Airwave | Brian's Blog

This is the article that is included in the Bonzai 20 Year CD. I hope it gives a glimpse at where this label started and where it is going for the future, enjoy!

Bonzai 20 Year History

Cast your mind back to 1992, in a small corner of the Blitz Record store in Antwerp, a family were on the verge of creating a record label that took the world by storm. Christiaan “Fly” Pieters and his parents wanted a place for DJ’s to come and not only buy music, but to release their music and ultimately record their own music, which they could distribute to the world and put Belgium on the map as leaders in the rave scene. Bonzai Records was born. After a few years Bonzai’s bigger brother Lightning Records would move to larger premises and by then the guys had three top class fully equipped recording studios at their disposal.

The first release came in 1992 with Stockhausen – E-Mission, a hardcore techno track that was true to the style of the time. Literally hundreds of releases followed and various other labels were formed to cater for the different genres on offer from the multitude of artists queuing up to be signed. The big name DJ’s of today can owe some of that success to Bonzai as it was this music that set up the scenes in which they thrive. Some of the most notable tracks from the early to mid nineties include the likes of the massive Jones & Stephenson – The First Rebirth, DJ Bountyhunter – Woops, Dream Your Dream – Soushkin, Cherrymoon Trax – The House of House, Phrenetic System – Reality, Thunderball – Bonzai Channel One. These artists and many, many more have graced the back catalogue and can lay claim to the defining of an era in the Belgian dance scene and beyond. Bonzai artists and groups have went on to become some of the most recognisable and sought after headliners and guests in Europe. Yves Deruyter is one of those names, his first outing on Bonzai, …Animals, was well received and many more big hitters would follow including the huge Rave City. Yves along with Fly, DJ Ghost, Franky Jones, Phi Phi and a host of others would go on to dominate the club and rave scene, bringing with them this fresh new sound which they pioneered.

This success continued and in the second half of the nineties a new face arrived to progress the brand further, Marnik Braeckevelt joined the Bonzai Family in 1995 working as A&R and International, it was this fresh vision that would help propel Bonzai and its artists into world renowned names. During this time three of the biggest trance stars in the world would rise, Yves Deruyter would again be a prominent figure with releases such as The Rebel and Factor-Y gaining huge support around the globe, Mike Dierickx aka Push had been an established artist in the techno acid scene and he rose to prominence with his 1998 release Universal Nation, this went on to be one of the biggest selling trance anthems of all time and is still being played and remixed to this day. The next out of the three is the awe inspiring genius Laurent Veronnez aka Airwave, the story goes that Marnik and Laurent were looking for a cool new name for a project, at the time Marnik was holding a pack of Airwaves gum, but his finger was covering the S and he saw the word Airwave, since then Laurent has went on to produce some of the best trance records ever with Above The Sky, Lightspeed and his debut album I Want To Believe to name a few.

Quality releases continued to pour out of the Bonzai studios and the demand for vinyl was high, exporting was big and in the UK and Ireland people were clambering over each other to get the latest cut from specialist stores. Record deals and licensing would be requested all over the world from Holland, France, Germany, Australia, UK, Italy, Spain, Israel, Canada, Czech Rep and more, and because of this type of exposure the artists on the Bonzai roster got to experience some of the biggest and best events around the globe.

Bonzai Records were one of the first labels to launch a merchandise range including hats, tees, hoodies, jackets, slipmats, stickers and more. Some of these items where exclusives and available only with vinyl purchases in the store.

Through the nineties and into the early 2000’s the Bonzai brand was responsible for defining an era and bringing to life new genres of music. They were at the forefront of the trance explosion which started with the release of Quadran – Eternally on the newly formed Bonzai Trance Progressive, unknown to the producers and management at the time this was to be the birth of uplifting trance which went global in a very short space of time.

