Freak of the Week, Angel Alanis, Nola Rave, *67, Videodrone

Angel Alanis is a veteran of the underground dance music scene, having released dozens of EPs and spun at countless international clubs since the mid-'90s. His style has ranged from disco-influenced filter house to hard house to spacy, hypnotic techno, but his tracks are always direct, heavy, and pounding. Based in Chicago, Alanis began DJ'ing during the early '90s at the age of 14, and began releasing EPs in 1996. His early records appeared on small Midwestern labels like and , and quickly built up a buzz for the young producer. Alanis soon became one of the biggest names of Chicago's hard house scene, along with and . He released a few mix CDs around the turn of the century, including Nocturnal and Accelerated Motion, and founded in 2000. A few years into the new millennium, he released several records with fellow Chicago resident Rees Urban under the name , including releases on and . Eventually he moved away from the hard house sound, and his later work incorporated styles such as electro, acid, and deep house. He also became associated with Chicago house originator 's label, and remixed 's groundbreaking "Acid Trax" in 2011. He founded a few other labels, such as and , and continued releasing records and playing DJ gigs. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi