Black Sun Empire
Black Sun Empire is a Dutch drum and bass trio of Rene Verdult, Micha Heyboer and Milan Heyboer, formed in Utrecht in 1997 and widely credited by critics as leaders of the neurofunk and techstep sound. Their world tour supporting 2012's From the Shadows, which reached Beatport's Top 5 Best Selling Albums that year, carried them through Europe, the United States, New Zealand, Canada and Australia. In 2013 the group launched its own Blackout festival series, expanding it to the United States with a first Los Angeles edition in June 2015, and every CD edition of their albums has included a bonus disc featuring an hour-long continuous DJ mix. The trio operates three labels tied to their releases and touring brand: Black Sun Empire Recordings, founded in 2002; the Obsessions sub-label, launched in 2005; and Blackout Music NL, established in 2013 alongside the festival series. Their discography, spanning Driving Insane, Cruel and Unusual, Endangered Species, Lights and Wires and The Wrong Room, has anchored a DJ and live touring career built on the group's reputation as, in the words of genre critics, the kings of all things neuro.