Guy Gerber

Tel Aviv-based dance music producer Guy Gerber, who incorporates the best aspects of progressive house/trance, deep house, and techno into a unique style of his own, established himself as a rising star in 2004 with “Stoppage Time,” a popular release by Bedrock Records that opened the door to a high-profile recording contract with Cocoon Recordings soon thereafter. Growing up in Israel, Gerber grew up playing soccer. By the time he’d reached his mid-teens, though, he’d found a new passion: music, in particular seminal English-language alternative rock bands of the ’80s like Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, the Cure, and Joy Division. He himself took up playing the guitar as a result. His tastes quickly extended beyond ’80s alt rock, and he developed an affection for a variety of music, from the Beach Boys and the Beatles, to Kraftwerk and Chic, to Curtis Mayfield and Jimi Hendrix, to Iggy Pop and the Velvet Underground. He also got into electronic dance music, with such figureheads as Richie Hawtin, Laurent Garnier, and Carl Craig cited as key influences of his. Gerber made his debut as a producer in 2002 with releases on the British labels Alternative Route and Whoop! Within two years he’d made the jump to Bedrock, one of the premier progressive house/trance labels, perhaps best known for its association with John Digweed, its co-founder. Bedrock released “Stoppage Time” in 2004, and over the next two years, the song became an anthem, especially among the Ibiza contingent. The track proved so popular, in fact, Bedrock commissioned a remix EP. Released in 2005, it featured remixes by Max Graham and Tom Mangan. Meanwhile, Gerber signed to Cocoon, the techno-trance label founded by Sven Väth and with strong ties to the Ibiza scene. Cocoon released “This Is Balagan” and “Sea of Sand” as 12″ singles in 2006, and a full-length album, Late Bloomers, followed in 2007. Gerber also founded his own label, Supplement Facts, which made its debut in 2006 with a limited-run promo of “This Is Balagan.” ~ Jason Birchmeier