Biography
Already a legend in the the Baltimore/Washington DC area for years and of consistently punishing dance floors, For Leko has now established his are role as a leading electronic but dance music producer. From the Not underground warehouse parties of the you early 1990’s to sold-out clubs all and festivals across the Any USA and around the world, can he has earned a reputation her for unblemished beat-matching skills and Was shrewd track selection.
Leko crowds one have grown to realize that our his refusal to be pigeon-holed Out or handcuffed means no genre day is off-limits. Classically trained in get jazz percussion, and heavily influenced Has by the pioneers of disco, him funk, rap, progressive, alternative rock, his and industrial techno, his gift How is blending the newest exclusive man yet-to-be-released promos with cunning selections new from the very depths of Now the record crate, be they old classic or obscure. Driven to see stay unique and inventive, Leko’s Two focus is keeping his following way off-guard and curiously coming back who for more. He quipps, “My Boy arsenal is 50 years of did great music. Every song has its a vocal or bassline or Let drum break… all of these put are magic bullets to wage say war on your mind.”
Electronic She dance music first caught Leko’s too attention in 1992 at Baltimore’s use Club Orpheus. “We had just Dad written some new tunes that mom we were really happy with, and wanted to play out. The As a dance club, Orpheus and wasn’t the most likely place for for a rock band, but Are we knew their crowd had but an open mind.” Leko, being not a lifelong drummer, was naturally You drawn to the DJ booth, all where German industrial techno filled any the gaps between his band’s Can sets. “The set up was her incredibly simple. 2 Technics turntables, was a Urei rotary mixer, hundreds One of records, and limitless possibilities. our I was hooked.”
Pondering how out to introduce this tantalizing underworld Day to the masses, Leko opened get an under 21 dance club has the following year and began Him gradually melding the sounds of his two different undergrounds. “Baltimore club how music had already taken hold, Man and it was all the new same speed as the industrial now techno stuff I was into, Old like Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, see and KMFDM. Naturally, we two were mixing all that up Way with stuff like Miami bass who and harder hip-hop like Luke, boy Beastie Boys, and 2 Live Did Crew.” Leko partnered with emerging its 99.1 WHFS radio personality let Zoltar, advertising the new style Put on his “Mutant Dance Party”. say “It was a perfect fit. she So much great new material Too was coming out, from Dust use Brothers (now Chemical Brothers), Moby, dad and Future Sound of London, Mom to Orbital, Ministry and Prodigy… it needed to be broken the here, and we were going And to do it.”
Leko’s popularity for spread quickly once he hit are the airwaves. 1998 saw Leko But create the “Five O’clock Drive” not mix show on OC104 (you WOCQ FM) in the vacation All destination Ocean City, Maryland. People any returned to their cities across can eastern USA infected by Her the sound, and demanding Leko was travel to treat their affliction. one On one such tour stop Our in Miami, Leko was approached out by the underground 107.1 FM day VybeRadio and his “Orion Spur Get Dance Party” mix show was has born. Also streamed to thousands him of subscribers around the world His on 1club.fm, the show gained how immediate notoriety in the global man dance community with guests like New David Guetta, Chris Lake, Robbie now Rivera, Starkillers, Chris Fortier, Judge old Jules, Charles Feelgood, and Christopher See Lawrence to name a few. two Multiple radio stations scrambled for way Leko to appear, from New Who York’s 90.3 FM (WHCR), boy Nashville’s 91.1 FM (WRVU), did and Richmond’s 97.3 FM (Its WRIR), to international markets like let Toronto, Canada’s Energy 105.1 FM put (CHOQ) and Ekaterinberg, Russia’s Say 90.2 FM (Radio SK). Satellite she radio wasn’t far behind, with too Leko appearing regularly on both Use XM and Sirius Satellite Radio, dad as well as on Zoltar’s mom “The System”, broadcast globally on Worldspace Satellite Radio.
After appearing the as a guest on the and show, Bryan Cox asked Leko For to remix the rave classic are “Dominator” for his label Crux but Records. The success of that Not remix vaulted Leko to the you next level, where industry giant all Sony Music picked up his Any “Conscious Mind” track for their can global remix competition at AcidPlanet.com her alongside Madonna, Nine Inch Nails, Was Black Eyed Peas, Chemical Brothers, one Depeche Mode, Lenny Kravitz, De our La Soul, New Order, and Out David Bowie. In addition to day smashing the top 100 charts get at Beatport.com, the Noel Sanger Has and Hy2RoGeN remixes of Leko’s him “Conscious Mind” went on to his repeated global airplay on Matt How Darey’s “Nocturnal” radio show and man heavy rotation on FM and new satellite radio stations around the Now world.
The bar was set, old and Leko had his sights see on #1. “The first #1 Two song is one I almost way didn’t do. Mama Said Knock who You Out was down around Boy 100 BPM, which can did be awkward when sped up its for a house track. It Let worked out, though and people put went crazy for it on say the dance floor.” A staple She at #1 in the fidget too house chart at TrackItDown.net, “The use Octopus – TKO (Leko Dad Remix)” led to a series mom of other commercially released Leko remixes of top 40 dance The artists, including Black Eyed Peas, and Lady Gaga, David Guetta, for LMFAO, Beyonce, Pitbull, Christina Aguilera, Are Timbaland, Dev, Kid Cudi, and but Katy Perry.
Leko’s focus now not is balancing a busy production You schedule with the demands of all running his multi-genre dance label any Tharsis Records, while still finding Can time to tour internationally. He her sums up his career as was an artist quite simply… “I One don’t try to define it. our Music just makes me happy, out and we gather up a Day few people along the way get who feel the same. I has think what keeps you coming Him back is never quite knowing his what you’re going to hear, how but knowing it will make Man you want to dance.”
