Loco Dice

Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, Loco Dice is a house DJ/producer with minimal leanings who is affiliated with labels including Four:Twenty Recordings, Ovum Recordings, Cocoon Recordings, M_nus, and Cadenza, as well as the label he founded with production partner Martin Buttrich, Desolat. Born Yassine Ben Achour in Tunisia, he began his career in the early '90s as a rap MC/DJ named Dice'C. As such, he experienced some modest success in his German homeland, for instance releasing the 12" EP Coming from D-Town (1996) on Flavour Records and opening for big-name rap/R&B performers such as Snoop Dogg and Usher. In time he switched from rap to house music and changed his name to Loco Dice in the process. He in turn secured a residency at the Düsseldorf club Tribehouse, where he met superstar producer/DJ Timo Maas, who signed him to his Four:Twenty Recordings label. Dice made his production debut on the label with the 12" EP Phatt Dope Shit (2002), the first of many collaborations with production partner Martin Buttrich, and also in 2002 he remixed "Help Me," a Maas production featuring Kelis.

Following a couple more 12" EPs on Four:Twenty Recordings (City Lights, 2003; Cellar Door, 2004), along with a DJ mix album (Circoloco@DC10 Ibiza: Monday Morning Session, 2005), Dice moved to Josh Wink's Ovum Recordings label for Menina Brasilera/Jacuzzi Gamez (2005) and Flight LB 7475/El Gallo Negro (2006). Around this same time, he released additional music on Cocoon Recordings (the DJ mix album Green & Blue, 2005; the 12" EP Carthago/Sorted, 2006), Richie Hawtin's label M_nus (the compilation track "Orchidee" on min2MAX, 2006; the 12" EP Seeing Through Shadows/Backroom Melody, 2006), and Luciano's label Cadenza (the double 12" EP Harissa, 2006). In 2007 Dice was credited with mixing the seventh volume in the Time Warp series of DJ albums, and he and Buttrich founded their own label, Desolat. The full-length album 7 Dunham Place was released on the label the following year. ~ Jason Birchmeier