Jon the Dentist

by Jason BirchmeierWhen trance became the next big thing in North America during the late 90s, Jon the Dentist became one of the genres superstar DJs. Rather than spin epic sets of progressive house like other DJs tagged as trance superstars — Sasha, John Digweed, Jimmy Van M — the Dentist spun the more intense side of the trance sound. His records pushed the boundaries of how fast, how hard, how many buildups, and how many synth riffs a given record could feature and his music drains you. His emphasis on the hardcore elements of trance in its most extreme form made him a favorite with young ravers in both the States and Canada. The culmination of his North American popularity came with a series of headlining spots at the World Electronic Music Festival in Toronto. In addition, the Dentist was also a recognized DJ in Europe, appearing at the Love Parade for example. The Dentists popularity was a long time coming, as the DJ/producer began releasing records in the mid-90s, long before the trance movement became a popular phenomenon. He released a large number of 12s featuring his productions in addition to his mix albums. In 1999 he scored a big hit record with Imagination and in 2001 he released DAMN Trance, a widely distributed mix album.