Blake Jarrell

Aged just 23, Blake Jarrell has had a rollercoaster of a ride to date. Tipped by John Digweed as “definitely someone to look out for in the future," Blake carved himself a niche in the underground dance music scene in his hometown of New Orleans. At 16, he started to DJ and became a resident at local clubs like Ampersand, 735, and the House of Blues where he crafted his progressive housesound. Not satisfied with only DJing, Blake soon began to produce, releasing singles and remixes on various progressive labels co-produced with the late Adam "Starkid" Spears.

But in August 2005, disaster struck – Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on New Orleans, turning Blake’s life upside down. Packing his car with whatever he could, Blake wound up in Chicago where he fell in love with the booming house, techno and trance scene, which further helped shape his sound. It also brought a chance meeting with Armin van Buuren, who Blake passed along a CD of his productions. "It's bittersweet that I had to lose my hometown to Hurricane Katrina to find such a musically nurturing city as Chicago," says Blake who claims the storm as "simultaneously the best and worst thing that has ever happened to me."

Armin soon contacted Blake and invited him on tour as an opener. Now, following a slew of successful gigs, production work, and remixes (winning him fans in the form of Tiesto, Pete Tong, and Gabriel & Dresden among others) Blake has compiled this debut mix CD for Armada. “It’s a CD that you can listen to in the car or at home – it’s laid back enough to relax on the couch with but still has its pumping moments to listen to on the way out to the club,” says Blake. “It comprises of tracks of producers I’ve loved and labels I’ve been into over the past year shaped into 2 CDs that both progress and intensify in their own unique way."

As well as Blake’s worldwide DJing schedule, you can also catch a slew of his new productionwork out this year on Armada. But for now, kick back with what Blake feels is his own "personal time capsule of the sound I'm into at the moment and programming that is an allegorical snapshot of how my personal and professional life has grown over the pastfew years.”