Max Graham
Encyclopedia
Max Graham is a Canadian
DJ
, composer
and producer
who manages to transcend genres while producing international hits
in the dance music
scene. He is most famous for his hits “Sun in the Winter” and “Nothing Else Matters”, His Cycles CD Series/Radio show as well as his remix of the classic song “Owner of a Lonely Heart
” by Yes
. Graham can be found touring the world weekly and runs the trance and progressive label Re*Brand Records, he currently resides in Montreal.
, England
and lived in Spain
, New York City
and Los Angeles
before settling in Ottawa in 1989. At age 15 in 1986, he began as a hip-hop and scratch DJ before discovering and falling in love with the house music scene between 1992 and 1994. Max was also instrumental in the creation of the famous Atomic club in Ottawa
, and his weekly 6 hour sets at Atomic are the stuff of legend among fans. Max exploded onto the producing scene with the releases of “Airtight” and “Tell You,” both of which became international hits. Airtight was nominated for a Juno Award in 2001. This success got some attention from the world dance music scene and Graham was asked to mix Tranceport
CD #4, which was also met with huge success, and spurred a world tour in 2001. This rapid rise in attention led Graham to be voted into spot number 23 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list, the highest entry for a newcomer in 2001. His distinctive style remains difficult to pin down, covering genres like house, progressive, techno, disco, and trance to name just some. During a Graham performance, a collection of different sounds can be heard in every aspect of the tracks being played: the bass, rhythms, and melodies constantly change and energize the audience and dancers at Graham’s sets.
, London
with his mother and two siblings. At the age of eight Graham and his mother moved to Spain
and settled in a small town called Mijas
in the Costa Del Sol
. It was here in the local public school that Graham learned to speak Spanish fluently. After two years the decision was made to switch custody from mother to father and Graham moved from Spain to the United States
and attend school in New York City
, Graham was exposed to the then budding Rap Music scene of the lower east side, frequently hanging out with Graffiti
artists and local Rappers and coming home with spray paint on his hands. It was at that time he was exposed to Turntablism
. Being only 13 at the time Graham was not old enough to attend any of the local rap concerts by such legends as Run DMC and LL Cool J
. Instead Graham went into the now defunct Ritz nightclub which is currently Webster Hall
on the day of a Run DMC concert and asked for Posters of the show for his wall. Just by luck the VJ (video performance artist)
was in the foyer and invited Graham to come back during the show and watch from the DJ Booth. The DJ Booth at the Ritz was quite large, housed the DJ and the VJ and was not considered a "licensed area" for alcohol, this allowed for someone underage such as Graham to view the concert. Graham was more interested in the Scratching
he witnessed than the rapping and fell instantly in love with djing.
The friendship he forged with the VJ led to Graham attending more hip hop shows in exchange for taping visuals off the television onto a VHS
and bringing it to the VJ. Graham convinced his father to buy him two Belt-drive turntable
s and a Gemini Sound Products
DJ mixer
. This unfortunately lasted only a few months as Graham discovered Skateboarding
and then moved to Los Angeles
to attend Palisades High School
, Eric Dressen, Jesse Martinez and Natas Kaupas
. With no further need for his turntables Graham traded them with Natas Kaupas
for a custom painted skateboard and a selection of Trucks, Stickers and Wheels.
, Canada
with the hopes that it would move Graham away from the negative influences in L.A. and keep him out of trouble. Graham finished high school here and decided to take a job as a bartender at a local club. While applying for the job the owner asked him if he knew how do DJ as the DJ for that night had not shown up. Graham, remembering his turntablist days agreed to give it a shot. While he bombed that first night the owner like him enough to let him in to practice during the day. It was here that Graham met DJ Michael Mailly who spent extensive time with Graham, teaching him the concept of beat mixing, counting bars and matching harmonics. Graham learned the art of mixing tracks together so that each songs main elements complimented the song it was mixed with, a concept known as Harmonic Mixing
.
