Steve May's exploration of music began with the arrival of his first drum set at the age of 11.
His fascination with rhythm fuelled an intense interest in alternative and punk music, including such bands as The Offspring, Blink 182, Pennywise, Pearl Jam and Oasis. Drifting in and out of bands throughout high school in an attempt to find a sound and style that he could truly identify with, it was not until he turned 16 that Steve found the sounds he was looking. Idly browsing the CDs at a local record store, Steve happened upon a compilation CD by Hope Recordings featuring the likes of Timo Maas, Leon Alexander and Starecase. Within minutes of hearing that CD, Steve realized he was hooked and that he had found the sound he had spent so many years searching for.
It didn't take long for Steve's interest in electronic dance music to shift from idle curiosity to life-changing passion. By the time he'd finished high school, the evolution from listener to artist had begun: Steve was learning the closely interrelated arts of DJing and production from the heart of Melbourne's underground dance music community, with such industry heavyweights as Luke Chable and Ivan Gough offering guidance, support and instruction.
Within the span of a few short years, Steve's original productions had caught the ears of Australian dance music label EQ Grey. By September 2003, they were ready to offer him a record contract on the strength of his progressive house composition "Open Day". Backed with a progressive breaks remix put together by friend and mentor Luke Chable, EQ Grey's release of Open Day rapidly began to appear in the playlists of the worlds top DJs, with heavy rotation by Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Van Dyk, Hernan Cattaneo and Jonathan Lisle. It was also licensed to four compilations, including the groundbreaking Balance 006 mixed by Anthony Pappa, and Hernan Cattaneo's Rennaissance Masters series Volume I. Little wonder, then, that Open Day went on to top the Balance Record Chart (compiled by North America's leading underground DJs), prompting progressive web magazine progressive-sounds.com to describe it as "EQ's finest release in a long time".
With his confidence bolstered by the global success of his first release, Steve's first-rate creative output continued with his second release, Blend Forty-3. Blend Forty-3's complex rhythms and emotive melody appealed to both trance and progressive listeners alike, featuring prominently in the sets of top-tier DJs from both camps. It was quickly snapped up by the UK-based label Baroque for worldwide release, with Paul Van Dyk including it on his Mixmag cover CD, Ferry Corsten including it on his Creamfields CD, and Tiesto including it on his industry-shaping In Search of Sunrise 4 compilation.
As we look to the present day, Steve's string of successes has continued with his third release, Sublimate, in September 2005. Released on Coldharbour, the label of progressive trance heavyweight Markus Schulz, Sublimate followed in the footsteps of its predecessors and found its way into the sets and record boxes of Armin Van Buuren, Andy Moor, Markus Schulz, Perry O'Neil with extensive support by a wide range of DJs from across the musical spectrum.
All of this is not to say that Steve's successes have been limited to his original productions, of course. As a DJ, he has championed a versatile and genre-bending sound across four continents, headlining shows in Canada, Lithuania and Japan as well as his regular gigs in his home town of Melbourne. His remixes and edits have also garnered considerable praise, appearing in the global radio broadcasts of Armin Van Buuren and Markus Schulz and having received club play from Perry O'Neil, Hernan Cattaneo, James Zabiela, Hybrid, Luke Chable and scores of other DJs from every corner of the globe.
With a string of international appearances, production partnerships, commissioned remixes and original releases all in the pipeline for the first few months of 2006, it would be very much an understatement to say that the future looks bright for Steve May.
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