Ville Virtanen (born July 17, 1975), better known by his stage name Darude is a trance producer and DJ from Eura, Hinnerjoki, Finland. Debuting in 1999, he released in 2000 the smash single "Sandstorm" and subsequent album Before the Storm. Darude is known worldwide for his progressive/uplifting style.

Darude is the name used by Ville Virtanen, who was born July 17, 1975 in Eura, Finland. He is an electronic dance music producer, DJ and lives in Turku, Finland. He debuted in 1999 with the smash single Sandstorm (#1 hit in numerous charts around the world) and subsequent album Before the Storm . Darude is known worldwide for his anthemic, tr