by: Juan Porrata
Stefan Anion, born to German parents in Italy as "Stefan Weise", was introduced to dance music at a young age. His father was the DJ at a local club, and his mother often listened to early electronic music such as Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, and others. Stefan grew up part of the MTV generation and with a brief trip to England in 1989 was introduced to acid house. After moving to the US in 1991, Stefan discovered the early sounds of rave through Dallas radio and decided to become a DJ himself. He began purchasing 12" dance records at the age of sixteen and started practicing the art of mixing until his first performance at a local outdoor event in 1996.
Being a DJ wasn't enough, and after playing local underground events for about a year, Stefan decided to enter the realm of production armed with nothing more than an outdated Mac and a demo of Propellerheads Rebirth. "I remember writing my tracks in fifteen minutes, and then jotting down all the settings in a little book I kept before the demo quit working. Then I'd re-open it, program the synths and drums, and record the whole thing to tape. I still have loads of those tapes today, including my book full of song settings."
Throughout his college years, Stefan acquired more studio equipment and a brand new computer so he could focus more and more on refining his sound. In 1998, Stefan published his first EP under the "Cycle One" moniker on the then-popular mp3.com. The EP rose to #4 in the Detroit dance charts. Later that year, he met fellow producer Brian Aneurysm and the two decided to start the "AI Collective" that became well known internationally. During the AI Collective days, Stefan got a taste for live performance and soon became the producer and keyboardist for a local synth-pop band called "The Mind Theory".
After the band split in 2003, Stefan decided to focus on his solo career, and began working on a variety of remixes and original productions. In 2004, one week before a club gig, Stefan decided to remix Gary Jules "Mad World" from the Donnie Darko Soundtrack. It was such a success Canadian record label Release Records got hold of the single and decided to sign Stefan to their label in mid-2004. Being signed to his first label paved the way for countless more remixes and singles. Stefan Anion has remixed the likes of Noel Sanger, Tony Estrada, Sunscreem, Hybrid and more. Stefan's remixes and originals have appeared on compilations, top radio charts and countless playlists.
In 2004, Stefan and friend Jordan Daniel ran and operated BPM Records in Deep Ellum. After leaving the store in late 2004, Stefan, Jordan and Starfire started Blueplasma Recordings, a digital music label designed to give up-and-coming talent from around the world their first break. The label has music available on the world's top download sites including Beatport and iTunes, and is currently on its 12th release with a growing roster of artists worldwide. Stefan Anion and Jordan Daniel are also hosts of the popular monthly Blue Industries Radio Show on Proton Radio and the Bluegrooves Show on ETN.FM.