More huge releases like Da Hool – Meet Her At The Love Parade and Energy 52 – Cafe Del Mar would further enhance the status of this now well-known imprint. With many labels on the go including XTC, Green Martian, Zounds, Camouflage, Progrez, Full Access, Tripomatic and Tranceportation to name a few, the guys and gals at Bonzai would be starting off the new Millennium on top of their game. Demos flooded in and the best in fresh new talent would see their music nurtured and distributed worldwide. The trio that is Yves, Laurent and Mike continued to ply their trade in the world of trance and their tunes were the popular choice of many big name DJ’s including Tiësto, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Paul Oakenfold, John 00 Fleming and many more. So by this time after a decade of hard work and persistence Fly, Marnik and their partners have created a very successful label that endured the trials and tribulations of the fall of vinyl and started to embrace the digital revolution that was just around the corner.

By 2003 a new era was in their midst. With the advent of mass digital downloads taking preference over vinyl Bonzai decided to re-direct their distribution and marketing ideas. Banshee Worx was created while retaining the rights over the Bonzai brand. Banshee Worx was to be just as successful with communications made easier through download portals, social networking, faster internet services, demos being uploaded to Soundcloud dropboxes and so on. Airwave, Push, Yves Deruyter, Philippe Van Mullem, DJ Fire, Fire & Ice and Quadran would still produce quality music on the now vast array of labels, tracks like Infinity, Samoa, R.E.S.P.E.C.T., Trilogique, Poem and more dominated the airwaves (no pun intended).

Over the years new and upcoming artists joined the ranks and collaborations with labels such as Piston Recordings, Subtraxx, JOOF, Monog Records, Sounds R Us, Creamminal and Troia, would germinate and become a big part of the Bonzai Family. Together with digital distribution managed by Marnik for a number of labels such as the back catalogues of Renaissance, Baroque, Azuli, DJ International and others. On top there has been an influx of fresh and trendy labels like Hall of Fame Records, AK Tek and Paulatine, the re-launch of labels like Missile and Platipus and their own catalogue of well over a few dozen 100% fully owned labels, the Bonzai brand has taken the 21st Century by storm.

Fresh ideas were always in mind and in the last few years some management decisions were made that would see the family spread over two distinct divisions, this was done to ensure the focus remained on the ever evolving dance/electronic music scene, a number of labels were discontinued and the shakeup began. Firstly we have the Bonzai Progressive division, which is all about techno, tech house, progressive house, deep house, prog tech, chillout and lounge and is managed by Fly. With these changes came the opportunity to create new labels that would give full attention to each genre.

The company’s second division Subtraxx and it’s labels managed by Ville Lope and Dirkie Coetzee looks after the trance side with labels Camouflage, Nemesis and Subtraxx. Fresh raw talent along with established artists is the scope and the churn is staggering. Other labels residing here are JOOF, Platipus and Progrez with each run by their own label manager.

Across both divisions well over 1000 demos a month are scrutinised and because of this the release quota each month continues to rise. New artists are added to the roster constantly and they include the likes of Oz Romita, Miika Kuisma, Mindgamers, Fab Code, Project KF, Chantola, Dimitry Liss, Jimmy Galle, Ecco, Accatone & Manu Riga, just to name a few. With the skills and determination of a devoted management and team these artists and more in the future will be showcased to the world.

So there you have it, a small company that defied the decline of the physical market and has stood the test of time, continues to deliver quality with every release 20 years later, there are not too many labels that can proudly state this fact, but Bonzai can.

Your Bonzai Progressive team are: Christiaan “Fly” Pieters: founder, owner and Bonzai Progressive label pool manager. Marnik Braeckevelt: owner, A&R, International & digital distribution manager. Laurent Véronnez aka Airwave: producer, dj & digital distribution. Rogerio Martins: label manager, mastering & vinyl manager. Ville Lope & Dirkie Coetzee: label managers at Subtraxx. Katja Baumann: administration & royalty accounting and Brian ‘djbriand’ Doran: music reviews & general articles.