The Beatdown

Back in 1999, when Sander Kleinenberg burst onto the global club scene, the still-wet-behind-the-headphones DJ/producer made his name by pushing the sonic envelope with releases that were so forward-thinking, he landed not one but two tracks on the wildly popular Global Underground series mixed by none other than über-DJ Sasha. Cut to 2006 and Sander is still pressing forward but in ways most would not have visualized. Electronic giant Pioneer's release of the much-hyped DVJ-X1 DVD/CD player in 2004 came and went, but most of the knob-twiddling elite didn't even take notice. But Sander did. This new technology allowed him to mix tracks with pre-edited video perfectly synched, bridging the sometimes mammoth gap between dance music and club visuals. Sander is so convinced that the future of dance music relies on the merging of visuals and DJing that he's working on the world's first video Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1. The special project will be broadcast live over the Web, and dance music fans will be able to watch his visuals, as well as listen to his usual DJ set. No need to wait, though, as Sander lands in Dallas with his big bag of tricks in tow to rock the crowd. Local tech-house ambassador JV will be starting things off.