Darude or Ville Virtanen is a Finland based DJ specializing in trance music. A highly respected DJ in his country, Darude is also a world-traveling DJ as he has appeared in many cities around the world. His progressive form of music is often dubbed as the "uplifting" trance which is often identified as the lighter form of Goa trance.
The well known DJ started his interest in electronic music since high school. While in college, he frequently provides demo tapes to various radio stations and would have considerable airtime. His music were also available in Mp3.com in the late 90s. It was also during this period that he earned the name Darude after playing "Rude Boy" four times in a single night.
Success came to Darude after his single "Sandstorm" was produced by Jaakko Salovaara, owner of the 16 Inch Record Label. The single was released in 1999 and immediately reached #3 in Finland. His song even stayed for 17 weeks in top in his country's dance chart. Because of his popularity in Finland, his name became recognized in UK and around the world.
After the success of "Sandstorm", Darude released his first album "Before the Storm". This album cemented his ability to make notable music as he was earned three Finnish Grammy Awards. More than 800,000 records were sold in many countries.
In 2003, Darude released "Rush". This album contained the hit singles "Next To You" and "Music". In 2007, his third album named "Label This!" was released. Both albums also made decent sales around the world.