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Green Velvet, initially created by house don Curtis Jones (aka Cajmere) as an outlet for his non-vocal productions and frequent DJ'ing gigs, grew to become even more popular than the man himself, thanks to club singles like "Preacher Man," "Answering Machine," and "The Stalker." These were infectious, undeniably fun records with simple vocal tag lines and a wonderful sense of humor. Jones, who had nurtured the Chicago house renaissance of the 1990s with his Cajual Records, gained immense success in 1993 with the Cajmere single "Brighter Days" (vocals by Dajae). Later that year, he formed the sub-label Relief, mostly for instrumental tracks by himself and others.

Besides releases from DJ Sneak, Gemini, and Paul Johnson, Green Velvet figured on many of the early Relief singles, including its first, "Preacher Man," as well as "Flash" (also released on the British Open label), "The Stalker," and 1997's hilarious "Answering Machine." Jones began to supplement his Green Velvet DJ'ing schedule with quasi-live gigs as well, and released his first LP in 1999. His self-titled release on F-111 one year later compiled a dozen of his earlier club hits. His proper sophomore production album, Whatever, appeared in 2001 on Relief, highlighted by the duly nutty but pointed single "La La Land." Walk in Love, the third Green Velvet album, followed in 2005, as Jones continued to juggle his aliases with supplemental 12" material and an increasing frequency of collaborative output. Unshakable, released in 2013, featured a different artist on every track. In 2015, Jones teamed with another dance music giant, Carl Craig, for the full-length, Relief-issued Unity. ~ John Bush

Active since the early 2000s, British producer/DJ Chris Lake has built up a massive discography of original productions and remixes, ranging from progressive house and tech-house to vocal-driven EDM. He's scored several charting hits, collaborated with EDM heavyweights such as Deadmau5 and Steve Aoki, and remixed pop stars such as Sia, Kylie Minogue, and Lady Gaga. Lake is also responsible for the Rising Music label, which has released dozens of tracks since 2005. He issued his full-length debut, Crazy, in 2009, and collaborated with Marco Lys on 2010's Cross the Line. Lake later released EPs with Walker & Royce (2018's Close Your Eyes) and Armand Van Helden (2020's The Answer), and additionally worked with Riva Starr on the 2021 single "Beat Freak" and Aluna on 2023's "Beggin'."

Lake first made an impact in 2002, when his bootleg remixes of songs by the Prodigy and the Eurythmics (produced under the pseudonym Christophe D'Abuc) grabbed the attention of in-the-know progressive house DJs. Lake's first original single, "Santiago de Cuba," was also released that year. Lake then issued singles on labels such as Pangea Recordings and Statra Recordings, kicking off Rising Music with the release of "One Too Many" in late 2005. His first big hit was "Changes" (featuring vocalist Laura V), which reached the Top Ten of Billboard's dance airplay chart and the Top 30 of the U.K. singles chart. Arriving in 2007, "Carry Me Away" (featuring Emma Hewitt) topped the dance airplay chart, and 2008's "Only One" and "If You Knew" were also Top Ten successes. Lake's debut album, Crazy, was released by Nervous Records in 2009, containing several of his previous singles.

In 2010, Lake split a volume of the Toolroom Knights mix CD series with Tocadisco. Later that year, Lake and frequent collaborator Marco Lys produced the album Cross the Line, released by Rising Music. The single "I Said" (a collaboration with Deadmau5) also appeared in 2010 and became a club hit. In 2012, Lake signed with Ultra Records. He produced several singles for the label over the next few years, including collaborations with Steve Aoki and Anna Lunoe. In 2017, Lake signed to Skrillex's OWSLA, debuting with the single "I Want You." The two-track Close Your Eyes EP -- a collaboration with Walker & Royce -- followed the next year. Additional singles "Y.O.D.O.," "Deceiver," and "Stay with Me" carried him into 2019.

2020 brought the four-song EP The Answer, a collaboration with house legend Armand Van Helden. Lake and Riva Starr released "Beat Freak," with vocalist lau.ra, in 2021. He also collaborated with NPC for the same year's "A Drug from God." In 2022, Lake issued "400," "Nightmares," and "In the Yuma" (featuring Aatig). "Beggin'," a collaboration with Aluna, appeared in 2023. ~ Paul Simpson