Eddie Bitar
In little over a year, Eddie Bitar has propelled himself in amongst some of the world’s most established DJs and producers in the scene today. Born in Canada with Lebanese roots, Eddie’s sound of forward-thinking cutting edge Trance has seen him received huge support from the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, Max Graham, John O’callaghan, Aly & Fila and many more... With releases on the globes largest Trance labels Armada Music and Vandit Records, it’s no wonder Eddie is being highlighted as one of the most promising up and coming artists in the industry. Eddie’s first breakthrough came in January 2011, when he received his first major signing on Armada Music with the track ‘Drift’ – a collaboration with Anjunabeats favourite Genix. With a chunky progressive base line and a mysterious sounding overlay, the production firmly set the groundwork for even better things to come. Following up his initial success, Paul Van Dyk’s Vandit label immediately stood up and took notice, snapping up a 2 track E.P. titled ‘Beirut’ and ‘Red Room’. Beirut, an ode to the town he grown up in, perfectly translates the constant energy flow of Lebanon's largest city and capital in an energetic sounding production. With a remix coming from Trance heavy weight Giuseppe Ottaviani, support was received from Paul Oakenfold, Alex M.O.R.P.H, Sean Tyas and John O’callaghan to name a few, as well as being chosen for Vandit’s “Best of 2011” compilation alongside work from Sneijder and Maarten De Jong. The B side ‘Red Room’ combines big room Trance sounds with an uplifting melody rolling in to a hard hitting base line. Support followed from Lange, Lee Haslam, Greg Downey, Ashley Wallbridge and more.. With no sign of slowing down, Eddie’s ability to create fresh high quality music led to the opportunity to show case his remix ability. Given the accolade to remix Paul Van Dyk featuring Arty – ‘The Ocean’, he wasted no time in taking up the challenge. Whilst retaining the sun drenched vocals, the tempo was turned up to give harder hitting sound, “putting Paul back where he belongs” (Armin Van Buuren on A State of Trance radio episode 567”). It was no surprise that further support came from Max Graham, Mark Sherry, Jordan Suckley, Indecent noise, Orla Feeney and more as well as reaching the dizzy heights of #17 in the Beatport charts and staying within the top 100 for over 3 consecutive weeks. It’s not just as a producer that Eddie has excelled with his talents. As a DJ, he has been no stranger to performing out to a crowd. DJing in 2008 across Lebanon, he soon earned himself a position as resident DJ and Promoter at Chocolate Club in 2010. His name has appeared with many international artists & vocalists including Jennifer Rene , Betsie Larkin , Marco V, Jerome Isma-ae, Greg Downey, Daniel Wanrooy, Max Graham, Mark Sherry, Genix, Marten De Jong, Fred Baker and Greg Nash. Relocating to the UK, one of the most established Trance nights in the country ‘Passion’ was the next stop. The night featured Eddie Bitar alongside Eddie Halliwell , Judge Jules, Lange , Giuseppe Ottaviani , Jon O’Bir , Bryan Kearney , Genix , Lee Haslam and many others. Passion has been host to some of the biggest names in trance music, including luminaries Armin Van Buuren, Paul Van Dyk, Markus Schulz, and Tiesto. Eddie made a strong impression with his first appearance and was invited back to the follow up event on November 5th alongside Gareth Emery, Andy Moor, Aly & Fila, Giuseppe Ottaviani and more… continuing to hold his own against the established acts. Summer 2012 has continued to snowball for Eddie. His 2 hour monthly radio show on AH.FM has included guest mixes from up and coming artists such as James Dymond and tech-duo Bowdidge & Taylor as well as Trance favourite Giuseppe Ottaviani. DJ gigs has seen him grace the decks in Ibiza, a return to Lebanon and forthcoming booking alongside Cosmic Gate & Simon Patterson in the main room at the world famous Ministry of Sound for the ‘Gallery’. More releases have been scheduled for autumn 2012 with Armada, Vandit , Mental Asylum records and some very special collaborations that have yet to be announced. With things going from strength-to-strength, it won’t be long before Eddie Bitar’s name and sound is recognised by music fans all over the globe.