Shane 54

Shane 54 (Előd Császár) is one of Hungary’s most well-known progressive trance DJs and producers. A former pop star in his native country, he crafts euphoric, hands-in-the-air anthems with pop sensibilities, and has produced or remixed tunes by Lana Del Rey, Tove Lo, Depeche Mode, and many others. He often creates spontaneous mashups during his laptop-only DJ sets. He hosted a TV show called Laptop DJ, and is responsible for a popular mix podcast called International Departures. Originally a member of Hungarian pop group FLM during the early ’90s, Császár began releasing solo material under his own name during the second half of the decade. As the new millennium began, he started using the name Shane 54 for his trance tracks. He co-produced two tracks on Sterbinszky’s 2000 album discography, then built a buzz with a few remixes. In 2002, he released cover versions of two Jean Michel Jarre songs, “Souvenir de Chine” and “Equinoxe 4.” Numerous other Shane 54 tracks and remixes followed, as well as mix CDs My Way (2004) and Laptop DJ (2006). In 2008, he began a long-running, prolific partnership with fellow Hungarian Myon (Márió Égető). The two released numerous singles on labels like In Trance We Trust and Anjunabeats, in addition to two International Departures compilations and the 2013 mix CD In Search of Sunrise 11: Las Vegas. The duo ended their collaboration in June of 2016. Shane 54 then signed to Nettwerk as a solo artist, and his first release for the label was the single “Paradise” featuring vocalist Jenny Jordan. ~ Paul Simpson