Hailing from Wellington, New Zealand, Forge is a Dj who lives music. He's played for indie station RadioActive.fm for 14 years, fronted electro rock band Dekline, produced numerous events as well as lighting international & local touring bands. At the wee young age of 14, Shane ‘Forge’ Hickmore decided to chuck in playing the Trombone and started playing with turntables. This started in a roller skating rink, with little Shane mostly mucking around with vinyl & CASSETTES of 80's an 90's rock! He then decided to figure out exactly what it meant to be a DJ and decided to hit up the classic Auckland rave scene to suss it all out. 

DJ Forge was born. Forge discovered Drum n Bass back in ’97 and hasn't looked back, DJing across Wellington since 2000. Having an open ear has meant that Forge has absorbed music of all genres which logically lead to a love of mashups. If you ask him what he plays now the reply is always "Everything!"
So long as it has a good beat & a great hook it's possible he'll play it. From Hip Hop to DnB & everything in-between means that Forge can easily shift from down-tempo to raging dance-floor without having to be obvious about it. His recorded mixes are always a journey & while not necessarily meant for a dance-floor they will always make your head nod. Forge always plays with a cheeky grin & loves creating sets for specific events and tailoring the music to suit the time, setting & vibe.

Some notable appearances include:

Early 2000 resident DJ at Indigo, Cuba Street Carnival 2002, played at Bodega & Bojangles supporting bands and hosting own events. Forge has also co-produced many events under the alias ‘Dark Habit’ from 2001-2006. In 2001-2002 Forge was co-host to Liam Luff on Radio Active’s breakfast show as well as covering for Redbird Jnr in recent times. 

Until recently Shane ‘Forge’ Hickmore a.k.a. DJ Forge developed and run a high profile show on RadioActive.fm, The Garden Shed playing the freshest NZ electronic based music focusing on the up & coming! He was also a main contributor on NZ's only strictly mashup radio show Messed Up along with Felix Five, Tone-E & Dan Untitiled. Along with Felix Five he was co-founder of WTFFF! NZ’s longest running 100% strictly mash-ups party which lead to Bootie NZ starting (part of the world wide Bootie mashup nights). Playing live Forge has DJ'd the pants off crowds of 3000+ at events like the Richter City Roller Derby, The Forest , The Capital Fetish Ball & various raves. Just before leaving New Zealand he was the Saturday resident at The Residence in Wellington's party quarter & hosted The Fast Long Lunch on Fast Radio.

Forge has just re-located to Dundee, Scotland & is looking for sets. 

In the mid to late 90’s, the dance scene in Wellington was a fully fledged adolescent with an ever-growing foothold on the local nightlife. Dance itself was about to go through a global cultural shift which would see it’s popularity explode and it become completely integrated into the musical landscape, but for the most part it was still an underground movement. It was an exciting time to go out and discover a new evolving sound, something the bars that plied the likes of R’n’B, Top 40 and Rock music were unable to provide or keep up with.  It was in this new melting pot of sound that HAPE first heard the pulsating rhythms and melodies that would go on to change his life. Being a punter first and foremost for a few years allowed him to refine the sound he liked to listen to and discover the venues that best catered to it. Golden era bars and clubs such as Tatou, Phoenix, The Nine Complex, Vurtigo, Paradiso, and a multitude more all touted the way forward for Wellington dance.   Looking back it’s now obvious that HAPE was going to naturally progress from being a punter on the dance floor to being behind the decks, such was his appetite and voracity for the music. With an ever growing collection of records it wasn’t long before he got some 1210’s, delved into learning the craft, honing his skills and playing alongside friends. Some of whom were, and still are, heavyweights in the scene today. He cut his teeth at the likes of Paradiso and Mercury Lounge alongside Dannyboy and Mr. Oz before holding his first residency at Terrace Bar for 4 years. It was here that he would come into his own and develop the sound he’s known for today. This is also where several club nights were born, his own High Calibre, and with the rise of Heylady, Back On Track. Both going from strength to strength. HAPE was soon a regular on club nights and outdoor party line ups all around the capital and further afield.   In recent times, HAPE continued to make a name for himself during a 4 year stint in Auckland where he ran monthly club night Pitch n’ Faders at Red Bar with old Terrace Bar cohort Matt Empyre. Together they also found a new space to continue the High Calibre club night, at Auckland’s ancestral home of house music, the infamous Ink Bar. HAPE continued to play across the city for some of the Auckland scene’s most loved and well respected club brands and venues before returning to the capital in 2018 where he has been a regular face behind the decks, most notably at Dirty Laundry alongside long time friend Mr. Oz.   From those early hedonistic nights in the plush surrounds of Wellington clubland to the gritty freedom that only a large outdoor rig can provide, HAPE is a through and through beat merchant with an absolute passion for storming any dance floor you give him. Constantly striving to both push himself and take the audience on a journey through dark vocal prog with lush servings of deep tribal tech and everything in between, it’ll always be infused with his own twist of high energy funk.

Rage King is a Breaks / Drum and bass / Electro producer and DJ based in Melbourne. 

[Diesel Recordings]
[WildFire Recordings]
[Diablo Loco Records]
[Elektroshok Records]
[LW Recordings]
[Totally Roasted Digital]


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HOUSE MUSIC ALL LIFE LONG!

Email  Jmesmusic@hotmail.com

Unity Records, Shodan Records
"An emerging artist with a passion for  producing and playing melodic, driving, infectious techno & tech house grooves”

2019 is already shaping up to be a huge year for Matt Empyre. With a release "Mandarin Shoe" on D-Unity's Unity Records and a gig at Montana Royal in the Austrian alps kicking off the year, Matt Empyre also has upcoming gigs and festival in Stockholm and other parts of Europe confirmed or in the planning stages.  

Matt Empyre's, monthly Empyre State of Tech radio show frequently gets top in the top 5 charts on Mixcloud
Based in Stockholm, Sweden, but born in New Zealand, Matt has spent a decade involved in the small yet, passionate house and techno scenes throughout his home country.

DJing and Promoting has been his main contributions to the scene, hosting Carl Cox for his first Wellington gig in 2014.

It was a chance meeting and conversation with Carl Cox a year prior that kickstarted Matt Empyre’s production career.

The Iconic Carl Cox Revolution - Space Ibiza parties are a big influence on the style and sound that Matt plays and produces, giving it his own unique twist.
Before moving to Sweden, you could catch Matt Empyre playing in regularly in Auckland, playing and hosting parties such as Pitch n’ Faders, Pitch n’ Faders pres High Calibre, ish and many more. Matt's also been fortunate to play at some of New Zealand's biggest festivals, Rhythm and Vines (2 Years in a row) & Taniwha's Den

Since moving to Sweden, Matt Empyre has played at local clubs and bars, Slakthuset, Lokal, Hobo & Yellow with plans to play many more in the future.

Dj and Music Lover - Auckland NZ - Brazilian
www.therealagency.co.nz

joel p is following