Official page for Eric Prydz, Pryda Recordings, and Mouseville Records.

Metal Blade Records history by Dan Slessor:
Founded upon owner Brian Slagel's enduring drive to find great bands and get their music out to as many people as possible, since 1982 Metal Blade has brought wave after wave of powerful, innovative, and often genre-defining music to the ever-hungry metal masses. It is this ethos that has seen Metal Blade build up a stunning and diverse catalogue, weather the various storms facing any independent label, and in an age of declining record sales boast the most successful years of its existence as it strides into its fourth decade.

What perhaps makes this achievement all the more notable is the fact that Slagel never even intended to start a label. Working in an LA record store and writing for various publications, Slagel was acutely aware that many great bands in the local metal scene were being ignored, and he decided to release a compilation of tracks drawn from these ranks. "There were a lot of really good bands and I was just bummed out that nobody could hear them. It just seemed like I could help them out and have some fun at the same time, and that compilation was the first Metal Massacre," he states. Collating tracks from then unknown bands including Ratt, Bitch, Cirith Ungol, and Metallica amongst others, the compilation sold out immediately. "How important is Metal Blade to our career? They're only the reason we are enjoying the worldwide success we have today," states Metallica's James Hetfield. "Without Brian's openness to some raunchy teens with a crap sounding cassette tape we would be who knows where, and playing who knows what!" With the popularity of the tape spurring Slagel on, the first seeds of Metal Blade were sown. "After the success of those compilations I just started putting out records of bands that I was friends with, but without ever really intending it to be a label at all," he explains. "After I put out four or five releases I started to feel like something was happening, and I decided to quit the record store and quit college and see where it went."

Battling through the first few lean years, when the label consisted solely of Slagel working out of his mom's poorly ventilated garage in the San Fernando Valley, it gradually grew in both revenue and stature. Within a few years Metal Blade would go on to release the debuts of Slayer, Armored Saint, Trouble, and Corrosion Of Conformity amongst others, fanning the flames of the burgeoning metal scene and launching careers of bands that would go onto reap global success. "Without Metal Blade, there is a damn good chance we never would've made it out of L.A," says Slayer's Kerry King. "That was the one bit of luck we needed. You can be the most awesome band on the scene, and if no one notices you, you don't catch on. And Brian Slagel is still one of the biggest metalheads I know!" This genuine love and devotion to metal is central to the relationship many of the artists have with Metal Blade, and King Diamond credits much of its relevance and strength to this passion. "I refer to it as having 'boots on the ground'," the mighty Dane states. "It's not like a major label where some people might be into what you're doing but a lot of them just see it as a job – there's a genuine love for metal there. Through staying true to that and doing their own thing they've carved out a very specific niche that they control, and as an artist it's wonderful to be a part of that."over the years. Clearly without those people we couldn't do what we do, and to everyone out there who has helped us along by being a fan we are so very grateful to you."

Read more: http://www.metalblade.com/us/about-us/

Hailing from provincial Italy, world class DJ & producer Benny Benassi is a name needing little introduction but always deserving of wide admiration and acclaim.  Indulging in a career spanning fifteen plus years, Benassi is renown as a humble, authentic and charming character who has grown from club DJ to festival king to multi-million selling record producer taking success in his stride. Trademarking his unique infusion of house and electro with his global smash “Satisfaction” Benny has continued to create music which is a clear evolution of this signature sound but never deviating too far. 

There is no better place to start delving into the rich history of the Benassi career than with his international blockbuster, “Satisfaction” and its game-changing music video became his launch pad into stardom. Created with his cousin and producer, Alle Benassi, and inspired by the car horns outside an open street facing window, this single catapulted into the charts with a #1 in France, #2 in the UK and Germany. Followed by his debut album Hypnotica, which reached top 20 across nearly all parts of Europe within the first month of release. 

The next few years for Benny were a culmination of successes, whether it be the major festivals he went on the play (Coachella, EDC, Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland to name a few) or his next artist album, Rock N Rave in 2008. The same year he won a Grammy Award for his ground breaking remix of Public Enemy “Bring The Noise” further catapulting the Benassi name into stardom. 

In 2011, Benny teamed up with a star-studded album cast for his album Electroman which featured T-Pain, Kelis, Jean-Baptsiste and Apl.de.ap amongst others and most famously Gary Go with his chart-topping single “Cinema”.  The Skrillex remix of “Cinema” not only went Gold in the US and platinum in Australia and Canada but won the Benassi’s another Grammy whilst holding firm in the iTunes top 10 dance chart for over 6 months. 

Still on this exceptional career high, Benny Benassi combined talents with Chris Brown to create one of the biggest cross-over dance records of its time with “Beautiful People”. The following years have been a measure of incredible world tours and releases, most notably his record “Dance The Pain Away” with John Legend, which premiered live on stage at Coachella with John himself. 

2016 saw Benny released his first album in five years Danceaholic, an unexpected, stunning cocktail of already released tracks, two unreleased reworks of older singles and brand new songs, led by the hit summer anthem “Paradise”, once again with Chris Brown. “Paradise” stayed in the Top 50 UK charts for 10 weeks and boasts more than 65 million video views and close to 47 million Spotify streams. 

In recent years, Benny's main releases include “Everybody Needs A Kiss” featured US duo Sofi Tukker racking up over 10 millions streams online and was featured as the sound of gay pride for Musica.ly, "Lonely Nights" featuring Lil Yachty, interspersed with two great house-oriented tracks, "Inside" with Chris Nasty, performing well in clubs and on streaming platforms and "Everybody Hates Monday Mornings" with his own production outfit, BB Team, and featuring the eccentric and charismatic YouTuber, Canguro English.

Beyond his own productions he brought his sound to a wider musical audience with a flurry of high-profile remixes with the likes of Bob Marley & The Wailers, Giorgio Moroder, Madonna, Sean Paul and the Rolling Stones, to name but a few; whilst maintaining a weekly radio show on the US heavy-weight iHeart Radio broadcasting to a staggering quarter of a billion listeners monthly.

Everything Maya Jane Coles
https://linktr.ee/MayaJaneColes
Listen to all Maya Jane Coles releases here 
mjc.lnk.to/profiles 
Listen to all Nocturnal Sunshine releases here 
ns.lnk.to/profiles

Send us your demos for Friends & Family Records! fandfdemos@gmail.com

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