Armand Van Helden

Armand Van Helden, born Armand van Helden, is an American DJ, producer, remixer, and songwriter born on February 16, 1970, in Boston. Of multicultural heritage (Dutch-Indonesian father, French-Lebanese mother), he spent his childhood in the Netherlands, Turkey, and Italy due to his father’s career in the US Air Force. He bought his first drum machine at age 13 and started mixing at 15.

Returning to Boston in 1988, he performed in clubs while studying at Boston University. He left a job in the legal field in 1989 to focus on remixing at Mega-Mixx Productions, which he co-founded with his future long-time manager Neil Petricone. After Mega-Mixx ended, they founded X-Mix Productions in 1991.

His first single, Stay On My Mind (under the pseudonym Deep Creed), was released in 1992. In 1994, Witch Doktor reached the top 5 of the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. His major breakthrough came in 1996 with his unsolicited, unpaid remix of Professional Widow, which reached number one in the UK. He subsequently remixed major artists like The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, and Daft Punk, and is credited with introducing the British Speed Garage sound to the US club scene through remixes characterized by deep basslines and powerful beats.

His debut album, Old School Junkies, was released in 1996. In 1999, You Don't Know Me (featuring Duane Harden) became a UK number-one hit. He founded the labels Armed Records (1998) and Stupid Fresh (2002). Among his other hits are Koochy (2000), Hear my Name, and My My My (2004). In 2010, he formed the duo Duck Sauce with A-Trak, known for the international hit Barbra Streisand. He has used numerous pseudonyms, including Deep Creed, Sultans Of Swing, Hardhead, and The Mole People.