Plastic Boy is a production alias of Belgian trance producer and DJ Mike Dierickx. Active since 1998 with a brief break between 2005 and 2007, Plastic Boy is one of Dierickx’s less recognized but key production aliases that in the late nineties and early noughties lay some of the foundations for modern day progressive trance.

Early Years: 1998 to 2004

Mike Dierickx first started producing under the Plastic Boy alias in 1998 with the single ‘Twixt’ (Bonzai Trance Progressive 1998), the same year he had his breakthrough Push release ‘Universal Nation’ (S+M Records 1998).  But while ‘Universal Nation’ and subsequent Push releases are peak-time mainstream trance tracks, ‘Twixt’ follows a more progressive, less predictable path. 

Following a long steady build with a hypnotically repetitive bass line, ‘Twixt’s long breakdown ebbs and flows lazily, shunning the dramatic builds of the tracks dominating mainstream trance at the time.

Dierickx’s definitive Plastic Boy release came in 2002 with ‘Silver Bath’ (Bonzai Trance Progressive 2002).  Following a similar blueprint to ‘Twixt’, ‘Silver Bath’ builds steadily and hypnotically with a syncopated hi-hat pattern and slowly filtered single synth note repeating incessantly, even when the rhythm has stopped.  A rasping hi-hat scraping away under the lead-line in the break continues the hypnotic feel.  As with ‘Twixt’ Dierickx strove to create a track that was pure trance and an antidote to much of the clichéd excess of mainstream trance at the time.

Dierickx released three more Plastic Boy tracks up until 2005 when he also released his debut Plastic Boy album ‘It's A Plastic World’ (Music Worx 2005).  Following the album release Dierickx put Plastic Boy on hold for a few years to focus on other production aliases, especially M.I.K.E.

Later Years: 2008 to present

In 2008 Dierickx issued his first Plastic Boy release for three years ‘A New Life / Rise Up’ (Captivating Sounds 2008) switching from the now defunct Bonzai to Armin van Buuren’s Armada Music sub-label Captivating Sounds.

In 2010 Dierickx started releasing regularly as Plastic Boy again, this time as M.I.K.E. presents Plastic Boy, with the first single ‘Chocolate Infusion’ (Captivating Sounds 2010).

In 2011 Dierickx released a second Plastic Boy album ‘Plastic Infusion’ (Armada Digital 2011).