As Graham mastered this mixing technique he moved from one club to another in Ottawa, each time increasing his following with a top 40 style that included house music
and hip hop
, finally settling in a two year residency at Indigo nightclub in Ottawa.
While at Indigo nightclub in 94 Graham was approached by some coworkers who convinced him to join them at a rave
in Montreal
. It was there that Graham experienced a completely different relationship between the DJ and the dance floor and felt that performing for top 40 crowds was no longer his calling. Upon arriving back to Ottawa Graham promptly left a high paying top 40 DJ gig and spent every penny on house vinyl, Graham began with breaks and deeper house as he found his sound within the multiple genres of the underground. In the mid nineties someone handed Graham a mixtape, it was DJ Sasha performing live on the Radio 1 essential mix playing such artists as BT
, Blue Amazon and Peter Lazonby. This sound had a profound effect on Graham and shaped his career to come.
The same friends who exposed Graham to the Rave in 1994 approached him about creating a first of its kind club night in Ottawa. The night was called Sweet and was held at a gay club on Bank street that was looking for promoters for their Saturday night. Graham brought in his own turntables each week and the group attracted crowds by handing out flyers in the city. The night was a success and brought in DJs such as Derrick Carter
Sweet led to Graham and his partners wanting to expand and take more control over their night, they began to look for their own space and settled on a half basement on Besserer St which opened in 1996. Atomic was an instant success and Grahams 8 hour sets at Seven Fridays became known as a destination club night from Montreal to Toronto.
It was during this period that Graham decided to assist both in his own career, and the growth of the music he was championing. He did this by flying to the UK and setting up meetings with the progressive house record labels who released the type of sound he played. During a ten day period Graham visited labels such as "Stress", "Jackpot", "Skinny Malinky" and "Deconstruction" in an attempt to draw attention to the fact that this sound was growing in Canada. During the late nineties Graham was known as Canada's Progressive Ambassador.
. After years of late nights djing in Ottawa and the surrounding cities Graham opted for a fresh start and moved to Vancouver
. This move was designed to remove himself from the social scene in Ottawa and into virtual seclusion in a Yaletown
Hi Rise. It was here that Graham wrote "Airtight", "Tell you", "Yaletown" and "Falling Together". Airtight was quickly picked up by Nick Warren
and Paul Oakenfold
for their DJ sets and signed to Hope Recordings
. At this time Graham was also signed to a management deal with Hope Management. Soon after the success of these singles Graham was invited to mix the next installment of the Transport
series. Transport put Graham on the Touring circuit and he was invited to join Paul Oakenfold on a mini tour including Pacha Ibiza
and the Roseland Ballroom
.
” a remix of the song written by progressive rockers Yes
in 1983. The remix started as a bootleg just for Graham to play out, but was quickly picked up by Deep Dish
and Pete Tong
causing a frenzy in the dance scene. The track was picked up by Ministry of sound
and propelled into the UK top 40 charts at #8. The Video was #1 on Canadian Dance Station BPM for two weeks in a row.
While this grew Graham's profile in the scene, it also caused confusion, as it was drastically different to his earlier works which were considerably more Progressive and Trancey
. To further add to this confusion Graham release another bootleg, the emotional "Gone" with Jessica Riddle
which was much more like his previous style. Ministry was not interested in this track and attempted to convince Graham to produce something more commercial.
Not interested in being pigeon holed
Graham was influenced by the Electro sound of the moment and had another strong release with "Crank" which went #1 on Beatport
. Crank was strongly supported by Deep Dish
, Tiesto
and a score of other dj's.
. At the beginning of the year Graham Signed with Trance/Progressive powerhouse Armada Music
for a Deal that would see an artist album and the creation of Max's own Compilation series entitled "Cyles". Cycles 1 was released in June 2008 and a successful tour followed.
