Microstar | de

Electronic music with a certain deep house dance appeal reminiscent of old school Chicago dance floor insanity - is Microstar’s (aka Rene Keip) deep passion. Writing and producing dance music for over a decade, he has built upon internationally respected dance-music projects, never tiring of coming up with fresh and innovative ideas to push the limits of electronic sounds.

Hailing from one of electronic dance music (EDM) culture mecca’s Hamburg, Germany, Microstar has quickly made a name for himself on a global scale by creating soulful, exquisitely deep and emotional dance tracks that pulse with life.

Debuting in 2006, with his Virtual Voltage EP, toped the German dance charts with four elite quality tracks. He's been acknowledged by contemporaries as creating a positive Deep House style that is supported by a broad cross-section of DJs, not to mention, is regularly featured in the boxes of his own personal heroes like The Timewriter, Sunshine Jones, David Alvarado, King Britt, Mieka du Franx, Pete Gooding, Hed Khandi, and Nikola Gala.

Since René’s early youth, he got into dance music being a superb computer freak. He was fascinated and impressed by the sounds and bleeps of 4 and 8 bit machines . . . “I felt like those sounds must be the language of machines and they want to talk,” Microstar says. Around the same time he was listening to Depeche Mode and fellow German inhabitants Kraftwerk who inspired him to start making his first mixtapes and sharing them with friends.

However, Microstar’s big discovery of dance music happened when he started venturing out into big city life in the German techno parties. Watching the DJ’s motivated him to purchase turntables and start mixing live. Because of his apparent talent for mixing, he landed his first gig within 3 months playing a small local German club. After which he got a residency as label DJ and went on to perform in 2-3 big events with some of the most successful acts of the time like Marusha, Timo Maas, Gary D, Hardsequencer (Hardy Hard, Berlin, Low Spirit Records) and the Fly (owner of legendary Bonzai Record label in Netherlands) and several other local heroes.

That same level of talent and skill hit the mark when Microstar began creating unique music productions. They quickly attracted a high level of widespread attention.

In a Kingstreet Sound interview, legendary Sunshine Jones, (legendary former of Dubtribe Sound System), acclaimed Microstar’s talent as “ . . . people like Microstar are really beautifully changing everything right now (in electronic music in Germany). I think that the complete reinvention of electronic music is wonderfully inspirational.”

Sunshine featured three of Microstar’s tracks on his SF radioshow, Sunday Soul. René’s track, “500 degrees” was included in Sunshine’s Shooting Stars Playlist 2009 which are he deemed as the one of the 30 most beautiful tracks in the year in his record case.

The Timewriter, one of Microstar’s most esteemed mentors (also reigns as one of 5 tech/deep house producer and DJ’s on the planet), licensed Microstar’s track “Resized Life" on his mix compilation "Deep Train."

2 years ago, infamous DJ David Alvarado (NYC) featured Microstar’s track, “Cross Roads” on his mix compilation "Articulations" also on Plastic City Records. Renowned Ovum Recordings co-founder Philly superstar, King Britt, included Microstar’s tracks in his dj-sets using tracks “African Nights” and “Space Time” as integral units in King Britt’s 2009/2010 touring.

Microstar’s music reaches further than the dance music with being signed to famous Brazilian fashion label, Naguchi with track “Invisible" appearing in their 2010 fashion campaign.

2011 and beyond is an enormous leap in Microstar’s career - he’s currently in the studio working on his second album which will be released on Playloop Records. Several of his tracks will be featured on the new compilation album for Playloop (a full deep house album).

He’s also working on a new EP on 7 Seas Recordings, which will be released end of February 2011 and in middle of the 2011, he will release his third EP on Disclosure Project Records.

His tracks have been remixed by well known artists like Dave Hughes (Resoul), Alex Maragos, Nyllon, Danny GetDown, Lane 2 and some more. Microstar’s remixed some fresh tracks from Ross D. and Nikola Galas.

Microstar is an intense lover of deep house music with no restraints for reaching the fantasy world. He is an original, an innovator, a ten-year veteran of the electronic-music scene. His love of his craft shines through in his tracks and is a special “present” for all the daydreamers in the world like himself. Microstar’s Music is established on various fine labels such as Playloop Records, Plastic City, Soul Industries and Escada Music.


Microstar (René Keip)
Written by: Jay Hill, January 2011


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