Mike Dierickx is a Belgian trance producer and DJ.  He has been releasing since 1992 under approximately 85 different aliases, has released 9 studio albums and countless genre defining classic singles.  He DJs extensively across the globe and has remixed for the likes of Sinead O’Conner and Armin van Buuren.

Early Years: 1992 to 2004

Mike Dierickx first major musical influence was seeing a Depeche Mode concert in 1983 when he was aged just 10.   Eight years later, after acquiring samplers and synthesisers, Dierickx submitted his first demo tape to local Antwerp-based record label USA Import resulting in his first release ‘Vision Act’ (USA Import, 1992).

Dierickx went onto release a steady stream of singles over the following years but his breakthrough came in 1998 during the peak years of trance boom with the single ‘Universal Nation’ (S+M Records 1998).  ‘Universal Nation’ was a track that truly stood out from the pack.  At a time when mainstream trance was dominated by often predictable, uplifting melodies, epic breakdowns and long snare rolls, ‘Universal Nation’ brought a dark, even sinister feel.  Its minor key haunting lead line, distinctive vocal shout and thumping kick drum that bursts in midway through the breakdown without warning were so fresh and powerful that they guaranteed ‘Universal Nation’ anthem status.

Dierickx didn’t have to wait long for further success under the Push banner.  In 1999 as Push released another, but very different trance anthem: ‘Strange World’ (Bonzai Records 1999).  ‘Strange World’ uses the same trick as ‘Universal Nation’ of keeping the melody repeating throughout nearly the entire track, but the similarities stop there. Unlike the dark ‘Universal Nation’, ‘Strange World’ sits firmly at the melodic, dreamy end of the trance spectrum. Just as ‘Universal Nation’ stands out as one of the key tracks of the trance genre, so ‘Strange World’ remains one of the most enduring trance melodies written.

Dierickx’s star was firmly in the ascendancy and a flood of DJ gigs followed, including at Gatecrasher, Godskitchen, Dance Valley, Trance Energy and Spundae. Dierickx chose to use the momentum as a springboard for launching his own record label Scanner-Records.

The following year 2000 Dierickx released the first Push studio album ‘From Beyond’ (Lightning Records 2000) which featured yet another Push anthem, the driving peak-time trance track ‘The Legacy’ (Bonzai Records 2001).

In 2004 Mike put his Scanner-Records label on hold and formed a joint-venture label with Armada Music: Club Elite Recordings.

Later Years: 2005 to present

Dierickx continued to release Push productions steadily up to 2005.  Though he had always released simultaneously under many different aliases alongside Push (most notably the progressive trance alias Plastic Boy), in 2005 he stopped releasing as Push and focused on other aliases including M.I.K.E.  To date Dierickx has used approximately 85 different production aliases, enabling him to simultaneously produce in a diverse range of trance focused styles.

In 2008 Dierickx revived the Push aliaswith a number of releases including ‘Dream Designer’ (Club Elite 2008).  The following year Dierickx released the fifth Push studio album ‘Global Age’ (Armada Music 2009). 

In 2010  Dierickx also dusted off the Plastic Boy alias with a number of releases as M.I.K.E. Presents Plastic Boy. In 2011 Dierickx released the second Plastic Boy album ‘Plastic Infusion’ (Armada Digital 2011). 

Dierickx continues to DJ extensively including holding residencies at Godskitchen and The Gallery in London.