In Late 2009 Graham returned to Montreal to begin work on his first artist album. The fruit of the first studio session in over a year was "Sun in the Winter" with Neev Kennedy on vocals release in March. Armin Van Buuren and Markus Schulz
made the track mainstays in their sets. Armin included it in his A State of Trance 2010
compilations and Markus on his Las Vegas CD. The followup to this was a remake of a song Graham wrote in 2004 entitled "Does She Know Yet", it was renamed as "Dusky 2010" for the new release and set to come out in May.
Graham's Debut Artist Album, entitled "Radio", was released on June 25, 2010.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
who manages to transcend genres while producing international hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in the dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
scene. He is most famous for his hits “Sun in the Winter” and “Nothing Else Matters”, His Cycles CD Series/Radio show as well as his remix of the classic song “Owner of a Lonely Heart
Owner of a Lonely Heart
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes. It is the opening track of their 1983 album 90125. Written primarily by Trevor Rabin, the song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 — to date Yes's biggest chart success...
” by Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
. Graham can be found touring the world weekly and runs the trance and progressive label Re*Brand Records, he currently resides in Montreal.
Biography
Graham was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and lived in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
before settling in Ottawa in 1989. At age 15 in 1986, he began as a hip-hop and scratch DJ before discovering and falling in love with the house music scene between 1992 and 1994. Max was also instrumental in the creation of the famous Atomic club in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and his weekly 6 hour sets at Atomic are the stuff of legend among fans. Max exploded onto the producing scene with the releases of “Airtight” and “Tell You,” both of which became international hits. Airtight was nominated for a Juno Award in 2001. This success got some attention from the world dance music scene and Graham was asked to mix Tranceport
Tranceport
Tranceport is a trance music DJ mix album series. The series debuted in November 1998 with Paul Oakenfold's Tranceport, released on Kinetic Records...
CD #4, which was also met with huge success, and spurred a world tour in 2001. This rapid rise in attention led Graham to be voted into spot number 23 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJs list, the highest entry for a newcomer in 2001. His distinctive style remains difficult to pin down, covering genres like house, progressive, techno, disco, and trance to name just some. During a Graham performance, a collection of different sounds can be heard in every aspect of the tracks being played: the bass, rhythms, and melodies constantly change and energize the audience and dancers at Graham’s sets.
Early years
Graham spent his first years in Hampstead HeathHampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath is a large, ancient London park, covering . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band of London clay...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with his mother and two siblings. At the age of eight Graham and his mother moved to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and settled in a small town called Mijas
Mijas
Mijas is a town and municipality in the province of Málaga, in Andalusia, southern Spain. It is a typically Andalusian white-washed village located at a mountain side about 450 m above mean sea level, in the heart of the Costa del Sol region...
in the Costa Del Sol
Costa del Sol
The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the Mediterranean coastline of the Málaga province. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known costas: Costa de la Luz and Costa Tropical...
. It was here in the local public school that Graham learned to speak Spanish fluently. After two years the decision was made to switch custody from mother to father and Graham moved from Spain to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and attend school in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
1984-1986 New York
In 1984 while living in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Graham was exposed to the then budding Rap Music scene of the lower east side, frequently hanging out with Graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
artists and local Rappers and coming home with spray paint on his hands. It was at that time he was exposed to Turntablism
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
. Being only 13 at the time Graham was not old enough to attend any of the local rap concerts by such legends as Run DMC and LL Cool J
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor...
. Instead Graham went into the now defunct Ritz nightclub which is currently Webster Hall
Webster Hall
Webster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992...
on the day of a Run DMC concert and asked for Posters of the show for his wall. Just by luck the VJ (video performance artist)
VJ (video performance artist)
VJing is a broad designation for realtime visual performance. Characteristics of VJing are the creation or manipulation of imagery in realtime through technological mediation and for an audience, in synchronization to music. VJing often takes place at events such as concerts, nightclubs, music...
was in the foyer and invited Graham to come back during the show and watch from the DJ Booth. The DJ Booth at the Ritz was quite large, housed the DJ and the VJ and was not considered a "licensed area" for alcohol, this allowed for someone underage such as Graham to view the concert. Graham was more interested in the Scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
he witnessed than the rapping and fell instantly in love with djing.
