ArtistInfo

Eddie Wray

IE
Dance

Eddie Wray needs no introduction. Most famous as the Northern Irish dance music scene’s most prominent figure and founder of renown music festival Planet Love, Eddie Wray’s contribution to the music scene in Northern Ireland reaches as far and wide as his worldwide music contacts! By launching some of the Northern Ireland's most successful clubbing ventures he has been fundamental in forming and sustaining the current NI scene’s dance music infrastructure. From hosting a popular radio show on Citybeat back in the early 90s, to launching award winning dance magazine BBm, to developing the dance music awards, to founding the festival Planetlove and right through to opening clubs and clubnights across NI and developing the brands Planetlove and Rendezvous. From the early days under the guise of Eddie Wray Entertainment, he was the first person in Northern Ireland to bring over bands like Ultra Sonic, QFX and Dream Frequency among countless others, initiating a ‘band-scene’ here. The happy hardcore scene then developed and thrived as a result - particularly Exit 15 and Kilwaughter House in Larne which Eddie promoted. In 1995 he launched the landmark Bassline Magazine which became BBm in 1998 and was awarded many accolades including Magazine of the Year in the prestigious IPR/BT Media and Journalism awards. It was also his company, around the same time, that launched and ran respected the Northern Irish Dance Music Awards which ran alongside BBm Magazine for eight years. 1998 was indeed a spectacular year, also heralding by far his biggest achievement – the first ever Planetlove festival was born setting a precedent for outdoor festival licences across Ireland. The event – now in its 10th year – is ever-expanding and has hosted most of the world dance scene’s biggest players including Paul Van Dyk, Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Mauro Picotto… the list goes on into the hundreds taking in many dance acts including Faithless. The 2006 festival in association with BBC Radio 1 has been hailed the biggest and best yet, breaking all records. In 2004 he brought Irish clubbers Club Matrix in Dungannon which hosted a spectacular cross-section of world renowned DJs and genres over its 18 month licence span. DJs from Paul Van Dyk to Jeff Mills and Pete Tong to Smokin Jo and Pablo Gargano! 2006 was a significant year of expansion for Eddie’s main ventures. His monthly night in Clubland, Cookstown, is currently the North’s most successfully consistent night while the Planetlove brand has enjoyed considerable success with the launch of the Winter and Spring indoor parties at Belfast’s King’s Hall, followed by the phenomenal success of the festival in September. The knowledge, acumen and appreciation for music required to make these ventures work is borne from one key source though - his DJing. Countless gigs in countless clubs have seen Eddie Wray hone a unique talent for that simple – but often elusive – task: filling a dancefloor, and then rocking it! Eddie Wray – the DJ – has a wide and loyal following of fans who probably know the contents of his record box as well as he does! Nowadays you can catch him regularly at The Coach, Banbridge and Clubland, Cookstown. It’s tough work condensing the work of Eddie Wray so far – a name which has probably become something of a household brand in Northern Ireland. All his efforts and his ventures are fired up by passion and sustained by determination and a simple love of music. And his DJing is the oxygen that fuels it all.

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