Vato Gonzalez (born 6 June 1983 as Björn Franken) is a Dutch record producer, songwriter, artist, DJ, who is signed to

Spinnin' Records Spinnin' Records is a Dutch electronic music record label founded in 1999 by Eelko van Kooten and Roger de Graaf. In September 2017, Warner Music Group acquired Spinnin' Records for over $100 million. Background Van Kooten is the son of former ...

and DOORN Records. Best known for his single Badman Riddim (Jump) (featuring

Foreign Beggars Foreign Beggars were an English hip hop and dubstep group. Since their formation in 2002, the group's trajectory had seen them evolve from an underground hip hop group to an electronic crossover act. The group consisted of four artists individ ...

), which reached No. 7 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

after a release on 19 June 2011.

Biography

Early life

Franken was born in

Spijkenisse Spijkenisse () is a city in the province of South Holland, Netherlands. Following an administrative reform in 2015, it is part of the municipality of Nissewaard, and has a population of 72,500. It covers an area of of which is water. It is part ...

, Netherlands. As a teenager he developed an interest in graphic design before he started to focus on making music.

2007–2009: Dirty House

Between 2007 and 2009 Franken released 5

mixtapes A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

in the 'Dirty House' series, It was around the time of this release he and this song started to gain mainstream attention.

2010–present: Badman Riddim

Badman Riddim, in addition to a vocal version which featured UK hip-hop/grime/dubstep group

and was given the new title Badman Riddim, began to start gaining airplay from some

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

DJs in the UK in late 2010. As attention for the single started to grow Franken was signed to

Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...

and a music video was made for the song. The single was released in the UK on 19 June 2011 and entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 7, the first hit in the country for both acts involved. On 7 January 2013, Not a Saint was released. It features

Lethal Bizzle Maxwell Owusu Ansah (born 14 September 1984), known by his stage name Lethal Bizzle, is a British rapper from Walthamstow, London, of Ghanaian origin. He emerged in 2002 as a grime MC as part of More Fire Crew, with their grime single "Oi!" ch ...

and

Donae'o Ian Greenidge, better known by his stage name Donae'o ( ; meaning ''Gift from God''), is a British singer, songwriter and rapper from North-West London. He has worked with numerous British musicians throughout his career including The Streets, ...

. It is a remix of the same song by Bizzle and Donae'o. The remix featured positive feedback and was released as a collaborative single. It peaked at number 20 in the UK Singles Chart. Since late 2013, Franken signed to DOORN Records. He released his first song under the label, "Triplets Riddim" on 30 December 2013. There is a scheduled upcoming single "Bio Riddim" of which the release date will soon be announced.

Discography

Singles

Remixes

Remix EPs

References

External links

Official Website

Profile at Spinnin Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Vato 1983 births Living people Club DJs Dutch dance musicians Dutch electronic musicians Remixers Robbins Entertainment artists People from Spijkenisse