Darude

Ville Virtanen, the Finnish DJ and producer who performs as Darude, first began tinkering with tracks and mixing while still in school, taking the handle “the Rude”—later shortened to Darude—inspired by Swedish rap artist Leila K.’s song “Rude Boy.”

Producer Jaakko Salovaara, known professionally as JS 16 and founder of the independent imprint 16 Inch, joined forces with the newcomer to issue his debut single “Sandstorm,” after which British Neo-Record quickly signed on to support the project. By June 2000 Darude had reached the top of the U.K. charts; around the same period Ville Virtanen delivered a notable appearance on BBC’s Top of the Pops, an event that directly preceded the release of his first album, Before the Storm.