Chocolate Puma is a Dutch DJ/producer duo consisting of René ter Horst and Gaston Steenkist, also known as DJ Zki & Dobre. As two of Holland’s most celebrated producers, they have released hundreds of records and countless remixes under various aliases, making them a duo whose influence on the Global dance music scene cannot be underestimated.
The duo began producing records in 1991, delivering club hits under several artist names. Drawn together by a shared passion for the house music movement of the early ’90s, their career took off with the release of one of the defining records of their career. Recording under their alias, The Good Men, they released ‘Give It Up’ on their own Fresh Fruit label in 1992. The track exceeded expectations, reaching #1 on the US Dance Chart and #5 on the UK Singles Chart, propelling them to unexpected global stardom.
René and Gaston then embarked on a remarkably diverse and accomplished string of releases, experimenting with house, techno, and even breakbeat, as the number of aliases they recorded under steadily grew. Some of their best-known early incarnations include Jark Prongo, with ‘Moving Thru Your System’, and René et Gaston, with ‘Vallée De L’armes’, demonstrating how ahead of their time they were.
In 2001, the duo created what would become their final alias, Chocolate Puma. Like The Good Men, Chocolate Puma got off to a dream start with the release of ‘I Wanna Be U’, another worldwide hit that reached #6 on the UK Singles Chart, leading to an appearance on Top
of the Pops. After the success of ‘Always And Forever’ in 2005, which also charted in the UK, they decided to retire their other aliases and continue as Chocolate Puma.
Over the decades, they have released tracks such as ‘Scrub The Ground’, ‘Lullaby’, ‘You Are My Life’, and ‘Step Back’ on renowned labels including Axtone, Defected, Positiva, FFRR, Strictly Rhythm, Spinnin’, Musical Freedom, Mixmash, and Heldeep, to name a few. Recently, their music has been re-imagined and remixed by artists like Adam Beyer, Tita Lau, Nicole Moudaber, and others, bringing fresh light to their classic records for a new generation to discover.
It’s no surprise that they continue to make regular appearances at major clubs and festivals worldwide, including Hï & Ushuaïa Ibiza, Tomorrowland Belgium, Mysteryland & Lakedance Netherlands, EDC & Omnia Las Vegas, Sensation Korea, Veld Festival Canada, and Stereo Live USA. Attend a live DJ set by Chocolate Puma, and you’ll hear three-quarters of the tracks produced or remixed by them, while the rest are personal edits of their favorite new or classic tracks, all mixed and improvised on the fly into one high-energy set.