Vato Gonzalez (born 6 June 1983 as Björn Franken) is a Dutch record producer, songwriter, artist, DJ, who is signed to Spinnin' Records and DOORN Records. Best known for his single Badman Riddim (Jump) (featuring Foreign Beggars), which reached No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart after a release on 19 June 2011.[1][2]
Vato Gonzalez | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Spijkenisse, Netherlands |
| Genres |
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| Labels | Levels Recordings, Crowd Control, Ministry of Sound, Spinnin' Records, DOORN Records |
| Website | www.vatogonzalez.com |
Biography
editEarly life
editFranken was born in Spijkenisse, Netherlands. As a teenager he developed an interest in graphic design before he started to focus on making music.
2007–2009: Dirty House
editBetween 2007 and 2009 Franken released 5 mixtapes 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
editBadman Riddim, in addition to a vocal version which featured UK hip-hop/grime/dubstep group Foreign Beggars and was given the new title Badman Riddim, began to start gaining airplay from some BBC Radio 1 DJs in the UK in late 2010. As attention for the single started to grow Franken was signed to Ministry of Sound 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,[1][3] the first hit in the country for both acts involved.
On 7 January 2013, Not a Saint was released. It features Lethal Bizzle and Donae'o. 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
editSingles
edit| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NL [4] |
UK [5] |
SCO [6] | ||||||||||||
| "Take This Higher" | 2010 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |||||||||
| "Badman Riddim (Jump)" (featuring Foreign Beggars) |
2011 | 74 | 7 | 9 | ||||||||||
| "Not a Saint" (Vato Gonzalez vs. Lethal Bizzle & Donae'o) |
2013 | — | 20 | 22 | ||||||||||
| "$100 Infinite Kung Fu Vixens" (with Sinden) |
— | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Sushi Riddim" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Triplets Riddim" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Volfied Riddim" | 2014 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Bio Riddim" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "B52 Riddim" | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Monkey Riddim" (featuring Tjen) |
— | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Violet Nights" (with Mucky) |
2015 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "Push Riddim" | 2016 | — | — | — | Heldeep DJ Tools EP - Part 2 | |||||||||
| "2 Step" (featuring Doctor) |
— | — | — | Non-album singles | ||||||||||
| "Hyper Riddim" (with Sebastian Bronk) |
— | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Sonic Boom" (featuring Kris Kiss) |
— | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Bassline Riddim" | 2017 | — | — | — | Heldeep DJ Tools EP - Part 4 | |||||||||
| "X-Ray Vision" (featuring Kris Kiss) |
— | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||
| "Bump & Grind (Bassline Riddim)" (featuring Scrufizzer) |
2018 | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes single that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||||
Remixes
edit| Year | Artist | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sway | "Still Speedin'" | 3 Beat Records |
| DJ Zinc ft. Ms. Dynamite | "Wile Out" | Zinc Music | |
| RD | "Burning" | Polydor | |
| 2012 | Skepta | "Hold On" | 3 Beat Records |
| Taio Cruz | "Troublemaker" | Island Records | |
| The 2 Bears | "Take a Look Around" | Southern Fried Records | |
| Rizzle Kicks | "Mama Do the hump" | Island Records | |
| Major Lazer | "Jah No Partial (ft. Flux Pavilion)" | Mad Decent |
Remix EPs
edit| Title | Details | Tracklist |
|---|---|---|
| $100 Infinite Kung Fu Vixens (with Sinden) |
|
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References
edit- ^ a b "2011-07-02 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive – Official Charts". OfficialCharts.com. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ Bill Lamb. "UK Pop Music Charts June 26, 2011". About. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ "Bon Iver". Billboard. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
- ^ "Vato Gonzalez – Dutch Charts". dutchcharts.nl/ Hung Medien.
- ^ "Vato Gonzalez – UK Charts". Official Charts Company.
- ^ Peak positions for singles in Scotland: "Badman Riddim (Jump)": "Chart Archive > July 2, 2011". Official Charts Company. 2 July 2011.
- ^ "British certifications – Vato Gonzalez". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 June 2022. Type Vato Gonzalez in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.