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Making his debut into the world in 2010 under the anonymous moniker of Krystal Klear, Dublin native Dec Lennon has made a steady rise to become one of the freshest new faces in music that both has the chops to destroy underground dance floors with his deep crate of records, or spin out polished productions in the studio with legends like Nile Rodgers.
And he's been hot from the start, with his 2010 single "Tried For Your Love" being quickly scooped up by BBC Radio One's Benji B and played on his radio show for 13 weeks in a row, leading to a tour across the British Isles and having the record signed shortly thereafter to All City Records in 2011, going on to sell out instantly and achieving critical acclaim (4.5/5 on dance music publication Resident Advisor). With all this attention, it was only a matter of time before another Radio One DJ, Mary Anne Hobbs, asked him to provide a guest mix for her show.
From here, a steady stream of releases on labels such as Floating Point's EGLO and Cooly G's Dub Organiser would make him a mainstay in DJs record bags worldwide. His next release on All City titled 'We're Wrong' managed to make it into the top ten of DJ MAG's best songs of 2012.
From this point forward he was accepted into the Red Bull Music academy following in the footers of contemporary music heroes like Hudson Mohawke Katy B, and Flying Lotus where he would get to study under industry aficionados like Erykah Badu, Paul Riser of Motown, and MF DOOM.
Having made the move to Manchester he was quickly brought into become resident at one of the UK's most respected parties, Hoya Hoya, in addition to a residency with the infamous Warehouse Project where he would share the stage with some of the heaviest hitters in the world of dance music.
More hits were to follow with New York house music legend Kerri Chandler signing an EP, and also Krystal Klear's first foray into the world of major record labels with signing "Addiction" to Sony that included shooting his first music video. This work led to getting invited to make a selection of guest mixes on BBC Radio one for Benji B, Skream, Mary Anne Hobbs, Mistajam, and Annie Mac, in addition to becoming one of the new wave of broadcasters on RINSE FM with a weekly radio show.
Following the release of "Addiction", bookings on the the main stage at top tier events like SONAR and Electric Picnic started to become common practice as Krystal Klear's started to tour the world and play some of the best clubs in the word from Moscow to Singapore, some highlights being Space in Ibiza and Panorama Bar in Berlin. All while still holding down quarterly residencies at his mainstay Hoya Hoya in Manchester and Fabric in London.
With regular endorsements from the likes of Mark Ronson, Jackmaster, Joy Orbison, Skream, Brodinski, Dam Funk, Rudimental, Trevor Nelson, Annie Mac, Gerd Janson, and Mistajam, confidence continued to build. In 2013 came the launch of his much revered Cold Tonic imprint, a label dedicated to releasing some of the heavier underground sounds that Krystal Klear was bringing into his sets. And towards the end of the year, opportunity knocked when Chic's Nile Rodgers invited him into the studio, recording in Dublin, London, and at Nile's home in New York getting to work alongside Chic and one of Dec's most revered vocalists Michael Macdonald of The Dooby Brothers and Steely Dan. This work led to production work with artists like Kele, Yasmin, Solange, Semna; and remix requests for major artists like Donna Summer, Kelis, Sky Ferreira, Blood Orange, Marina and the Diamonds, The Killers and Seven Davis Jr.
A huge highlight to follow that would cement his credibility in the underground was being the only non-resident to play at the legendary NYE bash at Berghain / Panorama Bar in Berlin. But this didn't get in the way with continued success in the pop music realm as he we went on to sign "One Night Only ft Yasmin to Island Records via Rinse, and have his Sky Ferreira remix reach over 4 million plays across youtube and soundcloud.
Few artists can match such a deep knowledge of underground dance music with the studio skills and sensibilities it takes to work with some of the most legendary people in music. And as Krystal Klear continues to tour the world and release hit records, the future is bright.