The friendship he forged with the VJ led to Graham attending more hip hop shows in exchange for taping visuals off the television onto a VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and bringing it to the VJ. Graham convinced his father to buy him two Belt-drive turntable
Belt-drive turntable
There are two main types of phonograph turntable drives still being manufactured today, the belt-drive and direct-drive systems; the names are based upon the type of motor system found in each....
s and a Gemini Sound Products
Gemini Sound Products
Gemini Sound Products Corporation is a worldwide manufacturer of professional audio and mobile DJ equipment, including DJ CD players, DJ turntables, DJ mixers, professional amplifiers, loudspeakers, wireless microphones & DJ audio effects...
DJ mixer
DJ mixer
A DJ mixer is a type of audio mixing console used by disc jockeys.The key features that differentiate a DJ mixer from other types of audio mixers are the ability to redirect a non-playing source to headphones and the presence of a crossfader, which allows for an easier transition between two sources...
. This unfortunately lasted only a few months as Graham discovered Skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
and then moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to attend Palisades High School
1987-1989 Los Angeles
Graham fell deeper into the Skate culture of Mid 80's Los Angeles hanging out at Venice Beach with Skaters such as Christian HosoiChristian Hosoi
Christian Rosha Hosoi is an American professional skateboarder. He is also known by the nicknames "Christ" and "Holmes". Hosoi is married to a former night club dancer Jenn Lee and has four sons, James Hosoi, Rhythm Hosoi , Classic Hosoi and Endless Hosoi...
, Eric Dressen, Jesse Martinez and Natas Kaupas
Natas Kaupas
Natas Kaupas is a semi-retired American professional skateboarder. He grew up in South Santa Monica, California in the area known as Dogtown and is of Lithuanian descent. He attended Santa Monica High School. He is often referred to as one of the first true professional street skateboarders.Kaupas...
. With no further need for his turntables Graham traded them with Natas Kaupas
Natas Kaupas
Natas Kaupas is a semi-retired American professional skateboarder. He grew up in South Santa Monica, California in the area known as Dogtown and is of Lithuanian descent. He attended Santa Monica High School. He is often referred to as one of the first true professional street skateboarders.Kaupas...
for a custom painted skateboard and a selection of Trucks, Stickers and Wheels.
1990-1998 Ottawa
After getting into trouble with the LAPD in Los Angeles in 1988, Grahams father took a business opportunity in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
with the hopes that it would move Graham away from the negative influences in L.A. and keep him out of trouble. Graham finished high school here and decided to take a job as a bartender at a local club. While applying for the job the owner asked him if he knew how do DJ as the DJ for that night had not shown up. Graham, remembering his turntablist days agreed to give it a shot. While he bombed that first night the owner like him enough to let him in to practice during the day. It was here that Graham met DJ Michael Mailly who spent extensive time with Graham, teaching him the concept of beat mixing, counting bars and matching harmonics. Graham learned the art of mixing tracks together so that each songs main elements complimented the song it was mixed with, a concept known as Harmonic Mixing
Harmonic mixing
Harmonic mixing or key mixing is a DJ's continuous mix between two pre-recorded tracks that are most often either in the same key, or their keys are relative or in a subdominant or dominant relationship with one another....
.
As Graham mastered this mixing technique he moved from one club to another in Ottawa, each time increasing his following with a top 40 style that included house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, finally settling in a two year residency at Indigo nightclub in Ottawa.
