German DJ, producer, and remixer
Tino Piontek's
Purple Disco Machine alias has achieved club and radio success with its infectious, groove-heavy blend of house, disco, funk, and synth pop. First making an impact on the club world with underground hits like 2013's "My House,"
Purple Disco Machine released the collaboration-heavy full-length
Soulmatic in 2017, and hit the mainstream with the 2020 European chart smash "Hypnotized" (with
Sophie and the Giants), in addition to remixes for stars like
Ariana Grande,
Lady Gaga,
Kylie Minogue,
Elton John, and many others. 2021's
Exotica was another star-studded event, with artists like
the Knocks,
Elderbrook,
Eyelar,
Sophie and the Giants, and
Francesca Lombardo joining
Piontek for another dancefloor-filling set.
Piontek was born in Dresden in 1980, and started making music and frequenting clubs as a teenager. In 2005, he started releasing tech-house and electro-house tracks as Stereofreak and the more prolific alias
Stereofunk, then established the
Purple Disco Machine project in 2009. Incorporating more disco elements than his earlier work, the project released singles on labels like Klang Gymnastik and Gris Musique before 2013's OFF Recordings-issued "My House" became a club hit. Singles and EPs followed on Nurvous Records,
Defected, Kittball, and Spinnin' Deep, as
Piontek collaborated with producers like
Boris Dlugosch,
Aeroplane, and
Robosonic, with
Aloe Blacc guesting on 2016's "Counting on Me." Following the 2017 singles "Body Funk" and "Devil in Me" (featuring
Joe Killington and
Duane Harden),
Purple Disco Machine's debut album,
Soulmatic, was released by Sweat It Out! in 2017, sporting guest appearances by
Faithless,
Kool Keith,
CeeLo Green, and others. "Dished (Male Stripper)," an update of a 1986 Hi-NRG single by
Man 2 Man and
Man Parrish, was released in 2018. Mixed compilation
Discotheque appeared on Glitterbox in April 2019.
Purple Disco Machine's profile rose when Positiva issued singles such as 2019's "Body Funk" and 2020's "In My Arms," and the producer released well-received remixes for
Fatboy Slim,
Mark Ronson,
Kylie Minogue, and others. "Hypnotized," a collaboration with
Sophie and the Giants, became his first major hit, topping the singles chart in Poland and going triple platinum in Italy, where it reached number two. "Exotica" (with
Mind Enterprises), built around a sample of the Italo-disco classic "Void Vision" by
Cyber People, followed later in the year, and appeared on the 2021 LP of the same name. ~ Paul Simpson