Finnish DJ/Producer Darude earned his name by playing Swedish artist Leila K's hit song "Rude Boy" incessantly for one of his earliest DJ gigs. "The Rude" was eventually shortened into Darude and Ville Virtanen had a new name. The young Finn had always felt an abiding love for electronic music, doing the best with what he could by using primitive PC software to make his first beats while still in high school. He was one of the first artists to break himself big over the internet by using the popular site MP3.com to release his earliest home recordings. The MP3 tracks earned him a global fan base he would not ordinarily have been able to achieve. In 1999 he released his smash #1 single "Sandstorm" which would go on to make his reputation as an A-list DJ. Darudes happy, effortless mixes of trance and house keep the dance floor writing and young clubbers found his steady, frenetic bass utterly irresistible. The bright, repetitive beats layer themselves expertly, each refrain adding a new dimension to the pulsing mix. His follow-up full-length album Before the Storm was a smash in the UK, becoming one of the best selling Finnish releases ever, and his second massive single "Out of Control" showcased the vocal talents of Tammie Marie. Darude has also earned himself a reputation as a showman on the live circuit-he frequently holds up cryptic, hand-written signs that give coded shout-outs to members of his online fan community and he's been down to sample live audience cheering that he later mixes into his music.