A major force behind the Belgian hardstyle scene, Koen Bauweraerts, aka
Coone or DJ Coone, began remixing and producing tracks at the age of 15 and first attracted attention with his reworking of
Blur's "Song 2" under the guise of "the Artist Also Known As." After releasing a 2002 EP, Protect the Innocent, he became the resident DJ at Sint-Niklaas' Complex, founded the Dirty Workz label, and organized several Coone & the Gang club events. In between collaborations with Fenix under the Ambassador Inc moniker, he released his 2008 debut album, My Dirty Workz, and followed it up in 2011 with The Challenge and the Public Enemies compilation. He remixed tracks by Linkin Park,
Steve Aoki, and
Skrillex &
Damian Marley; his work with
Aoki led to a contract with Dim Mak. In 2013,
Coone released a single, "Madness," that featured Lil Jon and found him co-billed with Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike; he also released his third album, Global Dedication. ~ Jon O'Brien