Without a doubt, Sander van Dien aka First State is one of the most exciting and talented producers in electronic dance music at the moment, having cemented his place in the record boxes and sets of the biggest and most influential progressive and trance acts across the globe. Under his First State guise he's been responsible for some of the biggest and most renowned tracks over the past couple of years. From the very beginning, First State's releases have been sure fire winners including the likes of as 'Evergreen', 'Your Own Way' (feat Elliot Johns), 'Off the Radar' and 'Brave' (feat Sarah Howells) and 'Falling' (feat Anita Kelsey). 2010 saw the release of a second artist album on Black Hole Recordings entitled 'Changing Lanes' which followed the huge success of the debut offering 'Time Frame'. 'My Sanctuary' was recently chosen as the opening track for the eighth edition of 'In Search Of Sunrise' and in May 2010 the track topped the trance charts, while simultaneously enjoying a position in the overall Top 100 downloads on Beatport.com. It has been a steady rise for First State and the last year was no exception. Every track produced and remixed by Sander in 2009 and 2010 charted in the Beatport Top 10, and featured on A State Of Trance radio show whilst also gracing the track lists of hundreds of Top DJs and CD compilations. As a remixer, First State has added his magic touch to Tiësto ('Feel It In My Bones'), Dash Berlin and 3 Drives tracks in the past 12 months alone, with more big projects in the pipeline. Since the launch of First State's Crossroads radio show, demand for the First State name has sky-rocketed. The show is now syndicated to over 20 partner stations spread across every continent, and gains popularity and listenership with every broadcast. Off the back of the success of the Crossroads show, late 2010 will see the launch of an annual mix compilation of the same name further cementing First State's reputation. First State can also boast an impressive tour schedule. During the last year, bookings have come in from all corners of the globe, with debut performances in Australia, South Africa, UK, Ireland and the USA just a few of the highlights. Sander has also appeared on line-ups of some of the biggest event brands worldwide such as Trance Energy, Godskitchen, Gatecrasher and Tomorrowland.