While at Indigo nightclub in 94 Graham was approached by some coworkers who convinced him to join them at a rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It was there that Graham experienced a completely different relationship between the DJ and the dance floor and felt that performing for top 40 crowds was no longer his calling. Upon arriving back to Ottawa Graham promptly left a high paying top 40 DJ gig and spent every penny on house vinyl, Graham began with breaks and deeper house as he found his sound within the multiple genres of the underground. In the mid nineties someone handed Graham a mixtape, it was DJ Sasha performing live on the Radio 1 essential mix playing such artists as BT
BT (musician)
Brian Wayne Transeau is a classically trained and Grammy-nominated American music producer, composer, audio technician, multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter better known by his stage name, BT. He is an artist in the electronic genre...
, Blue Amazon and Peter Lazonby. This sound had a profound effect on Graham and shaped his career to come.
The same friends who exposed Graham to the Rave in 1994 approached him about creating a first of its kind club night in Ottawa. The night was called Sweet and was held at a gay club on Bank street that was looking for promoters for their Saturday night. Graham brought in his own turntables each week and the group attracted crowds by handing out flyers in the city. The night was a success and brought in DJs such as Derrick Carter
Derrick Carter
Derrick Carter is an American house producer and DJ from Chicago, Illinois. He is regarded as one of the best underground house key players currently active and is particularly popular in Europe.-Biography:...
Sweet led to Graham and his partners wanting to expand and take more control over their night, they began to look for their own space and settled on a half basement on Besserer St which opened in 1996. Atomic was an instant success and Grahams 8 hour sets at Seven Fridays became known as a destination club night from Montreal to Toronto.
It was during this period that Graham decided to assist both in his own career, and the growth of the music he was championing. He did this by flying to the UK and setting up meetings with the progressive house record labels who released the type of sound he played. During a ten day period Graham visited labels such as "Stress", "Jackpot", "Skinny Malinky" and "Deconstruction" in an attempt to draw attention to the fact that this sound was growing in Canada. During the late nineties Graham was known as Canada's Progressive Ambassador.
1998-2000 Vancouver
In the late 90's, Graham's career evolved from the dj booth into the recording studioRecording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
. After years of late nights djing in Ottawa and the surrounding cities Graham opted for a fresh start and moved to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
. This move was designed to remove himself from the social scene in Ottawa and into virtual seclusion in a Yaletown
Yaletown
Yaletown is an area of Downtown Vancouver approximately bordered by False Creek, Robson, and Homer Streets. Formerly a heavy industrial area dominated by warehouses and rail yards, since the Expo 86, it has been transformed into one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the city...
Hi Rise. It was here that Graham wrote "Airtight", "Tell you", "Yaletown" and "Falling Together". Airtight was quickly picked up by Nick Warren
Nick Warren
Nick Warren is an English house DJ and producer. He is well-known for his eight albums released in the Global Underground series and as a member of the duo Way Out West...
and Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
for their DJ sets and signed to Hope Recordings
Hope Recordings
Hope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
. At this time Graham was also signed to a management deal with Hope Management. Soon after the success of these singles Graham was invited to mix the next installment of the Transport
Tranceport
Tranceport is a trance music DJ mix album series. The series debuted in November 1998 with Paul Oakenfold's Tranceport, released on Kinetic Records...
series. Transport put Graham on the Touring circuit and he was invited to join Paul Oakenfold on a mini tour including Pacha Ibiza
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...
and the Roseland Ballroom
Roseland Ballroom
The Roseland Ballroom is a multi-purpose hall, in a converted ice skating rink, with a colorful ballroom dancing pedigree, in New York City's theatre district, on West 52nd Street....
.
2002-2007 Montreal
In 2003 after moving back east, and a heavy touring schedule, Graham felt a break was necessary. He returned from a trip to Southern Asia with a new musical style and attitude towards the dance scene. From his new Montreal Studio he released his hit “Owner of a Lonely HeartOwner of a Lonely Heart
"Owner of a Lonely Heart" is a song by the progressive rock band Yes. It is the opening track of their 1983 album 90125. Written primarily by Trevor Rabin, the song reached number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100 — to date Yes's biggest chart success...
