further DJ gigs, employment at a record store, and A&R work. In 2002 van Beek began his production career, collaborating separately with producers Raf Jansen (aka Raf) and Hugo Zentveld (aka DJ Renegade) on a handful of releases for the Dutch house labels Jacuzzi, CC, and Work White. In 2004 van Beek, Jansen, and fellow house DJ/producer Fedde le Grand co-founded Flamingo Recordings, on which they released their production work. The label's more popular releases are licensed for international release; for example, van Beek's Speedin' Up (2007) was picked up for release by Defected, one of the United Kingdom's leading house labels. In addition, van Beek occasionally produces tracks for other labels such as Stealth Records (in the case of Fallin' in Love, 2006) and Spinnin' Records (Wheels in Motion, 2007). He also employs his talents as a remixer, reworking productions such as Ida Corr's international smash hit "Let Me Think About It" for example. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi