Armand Van Helden

Biography

Armand van Helden (Dutch pronunciation: [vɑn ˈɦɛldən]; born February 16, 1970) is an American DJ, record producer, remixer and songwriter from Boston, Massachusetts. His career has spanned beyond three decades.
Van Helden's singles include "You Don't Know Me", "I Want Your Soul×I Want Your Soul15 June 2007 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1I Want Your Soul (original)6:38A2I Want Your Soul (Crookers remix)5:28B1I Want Your Soul (Dusty Kid Suga dub)7:50B2I Want Your Soul (Fake Blood remix)5:28", "My My My×My My My1 June 2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1My My My (radio edit)3:062My My My6:203My My My (Deekline & Wizard vocal remix)8:094My My My (Ashley Beedle New York Fam mix)8:57" featuring Tara McDonald, and "Bonkers×Bonkers17 May 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Bonkers (radio edit)2:582Bonkers (club mix)5:193Bonkers (club dub)5:254Butterfly3:52" featuring Dizzee Rascal, all of which became No. 1 on the UK Dance Chart and reached No. 2 on the Billboard Dance Chart.
In 2009 Van Helden formed the DJ duo Duck Sauce with Canadian DJ A-Trak, receiving a nomination at the 54th Grammy Awards for Best Dance Recording for their song "Barbra Streisand", which topped the charts in 12 countries. The duo also released the singles "Anyway×aNYway26 October 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1aNYway (radio edit)2:382aNYway (club mix)5:25", which reached No. 1 on the UK Dance Chart, "Big Bad Wolf" and "NRG".
Though much of his chart success has been in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, Van Helden has been linked to the electronic music scene of New York since the early to mid- 1990s. He was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording in 1998. Van Helden often remixes and uses samples of funk, soul, R&B and hip hop. He also uses filters and dub progressions, as in NYC beat, dancehall and reggae samples. Among his remixes are the songs "Spin Spin Sugar" by Sneaker Pimps, "The Bomb! (These Sounds Fall into My Mind)" by The Bucketheads, "Sugar Is Sweeter×Sugar Is Sweeter1 January 1996 · Single · RemixSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Sugar Is Sweeter (Armand Van Helden's Sugar Daddy Edit)3:152Sugar Is Sweeter (Armand Van Helden's Drum 'n' Bass Mix)8:353Sugar Is Sweeter5:04" by C. J. Bolland and "Professional Widow" by Tori Amos.
Van Helden was a pioneer of the speed garage genre and has continued remixing various artists such as Katy Perry, Van Halen, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, David Guetta, Sam Smith, Bloc Party, Janet Jackson, Juliet Roberts and KRS-One in this genre. Releases include the singles "I Need a Painkiller" and "Wings×Wings15 August 2016 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Wings (extended mix)6:40" produced in 2018 and 2016 respectively.

Early life

Van Helden was born in 1970 to an Indonesian-Dutch father and a French mother of Lebanese descent. He moved around the world as a child, spending time in the Netherlands, Latvia, Turkey, and Italy because his father was a member of the U.S. Air Force. At the age of 13, he got his first DJ gig at a Valentine's Day dance and around the same time, he bought a drum machine.

Career

From circa 1986–1988, Van Helden was in a rap group, named Define because they considered themselves "de finest around" and accordingly "defined" rap music. His name was DJ AVH, and fellow crew members were Sir Beat and Lopoka. They performed across Europe and helped hone his DJ skills.
Van Helden returned to Boston in 1988, moonlighting as a DJ in Boston clubs. He attended college in Boston. He quit his legal-review job in 1991 to work as a remixer under the management of Neil Petricone and X-Mix. He took up a DJ residency at the Loft, a top Boston nightclub at the time. He released his first official single, a mix of Deep Creed's "Stay On My Mind" through Nervous Records.
Van Helden released "Move It To the Left" (credited to Sultans of Swing) in 1992 on the Strictly Rhythm label, which became a moderate club hit and led to a string of singles released under several monikers for that label. His first track to make the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart was "Witch Doktor×Witch Doktor1994 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAWitch Doktor (Dark Ages mix)10:50BWitch Doktor (The Possessed mix)9:30", which made the top 5 in 1994, and led to opportunities to remix New Order, Deep Forest, Jimmy Somerville, Deee-Lite, and Faithless.
However, it was the "Professional Widow" remix that established Van Helden and became a dance hit around the world and as a number-one hit in the United Kingdom. Van Helden stated of his compensation for the remix: "it was like $10,000, and that was a little below what I was making back then for a remix, but I had the time." However, it led to work remixing the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Puff Daddy, Daft Punk and Sneaker Pimps, adding to his reputation as one of the world's top house-music musicians.
In 1996, Van Helden collaborated with Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and Junior Sanchez as Da Mongoloids, releasing "Spark da Meth" on the Strictly Rhythm label. A year later Van Helden's track "Ten Minutes of Funk" was featured on the Daft Punk live album Alive 1997.
"Cha Cha×Cha Cha1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Cha Cha (DJ Casanova's After Hours UK radio edit)3:322Cha Cha (Sneaky mix UK radio edit)3:323Cha Cha (Armand's original Cha Cha mix)5:574Cha Cha (dub)5:355Cha Cha (DJ Casanova's After-Hours Chant mix)6:056Cha Cha (Sneaky mix)6:35" was another top-ten dance hit from Van Helden's first album, Old School Junkies×Old School Junkies1995 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1The Funk Phenomena6:572Work Me Goddamit6:173Work Me Goddamit '965:394All Right5:475Hey Baby5:356Mecca Toast6:227The Funk Phenomena (edit)4:048Brooklyn Beats6:349Play the World7:54: The Album, which was released in 1996, along with "The Funk Phenomena×The Funk Phenomena1997 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Funk Phenomena6:492Witch Doktor6:483Psychic Bounty Killas (remix)9:154Nrongo Ra Mrongo6:405Donkey5:396Break da 80's4:117Allright5:568Hey Baby5:379I Feel It6:3910Work Me Gadamit '965:4111The Funk Phenomena (Ras mix 130 BPM)4:19". A greatest hits album appeared the next year, followed by a breakbeat album later in 1997. "You Don't Know Me" was a number two hit on the Billboard dance chart, a number one hit in the United Kingdom, and a top 20 single on the pop charts in Australia and Canada. The song was the breakout track from his 2Future4U album, which was released stateside on Armand's own label, Armed Records.

