Biography by Peter van Hal (Extrema Music), revised by Mark Venneri (Private Reality ). Last update: november 2003.

What does one need these days in order to succeed in today's tough world of the music industry? A great deal of determination would be a big answer. Besides the obvious elements such as knowing the right people, managing a fresh outlook towards Dance music and possessing a certain level of musical awareness, maybe the most important quality that Dutch producer Bart van Wissen brings to the table is his genuine raw talent. By the look of how things have gone for him already in 2003, Bart has plenty to offer us.

His dreams began around the tender age of 7, when his grandfather gave him his first keyboard. It didn’t take long before he taught himself to play some basic songs with it. After some time, his parents decided that it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if he took some lessons to help develop his musical skills. At age 11, when most people are listening to bland pop songs on commercial radio, Bart started producing Jungle tracks with the use of tracker software on his computer. His tastes continued to evolve and he absorbed a larger variety of different styles such as Acid-House, Trip-Hop and a healthy dose of Abstract Beats. All of which remain a major influence in his present work.

In early 2000, a good friend gave Bart a Trance compilation and he fell in love with its massive sounds and pulsating beats. He started using Propellerheads Reason virtual studio software to make new beats and his destiny took a full turn for the better after he submitted his first demo to Deep Records label-boss Peter van Hal. Van Hal listened to just a few songs then quickly decided that Bart was extremely unique. His fresh sound and incredible musical versatility really shined through his work.

Bart still refuses to limit himself to just one style of dance music and other labels are beginning to discover and recognize his diversity. Black Hole Recordings signed his trance monster entitled “Ringworld” under his latest Fictivision moniker and gave it a proper worldwide release in the early months of 2003. He followed up with the double-A side “Illuminate" and "Deviate” on Deep Records under his own name. This record reflected his passion for cool, crisp grooves and smooth, melodic House music. Around the same time, he also released the critically acclaimed "Space Tourist" and "Distant Region" cuts on Extrema Records. The release was charted by the highest order and "Region" even made an appearance in Mo Shic's February Essential Mix.

Bart's future remains extremely bright. His next major release will be the almighty "Unforeseen" which is slated for release on Private Reality Records in the fall of 2003. Paired with a smashing Madoka remix, the package is set to be an important one for his young career. He’s also working on a full-length Downtempo album under the name Sideways.

And, we nearly forgot another important aspect of Bart van Wissen. He has been playing around behind the decks for several years now as well. He's already an excellent DJ, capable of working huge crowds with his fresh attitude and tight mixing skills. His combination of House and Progressive tunes is slowly building him a name and positioning him as one of the top new talents in his native home of Holland. Not a bad run so far, with only 21 years of age behind him. So now, take a moment out of your time and meet one of the leaders of the next generation of Dance music's prime entertainers!