Mike Dierickx | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dirk Dierickx, name change to Mike Dierickx in 2000 |
| Also known as | Push, M.I.K.E. Push, Solar Factor, The Blackmaster , Return of the Native, Plastic Boy, Retro-Active .. |
| Born | 20 February 1973 Antwerp, Belgium |
| Genres | House, techno, trance, |
| Occupation(s) | Producer, DJ, remixer, composer, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Keyboards, synthesizers, drum programming, engineering |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Filth on Acid, FSOE, Armada Music, Bonzai Records, Push Forward |
| Website | www.mikepush.com |
Mike Dierickx (born Dirk Dierickx on 20 February 1973), and most commonly recognized under the aliases Push or M.I.K.E. Push, is a Belgian DJ and Producer. Best known for the song "Universal Nation", he has also released other club singles including "The Legacy" and "Strange World".[1][2] His style is primarily trance and darker [retro] techno.
Producing and DJing under the name M.I.K.E. Push, he has been releasing records under the guises: Solar Factor, M.I.K.E, The Blackmaster, Return of the Native, Plastic Boy and Push. In total, he has used over 85 different aliases throughout his career. As a DJ, Mike's style is similar to the music he produces, mostly progressive trance.
As an 11-year-old boy, he discovered the potential of samplers and keyboards, with his interest in electronic music developed further over the next years. At the age of 18, Mike handed his first demo tape to the Antwerp-based record company, USA Import. Shortly after, his first record, "Vision Act" was released through the Atom label in 1992. Mike released a series of records before he signed up with Lightning Records (Bonzai) in 1996.[3]
Push became well-known and in 1998, Universal Nation won several dance awards, including a platinum award for selling over 25.000 vinyl units & Spotify streaming award, and is recognized as one of the classic dance-records of the trance era.[4][5] His Push follow-up single "Strange World" was also a hit and played throughout hundreds of clubs all across Europe.[3] This was followed by another release, "The Legacy", once again topping most dance charts across Europe and entering the British National charts at #22.[6] Over the years, Mike received several music awards including best club singles and best dance-producer, France Media award, and entered the national Top 40 in the UK six times.[6]
Mike also teamed up and produced remixes for Sinéad O'Connor, Moby, Armin Van Buuren, Bomfunk MC's, Ayumi Hamasaki, Bloodhound Gang, and Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike.[5][3]
Push spawned six official albums: From Beyond, Electric Eclipse, Global Age , Together We Rule The World , Neon Life and Scope.
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project name | Title | UK [10] |
Belgium | Netherlands | Germany[11] | |||||||||
| 1998 | Push | "Universal Nation" | 36 | 28 | — | 59 | From Beyond | |||||||
| Plastic Boy | "Twixt" | 94 | — | — | — | It's a Plastic World | ||||||||
| 1999 | Push | "Till We Meet Again" | 46 | — | — | — | From Beyond | |||||||
| "Universal Nation '99" | 35 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 2000 | ||||||||||||||
| "Strange World" | 21 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| 2001 | "The Legacy" | 22 | — | — | — | |||||||||
| "Please Save Me" (vs. Sunscreem) | 36 | — | 57 | — | Single only | |||||||||
| 2002 | "Tranzy State of Mind" | 31 | — | — | — | From Beyond | ||||||||
| "Strange World/The Legacy" | 55 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| Plastic Boy | "Silver Bath" | 88 | — | — | — | It's a Plastic World | ||||||||
| M.I.K.E. (vs. John '00' Flemming) | "Icecream" | 96 | — | — | — | Single only | ||||||||
| 2003 | Push | "Universal Nation 2003" | 54 | — | — | — | Singles only | |||||||
| "Transformation" (vs. Globe) | 92 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Journey of Life" | 86 | — | — | — | Electric Eclipse | |||||||||
| Plastic Boy | "Live Another Life" (feat. Rozalla) | 55 | — | — | — | It's a Plastic World | ||||||||
| 2004 | M.I.K.E. (vs. Armin) | "Intruder" / "Pound" | 144 | — | — | — | The Perfect Blend | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