Van Helden released the Killing Puritans album in 2000 (also on Armed Records), which contained the hit "Koochy×Koochy8 May 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Koochy (edit)3:232Koochy (long version)8:123Phreeknik7:57". The track was based around Gary Numan's five times UK chart hit, "Cars". His single "Why Can't You Free Some Time×Why Can't You Free Some Time2001 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Why Can't You Free Some Time (radio edit)3:432I Can Smell You8:263Why Can't You Free Some Time (Superchumbo's Vocode mix edit)5:18" made it to number 34 in the UK in 2001. His New York: A Mix Odyssey album released in March 2004 produced two hits: "Hear My Name×Hear My Name19 April 2004 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1Hear My Name (radio edit)3:302Hear My Name7:523Hear My Name (Serge Santiágo remix)9:124Hear My Name (Solid Groove Hear My Rub remix)6:175Hear My Name (Solid Groove Hear My dub remix)5:546Hear My Name (Linus Loves remix)6:01", a collaboration with Spalding Rockwell that reached number 7 on the Billboard dance chart, number 34 in the UK, and the top 40 in Australia; and "My My My×My My My1 June 2004 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1My My My (radio edit)3:062My My My6:203My My My (Deekline & Wizard vocal remix)8:094My My My (Ashley Beedle New York Fam mix)8:57" featuring Tara McDonald, which reached number 4 on the world internet charts, number 5 in the Belgian and Dutch charts, number 6 in Australia, number 15 in the UK, and top 30 in the world dance charts. In April 2004, he provided a mix for BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix show.
In 2005, Van Helden released the album Nympho×Nympho30 June 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Nympho4:152Come Play With Me3:523Into Your Eyes4:004Sugar5:335Brainwashing6:056Hear My Name3:287Hot City Nites5:208Jenny6:239When the Lights Go Down5:1010Juicy Juicy4:3811My My My3:0212Got Over You4:5313The Tear Drop6:59, featuring the singles "Into Your Eyes×Into Your Eyes6 June 2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 5 tracks1Into Your Eyes (radio edit)2:522Into Your Eyes (original club mix)7:393Into Your Eyes (Sant & Matteo Esse remix)8:044Into Your Eyes (Sebastien Leger remix)6:585Into Your Eyes (The Droyds Delinquent remix)7:13", "My My My", "Hear My Name", and "When the Lights Go Down×When the Lights Go Down18 August 2005 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 6 tracks1When the Lights Go Down (radio edit)3:002When the Lights Go Down (original club mix)7:063When the Lights Go Down (Deepgroove's Dirty House dub remix)7:474When the Lights Go Down (Backstage Sluts Drama remix)5:585When the Lights Go Down (Paul Masterson's Subway remix)7:206When the Lights Go Down (Trophy Twins Digital dub remix)6:23". The album reached the top 30 in Australia, and number 48 in the UK. "When The Lights Go Down" reached No. 52 on the ARIA Charts in Australia, and was a dance and club hit.
Van Helden was the featured DJ in the Southern Fried tent at Get Loaded in the Park at Clapham Common on the August Bank Holiday in 2005.
In 2006, Van Helden re-released "My My My" featuring the British singer Tara McDonald, which reached number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 1 in the UK dance charts. Remixes included the Funktuary radio edit and Stonebridge remix. In 2007, Van Helden released his new album, Ghettoblaster×Ghettoblaster24 April 2007 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Go Crazy!2Touch Your Toes3I Want Your Soul4NYC Beat5Playing House6This Ain’t Hollywood7Still in Love8Playmate9Je t’aime10To Be a Freak11All Nite12A Track Called JackDisc 21NYC Beat (MSTRKRFT)2I Want Your Soul (TV Rock remix)3Touch Your Toes (Stretch Armstrong remix)4NYC Beat (Detroit mix)5I Want Your Soul (Tommy Trash mix)6Touch Your Toes (Audio Booty's remix)7I Want Your Soul (Wizard's Breaks mix Featuring MC Ivory)8A Track Called Jack (Jahawi's Jackin' Off remix)9Playmate (Jesse Rose remix)10NYC Beat (Emperor Machine Ext vocal), from which he released the singles "NYC Beat×NYC Beat28 May 2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1NYC Beat (Original)6:302NYC Beat (MSTRKRFT remix)5:013NYC Beat (Emperor Machine Extended Dub)9:42," which reached number 22 