Philipp Straub

Speak to anyone involved in the global dance scene, and you can be sure they will know the name Philipp Straub, aka DJ Felipe. Mention the name Felipe, and the first thing that pops into your mind is royalty; however, for those educated in the world of EDM, Felipe is a name synonymous with an absolutely relentless and utterly sensual musical onslaught. Straub might not be royalty in the political sense, but he's certainly the undisputed king of the Central European electronic dance music scene. DJ, booking agent, promoter, and shaper of all things dance, there is no question that Straub is truly a force to be reckoned with.

Straub's rise to ascension began more than 20 years ago, in 1993, as the co-founder of The Space Navigator, one of the first Austrian dance acts to receive an international record deal. Fascinated with the dance scene, Straub wanted to see it grow in his hometown of Vienna, which led him to fire up Austria's first major booking agency, Vienna Soundpool. In 1993, teaming up once again with his Space Navigator partner Oliver Riepl, the duo launched Partysan Magazine, and Vienna Soundpool eventually became Partysan Booking. 1993 was also Straub's first true inauguration into the dance circuit, performing his first show as Felipe at Vienna's legendary Club Infantil.

From 1993 to 1995, he was also the exclusive merchandise and ticket sale partner for all ID&T major events in the Netherlands. Partysan Booking grew at record speed, taking on hundreds of bookings and ultimately expanding out of Austria and throughout Central Europe. By 1998, Partysan had become a mammoth power internationally, a titan of epic proportions within the booking industry, resulting in a final name change to Titan International; a name revered throughout dance music circles the world over, representing EDM heavyweights such as Carl Cox, Paul Kalkbrenner, Felix da Housecat, Dubfire, and many more in Austria and partly Central Eastern Europe.

Alongside these activities, Straub helped bring events such as Loveparade to Vienna for several years, Mayday to Budapest, Timewarp to Prague and Vienna, and strongly supported other relevant event developments. From 1997 to 1999, Straub was the head talent buyer for XXX company in Vienna and was responsible for the artistic program of the legendary Gazometer Events in Vienna, as well as other XXX event concepts.

In 2001, under the Felipe moniker, Straub launched his signature club night Essence at Vienna's premier club, Flex. Essence swiftly became Vienna's definitive club night, hosting massive names such as Sven Väth, Richie Hawtin, Luke Slater, Chris Liebing, Marco Carola, Dave Angel, Adam Beyer, and many more.

By 2003, Straub was hungry for more. Using his entrepreneurial talent, Straub teamed up with Nicolas Bacher to launch Titanium Records. This successful venture soon garnered the attention of highly respected DJs such as Carl Cox, Chris Liebing, Laurent Garnier, Marco Bailey, DJ Rush, and many others. After some years, Straub decided to focus on his own career as a producer and DJ. He dropped his alter ego Felipe and decided to tour under his real name, continuing to release on strong imprints like Bedrock, Ovum, Kne Deep in Sound, 8bit, MBF, Intec, and others.

During this time, Straub was also responsible for the electronic music bookings of all major festivals in Austria, such as UAF, Frequency, Beatpatrol, Lake Festival, Fridge, and many more.

In 2013, a new challenge arose when Straub became a music consultant for Coca-Cola & Monster, tasked with redeveloping and running the biggest DJ competition in the world: Burn Residency. He worked alongside fellow friends Carl Cox, Pete Tong, John Digweed, Dubfire, and others to support new talents and help them become part of the music business. This adventure continued for six incredible years, helping to shape new talents in the world of electronic music.

Since 2017, Philipp has worked as head consultant for Sekoya Management, as well as Music Director for the biggest event development in Dubai, Soho Garden DXB & Soho Beach DXB. His aim is to help make Dubai an international hotspot for event tourism and to develop the local industry in an authentic and organic way. Each year, over 200 top talents and brands participate in Soho events.

In late 2018, Straub was invited to become a partner of Analog-A Talent & Booking Agency, one of the biggest global DJ and live act companies, representing names such as Carl Cox, John Digweed, Sasha, and more. His department of Central Europe currently covers six countries, which he manages with a dedicated team.