Overview: Dustin Michael
Director, Producer, DJ and Artist Dustin Michael is best known for his groundbreaking independent media productions as well as the vast and various companies he represents; his globally distributed Experimental Division Nashville (XDN, X-Division) label imprint includes a roster of over 60 artists from around the world and a massive catalogue of cutting-edge Rock, Electronica, Dance, Jazz, and World music.


Recent label credits and business include licensing and promotional arrangements with media companies such as Dell, PCDJ, Sony Media, Microsoft, MuSync, and Primedia among many others. One of Dustin Michael?s most distinguished productions, the full-length experimental Jazz album entitled ?The Project?, has been showcased in prominent publications like Remix magazine, Keyboard magazine, and Electronic Musician, and features a multitude of celebrated Rock and Jazz icons from across the globe. In ?The Project?, Dustin Michael successfully pairs Jazz legends like Les McCann and Chico Freeman with artists such as guitarist Nigel Pulsford of the multi-platinum rock band Bush and Country Music Hall of Fame artist Charlie Louvin. Adding fuel to the fire, ?White-Label? dance remixes of ?The Project? can now be found in the PCDJ promotional mixing software distributed with all new 2006 Dell computers.

Another of Dustin Michael and the Experimental Division Nashville?s most prominent and recognized productions are the audio remix contests produced in association with Sony Media through the AcidPlanet.com multi-media production website; over the past several years, the Experimental Division Nashville has collected thousands of official remixes from these globally utilized remix contests.

Experimental Division Nashville sponsors include: CD Baby, Primedia, URB, Sony Media, ACID, Sonic Foundry, Cycling 74, Istanbul Cymbals, PCDJ, The Record Pool, and the :scene: Networks among many others. Always active in the studio and beyond, Dustin Michael also contributes his time as a writer, reviewer and staff member to media companies such as The Global :scene: Networks, The Record Pool, DanceMusic.About.com, JazzReviews.com, and many other media and publication outlets. Dustin excels at independent/guerrilla business and marketing strategies, and is known as a relentlessly solid entrepreneur and businessman; he is also considered a dear friend and confidant to his family, friends and associates.

About: Dustin Michael:

Dustin Michael began composing music at around age 12 after discovering he had the gift of understanding the art of music and its proper application. He taught himself how to play the classical guitar and began composing in multiple and varied styles including Country, Classical, Latin, and Rock. One of his greatest musical influences was the simple fact that he was a 3rd generation musician and composer; his Grandfather was a music industry professional that had been involved in the business since the late forties and was instrumental in the advancement and evolution of Country Music and radio throughout the century. Dustin grew up surrounded by music and the business that came with it. Over the years, he was tutored by his Father and Stepfather regarding the ?business? of the entertainment industry; both of them had been career musicians, songwriters, and producers in Country Music.

In his teens, Dustin found that he had a relentless yearning for live performance. It was only natural for him to become intimately involved with stage acting. He became an experienced thespian, and found a deep love and understanding for the works of Shakespeare, among other classical playwrights. He taught himself to write poetry and to accomplish proper storytelling and novelist techniques. Like any young musician and artist, Dustin exercised his talent by performing with several independent bands during his high school years. At age 16 (1992), he began to learn studio production from his Father and recorded his first independent release. As his musical ability matured, he began composing experimental Electronica and Industrial styles of music. He produced and released two more independent Electronica singles through Mikron Music Group in 1994, and this ultimately led to his involvement in the production of jazz and dance music.

Dustin Michael has been a part of Nashville?s rave/club and rock scene since around 1991 and somewhat witnessed the evolution of the Southeast?s experimental underground music from its humble beginnings; this early immersion in the multi-cultured underground of Nashville music had a tremendous impact on his artistic progression. Around 1994, Dustin began manipulating and mixing vinyl records along with his synthesizers and studio equipment to further his experimentation with music as a whole. But, it wasn?t until the spring of 2000 that he began collecting dance music for the specific purpose of mixing.