on the UK chart, and "I Want Your Soul×I Want Your Soul15 June 2007 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1I Want Your Soul (original)6:38A2I Want Your Soul (Crookers remix)5:28B1I Want Your Soul (Dusty Kid Suga dub)7:50B2I Want Your Soul (Fake Blood remix)5:28," which reached number 19. In 2008, Van Helden gained more commercial success by remixing "INSPIRE", a No. 1 hit by the Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki. This remix was released on the album Ayu-mi-x 6: Gold. Also in 2008, Van Helden released two albums, You Don't Know Me: The Best of Armand Van Helden×The Best of Armand Van Helden2013 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1My My My3:022I Want Your Soul6:403Touch Your Toes5:364NYC Beat6:305Hear My Name8:056Let Me Lead You7:597Sugar5:338Into Your Eyes4:009Je T'Aime7:2210Ski Hard5:49 and a mix album titled New York: a Mix Odyssey 2×New York: A Mix Odyssey 2October 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 29 tracks1The Power2:582Set It Off2:153Ownlee U2:294Back By Dope Demand3:165This Brutal House1:416Don't Scandalize Mine2:277Go On Girl1:298Juice (Know The Ledge)3:179Who's The Boss1:4310Let It Roll3:4311Don't Stop The Rock3:5812Come Into My House1:4513Grandmas Party3:0814Rescue Me4:1215I'll House You3:5816Acid Thunder3:0517Illin N Fillin2:0918That's How I'm Living2:4919Touch Your Toes2:1720Turn Up The Bass2:4021A Track Called Jack (Idiotproof Remix)3:4822This Is Acid2:3323Yo Yo Get Funky3:0324Shake That Ass2:5825When I Hear Music2:2526This Aint Hollywood1:3827Whores In The House1:0228Playmate2:0729Ski Hard3:34. When discussing this mix in a 2009 interview with 5mag.net, Armand said, "I just went back to hip-hop. I put my head where I used to be when I was 19. It was a blast making it. Hip-house was just so great."
In May 2009, Van Helden collaborated with British rapper Dizzee Rascal on his single "Bonkers×Bonkers17 May 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracks1Bonkers (radio edit)2:582Bonkers (club mix)5:193Bonkers (club dub)5:254Butterfly3:52". It peaked at number one in the United Kingdom, where it stayed for two weeks and became Van Helden's third chart-topper in Britain. Later in 2009, Van Helden worked with A-Trak to create "aNYway×aNYway26 October 2009 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1aNYway (radio edit)2:382aNYway (club mix)5:25" which was released in October under the name Duck Sauce. The duo later gained chart success with the song "Barbra Streisand", which peaked at number three in the United Kingdom and within the top ten of the charts in other European markets.
Van Helden teamed up with American DJ/producer Steve Aoki in 2011 to produce the song "Brrrat!", which featured on Godskitchen's album. In early 2011, Van Helden stated that he had planned an album for 2014.
Van Helden teamed up with fellow DJ/producer A-Trak in 2011 to form Duck Sauce. The duo scored hits with "Barbra Streisand" and "The Big Bad Wolf". In 2013, Duck Sauce released the song "It's You", a hit on the dancefloor throughout the world, and has been nominated for the MTV Video Awards. In October of the same year, they presented two new songs, "Stereo Radio" with Duck Sauce and "I Know A Place" (featuring Spank Rock). In 2014, Van Helden collaborated with Cheap Thrills label boss and DJ Hervé to release their recent song "Power of Bass×Power of Bass15 May 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Power of Bass2:48" Duck Sauce, released their debut album, Quack, released on April 15 through Fool's Gold Records. The album features the duo's long chain of singles. The new Duck Sauce video for "NRG" is filmed as an infomercial.
In August 2014, Sam Smith's "I'm Not the Only One" featured a remix by Van Helden. In September 2014, Van Helden remixed for Jungle 70 and Majestic with Creeping In The Dark.
In April 2015, London-based Snakehips released Forever Pt. II EP, which spurred a series of well-received remixes, including a Duck Sauce remix of their song "Forever".
Van Helden returned in March 2020 with a new song, "Give Me Your Loving×Give Me Your Loving5 March 2020 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Give Me Your Loving3:14" with Lorne.

Personal life

Van Helden married Brittney Landstrom (aka Brittles) in May 2024.