” a remix of the song written by progressive rockers Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
in 1983. The remix started as a bootleg just for Graham to play out, but was quickly picked up by Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...
and Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
causing a frenzy in the dance scene. The track was picked up by Ministry of sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
and propelled into the UK top 40 charts at #8. The Video was #1 on Canadian Dance Station BPM for two weeks in a row.
While this grew Graham's profile in the scene, it also caused confusion, as it was drastically different to his earlier works which were considerably more Progressive and Trancey
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
. To further add to this confusion Graham release another bootleg, the emotional "Gone" with Jessica Riddle
Jessica Riddle
Jessica Riddle is an American singer-songwriter. Riddle attained minor fame with the hit "Even Angels Fall" on her debut album Key of a Minor, which was featured in the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate about You and on its soundtrack.Riddle is also a part-time model and actress, who has appeared...
which was much more like his previous style. Ministry was not interested in this track and attempted to convince Graham to produce something more commercial.
Not interested in being pigeon holed
Pigeonholing
Pigeonholing is a term used to describe processes that attempt to classify disparate entities into a small number of categories ....
Graham was influenced by the Electro sound of the moment and had another strong release with "Crank" which went #1 on Beatport
Beatport
Beatport is an online music store specializing in electronic dance music and culture. Beatport is a privately held company owned and operated by Beatport LLC and based in Denver, Colorado.-History:...
. Crank was strongly supported by Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...
, Tiesto
Tiësto
Tijs Michiel Verwest, , known as Tiësto , is a Dutch musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. Although he has used many aliases in the past, he is best known for his work as DJ Tiësto...
and a score of other dj's.
2008-2010 - Armada and Cycles
After two years of making a hybrid of Electro and House Graham decided to return to his musical roots with progressive house and TranceTrance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
. At the beginning of the year Graham Signed with Trance/Progressive powerhouse Armada Music
Armada Music
Armada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
for a Deal that would see an artist album and the creation of Max's own Compilation series entitled "Cyles". Cycles 1 was released in June 2008 and a successful tour followed.
In Late 2009 Graham returned to Montreal to begin work on his first artist album. The fruit of the first studio session in over a year was "Sun in the Winter" with Neev Kennedy on vocals release in March. Armin Van Buuren and Markus Schulz
Markus Schulz
Markus Schulz, born , is a German trance music DJ and producer who resides in Miami, Florida, USA. He is best-known for his weekly radio show titled Global DJ Broadcast that airs on Digitally Imported radio, After Hours FM and other online stations...
made the track mainstays in their sets. Armin included it in his A State of Trance 2010
A State of Trance 2010
A State of Trance 2010 is the seventh compilation album in the A State of Trance compilation series mixed and compiled by Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren. It was released 2 April 2010 on Armada Music.- Track listing :-External links:...
compilations and Markus on his Las Vegas CD. The followup to this was a remake of a song Graham wrote in 2004 entitled "Does She Know Yet", it was renamed as "Dusky 2010" for the new release and set to come out in May.
Graham's Debut Artist Album, entitled "Radio", was released on June 25, 2010.
Singles
- 2000: Love the Bomb - Teknology
- 2000: Backdraft - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Shoreline - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Bar None - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Airtight - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Yaletown - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Skyline - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Falling Together - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Sepia - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2001: Dying to Survive - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2002: Tell You - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2004: Coastline - Shinemusic
- 2004: Does She Know Yet - Little Mountain Recordings
- 2004: Automatic Weapon - Little Mountain Recordings
- 2005: Gone Feat Jessica Riddle - Shinemusic
- 2005: Owner of a Lonely Heart - Ministry of Sound Record Label
- 2005: Crank - Yoshitoshi Recordings
- 2006: Space Disco - Re*Brand Records
- 2006: Cosmic Funk - Re*Brand Records
- 2007: Smack - Re*Brand Records
- 2008: Carbine - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2008: Turkish Delight - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2008: Frozen - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2008: Power of One - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2008: Clear View Feat Jessica RiddleJessica RiddleJessica Riddle is an American singer-songwriter. Riddle attained minor fame with the hit "Even Angels Fall" on her debut album Key of a Minor, which was featured in the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate about You and on its soundtrack.Riddle is also a part-time model and actress, who has appeared...
