Ferreck Dawn, Robosonic & Nikki Ambers

Actively DJ’ing since 2003, Dutch tech-house producer Ferreck Dawn founded his own digital label, Broken Boundaries Recordings, in 2008. After releasing tracks on labels including but not limited to Broken Boundaries, Nervous Records, and Spinnin’ Deep, he had his first big hit with 2014′s “Love Too Deep,” a collaboration with the duo Redondo that charted in the U.K. Top 50.
Born Freek Coppens in 1985 in Veldhoven, North Brabant, he began clubbing at age 15, initially attracted by the harder techno styles then popular in the Netherlands. Three years later he bought his first set of decks and began DJ’ing. Initially playing at clubs in nearby Eindhoven, he graduated to larger parties and festivals before winning a residency at the popular DansSalon club. In 2006, he began producing his own tracks and sending demos to record labels.
Studious and hardworking, he had promised his parents he would graduate before devoting himself to music, and eventually earned two master’s degrees while working on music in his spare time. After graduation, he moved to Amsterdam, building a solid career path through jobs at record shops and labels, including ID&T — where he managed the high-profile Sensation dance events — and trance powerhouse Armada.
In the meantime, he continued producing and established Broken Boundaries Recordings. In 2008, Ferreck Dawn released “Bottled Emotions/Bring That Bass” on Broken Boundaries and “SAS/April” via Cloud 9 Red. Labels such as Smoke Records and Melomine released some of his dance tracks over the next couple of years. In 2011, Nervous Records picked up his SaTrinxa EP, and Leaders of the New School put out the Sidestep EP, while Spinnin’ Deep issued the single “Sometimes.”
The year 2013 brought a collaboration with fellow Dutchmen Redondo, a minimalist, percussion-driven house track titled “Tattoo Girl.” Their 2014 follow-up, the old-school-style “Love Too Deep,” became Ferreck Dawn’s breakthrough hit, reaching number 48 on the U.K. singles chart and racking up over a million streams in its first few months. A third single with Redondo, “Something Else,” was issued by Spinnin’ Deep in early 2015 and followed by collaborations with acts including BISHØP, Franky Rizardo, Joe Stone, and Rene Amesz. Simma Black released his Bang Bang EP in 2017, and a year later, Club Sweat put out the You & Me EP and Toolroom released the single “Wilderness” while Dawn issued collaborative singles with the Deepshakerz (“All Nighter”) and Robosonic (“In Arms”), among others. ~ John D. Buchanan & Marcy Donelson