David Forbes is a Scottish DJ and producer.  Forbes started producing hardcore and gabba in the early nineties and was also a member of chart topping  Public Domain.  However since 1999 most of Forbes productions have been trance.  He is currently signed exclusively to Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music group.

Early Years: 1994 to 1998

David Forbes started out DJing and producing on the Scottish hard core scene. 

He started DJing aged just 17 at Glasgow’s Mayfair club and went on to have a two year residency at Hanger 13. 

He released well over 20 tracks as Davie Forbes, nearly all hardcore / gabba productions with a thumping distorted bass drum and rave riffs and MC samples.

Later Years: 1999 to present

Forbes dropped the Davie Forbes moniker in 1998 and released a number of trance tracks between 1999 and 2000 under the alias Hal Stucker.  The Hal Stucker releases were at the harder and more underground end of the trance spectrum with a strong German trance feel.  Whilst his hardcore productions had limited Forbes’ profile to a relatively small and insular scene the Hal Stucker releases exposed him to a much wider audience.  His first Hal Stucker release ‘The World Is Flat’ (Telica 1999) was licensed to volume 14 of React Records’ long running Reactivate mix compilation series. 

2000 proved to be a big year for Forbes.  Firstly the Magica remix of his first release as David Forbes ‘Questions Must Be Asked’ (Eve Records 2000) was licensed to the Paul van Dyk mix compilation ‘The Politics Of Dancing’ (Ministry Of Sound 2001). ‘Questions Must Be Asked’ is an anthemic big-room trance track that was really brought alive by the Magica remix in a way that original never quite achieved.

The second key event of 2000 for Forbes was becoming part of Public Domain and the success of their first single ‘Operation Blade (Bass In The Place...)’ (Xtrahard 2000).  ‘Operation Blade…’ was used in the Wesley Snipes Blade movie and sold over a quarter of a million copies.  Forbes recorded one studio album with Public Domain ‘Hard Hop Superstars’ (Xtrahard 2001) that included the Chuck D sampling track ‘Rock Da Funky Beats’ (Xtrahard 2001). Forbes remained as part of Public Domain until 2002, at which point he and fellow member Mallorca Lee left to focus on their solo careers.

In 2004 Forbes and Mallorca Lee recorded Forbe’s only mix compilation to date: 'Mallorca Lee & David Forbes - Internationals' (Bang On! 2004)
Throughout the nougties Forbes produced a steady flow of trance singles as David Forbes as well as DJ globally, including in the Netherlands, Switzerland and an Australian Gatecrasher tour.

As the years have progressed Forbes’ has brought an increasingly techy edge to his trance productions as seen in his 2009 collaboration with William Daniel ‘E-Motion’ (Captivating Sounds 2009).

In 2010 Forbes signed exclusively to Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music group following numerous releases on various Aramada sub labels.

David Forbes has had a long a solid DJ and production career that has resulted in tracks that have graced most big name DJs’ sets but it is also a career that has never quite burst into life, never quite broken through to the mainstream. Except of course for his 2 years as part of Operation Blade.

David Forbes started DJing aged just 17 years of age.