- Tell me - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren.... - 2010: Sun in the Winter Feat Neev KennedyNeev KennedyNeev Kennedy, Irish singer-songwriter, born 1989.Kennedy is a native of Loughrea, County Galway, and became popular with internet users by broadcasting performances from her bedroom. Her song "Gullible" has become an internet hit on Livewebstars.tv....
- Coldharbour RecordingsColdharbour RecordingsColdharbour Recordings is a sublabel of Armada Music that was launched in 2005, and is run by DJ and producer Markus Schulz. The label is named after Coldharbour Lane, a road in South London where Schulz's studio was located.... - 2010: Dusky 2010 (Does She Know Yet) - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2010: Nothing Else Matters Feat Ana Criado - Re*Brand Records w/ Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
Mix Compilations
- 1996: A Delicate Sound of Many - Unknown
- 2000: Cream CD2 - Yul Records
- 2001: TransportTranceportTranceport is a trance music DJ mix album series. The series debuted in November 1998 with Paul Oakenfold's Tranceport, released on Kinetic Records...
4 - Kinetic Records - 2004: Shine - System Recordings
- 2005: Mixmag Live - DMC
- 2007: Bal En Blanc - Bal En Blanc
- 2008: Re*Brand, The Story so Far - Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2008: Max Graham Presents Cycles - Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
- 2010: Max Graham Presents Cycles2 - Armada MusicArmada MusicArmada Music is a Dutch record label that specializes in releasing electronic dance music, primarily trance and house, co-founded by Armin van Buuren....
Remixes
- 2000: Bullitt - Cried to Dream - Virgin Music
- 2000: Starecase - Lost 22 - Hope RecordingsHope RecordingsHope Recordings, established in 1998 by Leon Alexander and Steve Satterthwaite, is a Bristol, UK based record label.The label is run by Leon Alexander, with English house music DJ and record producer Nick Warren in control of its A&R. It is home to progressive house and breaks artists such as...
- 2000: Subgod - Velodrome TV - Polyester
- 2000: Vicious Cycles - Vicious Cycles - Platipus RecordsPlatipus RecordsPlatipus Records was a popular trance music record label that was based in London, UK. It was founded in 1993 by Simon Berry. The early releases were almost exclusively limited to Berry's various projects, including Union Jack, Clanger, and Art of Trance...
- 2001: Uberzone - Bounce - Astralwerks
- 2001: Conjure One - Redemption - Nettwerk
- 2002: Conjure One - Sleep - Nettwerk
- 2002: Cultivate - Broken Pieces - Lost Language
- 2002: Barakka - Song to the Siren - Lost Language
- 2003: Strawberry Fields - Release Records
- 2004: MadokaMadokaMadoka is a common Japanese feminine given name which can also be used as a surname.-Possible Writings:Madoka can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:as a given name*円, "circle"*円花, "circle, flower"...
- Afterburner - Private Reality - 2004: Jase From Outta Space - Do What You Want - Shine Music
- 2004: Tilt - Twelve - Lost Language
- 2004: DT8 Project - Winter - Data RecordsData RecordsData Records is a record label based in London, the record label is full owned by Ministry Of Sound. Releases by Data Records are often said they are released by Ministry Of Sound.-Albums:-Singles:*Some releases Infomation is From Discogs....
- 2005: Sam Perez - Across the Ocean - Yoshitoshi
- 2005: Leah - Contact High - Wooden Records
- 2006: Filterheadz - Endless Summer - Love Distortion
- 2007: Purple Code - The Rising - Re*Brand Records
- 2008: Marcus Schossow - Swedish Beatballs - Coldharbour
- 2008: Jerome Isma - Vila Nova - Electric
- 2010: tyDi Feat. Tanya Zygar - Half Light - AVA Recordings