What happens when you take three of electronic music’s top artists, pack them in a state-of-the-art tour bus filled with M-Audio gear, and travel across North America playing to sold-out crowds? World-renowned DJs Steve Lawler, Tiefschwarz and Audiofly are finding out as they embark on a trans-continental journey in support of the Viva Music Tour, which is co-sponsored b y premier electronic music resource Beatport.

In the true spirit of mobile music production, M-Audio has outfitted the tour bus with a complete recording studio that will allow the artists to create original tracks and remixes while traveling between shows. The onboard studio features everything the artists need to make music, including Pro Tools® M-Powered™ software, a variety of M-Audio recording interfaces and much more. The included Torq® Xponent® DJ system allows the artists to integrate DJ-style performance elements into their tracks, while Studiophile® BX8a Deluxe monitors and Studiophile Q40 headphones provide an accurate reference system for listening to mixes.

The resulting collaborations will be released through Viva Music, Steve Lawler’s digital-only label, and distributed online by co-sponsor Beatport. “What makes this tour unique is that all the artists will have access to a studio on the bus, and will be making an EP of tracks together,” explains DJ and house music pioneer Steve Lawler. “It is very exciting to know that when we finish a gig and we are all hyped up from the crowd, we can continue to create music once we are on the road to our next destination. I think some really amazing music is going to come from this.”

The landmark North American tour kicked off in Montreal on October 16, 2008. Don’t miss this chance to see three amazing electronic acts perform at a venue near you. Tour dates are as follows:

Thursday, October 16    Montreal @ Tribe *
Friday, October 17        Toronto @ This is London *
Saturday, October 18    Denver @ Beta *
Sunday, October 19        Chicago @ Spy Bar *
Wednesday, October 22    Las Vegas @ Vegas Music Experience (opening) *
Thursday, October 23    Sacramento @ The Park *
Friday, October 24        Vancouver @ Celebrities *
Saturday, October 25    Los Angeles @ Monster Massive *
Sunday, October 26        San Francisco @ Secret Location / TBA *
Tuesday, October 28    Albuquerque @ Sunshine Theatre ^
Thursday, October 30     Dallas @ Ghost Bar ^
Friday, October 31        CD Juarez (Mexico) @ Bordernoise ^
Saturday, November 1    Miami @ Mansion ^

*Tour dates featuring Steve Lawler and Audiofly
^ Tour dates featuring Steve Lawler, Audiofly and Tiefschwarz

Steve Lawler
During the early 1990’s, Steve Lawler was known for DJing and throwing illegal parties in his hometown of Birmingham, England. Since then, Lawler has earned residencies all over the world, being crowned ‘King of Space’ for his legendary residency at the world’s most famous Sunday club, Space. Lawler has also released eleven compilations and several singles and remixes including recent classics on Ovum and Sci+Tek. Although his sound has continued to evolve over the years, the main elements still remain—meandering through deep, dark, sexy house tracks. Still evolving and innovative, Lawler is at the forefront of global dance music and is currently touring in support of his latest CD, Viva Toronto, released July 8, 2008 through Ultra Records.

Tiefschwarz
Brothers Ali and Basti Schwarz created Tiefschwarz out of a passion for music that began at two legendary clubs in Stuttgart, Germany—"ON -U" (1990-1993) and "Red Dog" (1993-1997). The experience of DJing at these clubs—combined with their growing obsession with music they were hearing from within Germany and across the borders—encouraged the brothers to make the step from DJ team to production duo. Now based in Berlin, Tiefschwarz has released several albums, compilations, singles and mixes. They also run their own record label, Souvenir. The brothers have been busy throughout 2008, completing several remixes, producing a track called “Liquid Cherries” (soon to be released in Japan on Cocoon) and working on a new single expected later this year.

Audiofly
The group Audiofly was born back in 2002, following a chance meeting between aspiring DJ/producers Anthony Middleton and Luca Saporito. Citing influences that include techno and electronic house, this Anglo-Italian double act has managed to forge their own unique sound made up of deep basslines, concise kicks, jolting riffs and atmospheric, captivating melodies. Warm yet sharp, rocking yet smooth, their sound has helped them rise through dance music’s ranks to become one of the most talked about and sought after London-based artists in recent history. They have collaborated under a number of guises including Rekleiner (with Mulletover’s Geddes), Sleeper Thief (with Miss Jools), SLAAF (with Steve Lawler) and Opus Ink (with Satoshi Tomiie), bringing the best out of themselves and those who they work with. Look for an Audiofly album later this year.