THE OUTLINE:
Steeped in a background of learning his craft through long sets at his various residencies during his days in Central Florida and later at Twilo in New York , Chris is an old school dj in the truest sense of the word. He has learnt his craft in a way that few DJs can boast. Very few of today's headline DJ's can say they know how to build a night from nothing and create an atmosphere at any point in the nights festivities. However, Chris Fortier is one of the few that can.

THE PAST:
Chris’ DJ roots can be traced back to Central Florida in the early 1990s. As one of the pioneers of a scene which mirrored the UK at the time, Chris held residencies at the legendary Aahz nights. These visionary nights served as a platform to bring Sasha and John Digweed to America for the first time, and establish an "Orlando" scene that would become the benchmark for the rest of the U.S in the subsequent years.

During the mid nineties, and as one of the first DJs to tour the country, Chris was one of the first to take advantage of the burgeoning U.S market. Keen to establish his production pedigree, he set up Fade Records and recorded under the same name. A string of hits for labels across the globe and as the pioneers of the extended remix, the “Fade Sanctuary” remixes became indispensable in every DJs box across the globe making Fade and Progressive house synonymous. No more was this the case than in 1998 with the release of Fade’s remix of Delerium’s “Silence.” The track went on to become a worldwide chart hit, hitting number one in four countries including Australia.

DJ-ING:
While some U.S. DJs boast about playing the world, few can genuinely claim to cover as many international air miles as Fortier. Since a Bedrock/ Babelicious UK tour with John Digweed back in 1997, Chris has gone on to consistently tour the globe over the past 8 years. A former resident of The Cross in London and Twilo in New York, he continues to split his time between the U.S. and the world circuit, covering all major territories in the process.

MUSIC PRODUCTION & LABELS:
In a time when the words progressive house are no longer as chic as they once were, it is artists such as Chris Fortier who are inextricably linked to the scene that are the genuinely pushing the sound forward. No greater example would be Chris’ Bedrock compilation mix CD from 2002. Rather than taking the obvious route of including big names, he chose to create a platform for artists such as Meat Katie , Jay Tripwire, and Randall Jones before they went on to greater success.

Chris’ determination to continue to push the envelope can be seen in all aspects of his career. Whether it’s behind the decks, or in his recent solo production work such as the aptly titled “Whateveritis” and current single “Despegue” as two genre defying soundtracks or as head of Fade Records where despite 40 releases down, he continues to receive praise for keeping it as one of the most respected underground labels in the U.S. which is currently represented in the Fade Audio Tour CD mixes by Fortier.



RECENT AND FUTURE PROJECTS:
As Chris’ careers moves well into it’s second decade, he continues to juggle his worldwide schedule with his solo production career, while heading back into the studio for his first international compilation for 2 years, compiling the 7th release in the acclaimed Balance CD Series. The future looks as bright as the past for the Nick Lachee look-a-like from New York.