From Beatport Co-Founders to Festival Favorites: The Return of Manufactured Superstars

Known for shaping the very foundations of modern dance music, Manufactured Superstars are more than just high-energy DJs — they’re innovators, tastemakers, and scene-defining veterans.

The duo, made up of Brad Roulier and Shawn Sabo, helped revolutionize music distribution when they co-founded Beatport in 2004, offering DJs around the world a groundbreaking way to discover and purchase tracks digitally. Little did they know that this bold step would become a turning point for the global electronic music industry.

Formed officially in 2006, the Manufactured Superstars emerged from the heart of the American club scene. With roots as promoters, producers, and crate-digging DJs, they quickly gained momentum thanks to their dynamic, genre-defying sets, mashing up everything from house and progressive to electro, pop, and nostalgic anthems.

Their signature performances often feature more than 100 tracks packed into two-hour sets, delivered in matching NASA spacesuits, often joined by a dancing six-foot teddy bear.

Their mantra? “We just wanna play great tunes and be the funnest DJs out there!”

Over the years, they’ve lit up main stages at festivals like Ultra, EDC, Nocturnal Wonderland, Identity, and Global Dance Festival, and held club residencies at iconic venues including XS Las Vegas, Beta Denver, and LAVO NYC.

Their remix work spans a who’s who of pop and EDM royalty, including Bruno Mars, David Guetta, and Tiësto, while their discography boasts dance floor staples like Take Me Over, Drunk Text, and Calling All The Lovers.

Now, after a multi-year hiatus, Manufactured Superstars are back, with an evolved sound that blends deep, progressive house and techno while staying true to the uplifting energy that made them fan favorites.

Their latest release, “Something Simple” with Brave Culture, dropped on Black Hole Recordings and showcases their refined production and melodic edge.

Beyond the booth, the duo recently launched their own podcast, Superstar Diaries, offering behind-the-scenes stories from DJs, producers, and music entrepreneurs, as well as personal tales from their own wild journey.

With a renewed creative spark, a passion for innovation (including experimenting with Dolby Atmos), and a legacy that’s hard to top, Manufactured Superstars are once again ready to take off — spacesuits and all.

You’ve been off the radar for the last seven years. What inspired the comeback?

BRAD:
We took a break from touring to focus on other creative ventures, but music never left. During that time, I launched Sacred Society Music, a label dedicated to immersive ambient music created entirely in Dolby Atmos.

We’ve put out over 70 tracks and three full-length albums, and diving deep into Spatial Audio has completely reshaped how I approach sound. That experience inspired me to bring those ideas back into dance music and create a Manufactured Superstars album with intention and depth.

I was also building Opopop, a direct-to-consumer popcorn startup based in Denver. We launched with a big splash and just got into Target nationwide. That was another creative outlet, just in a totally different industry.

Not to forget one of the major projects I’ve been working on over the past 3.5 years — Bounce Empire — a massive 50,000-square-foot indoor inflatable amusement park, and I'm proud to be a partner in it. It’s the world’s largest of its kind, featuring over 50 attractions.

I brought everything I’ve learned from years of working in events and nightlife and applied it to a family-friendly environment. Since launching, we’ve welcomed over 250,000 guests in just two years, and the response has been incredible.

SHAWN:
It was the same situation for me when we stepped away from the music scene to dive into new ventures. As Brad started those companies, I focused on the emerging cannabis industry.

Over the last seven years, I built two companies that expanded nationally, including Evolab, which partnered with major players like Harvest and eventually Trulieve.

It was an incredible journey, but music has always been my first love. We both continued to work on music but with all the new technology and the current sound of house, now the timing felt right to bring Manufactured Superstars back with new energy, new music, and a fresh perspective.

So this comeback isn’t just about picking up where we left off — it’s about bringing everything I’ve learned back to the stage and studio in a way that feels fresh and evolving.

Your sets have always been known for high energy and pure fun, blending mashups, house, electro, and nostalgic anthems. What guides your track selection when you’re up there behind the decks?

BOTH:
The heart of it is still the same joy, energy, and fun. But we’ve definitely evolved in how we got there.

Now, almost every track we play has our own touch on it. Whether it’s an original, a custom edit, or a mashup, we’re using our full producer and engineering skill set to craft the experience from start to finish.

That creative control lets us build something unique every time we play.

We’ve also expanded the range of what we can do — from chill-out ambient sets to house grooves to full-blown main room chaos. The sound has matured, but it’s still accessible, feel-good, and made to connect. That has always been our mission.

SHAWN:
Honestly, the new tech has totally changed the game for us. We can pull stems from any track and cook up custom remixes for just about everything we play. It gives us way more creative freedom than we ever had before.

And the plug-ins now? They’re insane. You can morph a track into something completely different right in the middle of a set. So it really lets us keep the energy high and the crowd guessing. We’re having more fun behind the decks than ever.

You played a big role in changing how DJs and fans access music. Back in 2004, did you know Beatport would be such a game-changer?

BOTH:
Yes, we knew early on that digital was going to be the future. Content was (and still is) king, and we wanted to give DJs around the world instant access to the freshest tracks.

We were confident from the beginning that if we built the right platform, it could change the game. One of the key breakthroughs was breaking EDM into 30+ subgenres. That made it possible for DJs to find exactly what they needed, whether you were into tech house, trance, or electro.

Once the catalog grew and the user experience clicked, we knew we had a global winner.

Opening offices in Denver and Berlin helped us stay close to two of the most important dance scenes in the world.

The timing was perfect. Beatport didn’t just ride the waves — we helped create them.

You’ve been diving deep into Dolby Atmos. How do you see immersive sound shaping the future?

BRAD:
Absolutely. I think immersive sound is the next major evolution in music production.

Working in Dolby Atmos over the last few years has completely reshaped how I think about space and movement in sound. It’s not just left and right anymore, it’s front, back, above, below — you’re literally inside music.

That opens up entirely new creative dimensions, especially in electronic music where emotion and energy are so tied to sound.

With Sacred Society Music, I’ve been producing entire albums in Atmos, building soundscapes that breathe and move. That experience is now carrying over into all the new Manufactured Superstars singles.

More depth, more freedom, but still fun, melodic, and made for connection. All the new tracks are being produced and mixed in Atmos.

SHAWN:
We’re also building a custom live show so we can perform in a full immersive format, not just in clubs, but in domes, planetariums, and other unique spaces.

This creates a much deeper emotional and physical experience of sound, which is perfect for electronic music.

BOTH:
What excites us most is bringing this to life through 360° domes and immersive spaces at festivals and pop-ups. We just wrapped up a run inside the Portal Dome in Denver, and the response was incredible.

The goal is to take the big, fun energy we’re known for and deliver it in a way that fully surrounds the audience.

We want people to not just hear the music but feel like they’re inside it. That’s the future we want to help build.

During your “Superstars” heyday, you played massive stages and dropped remixes that really made waves. Now that you’re officially back to DJing and producing, what festivals are you most excited to return to and who would be your dream collaboration?

BOTH:
Some of our best memories were on the big stages — EDC, Ultra, Red Rocks — but also in iconic clubs around the world. Vegas, Cancun, Seoul, Bali, Macau... we’ve had some wild nights in every corner of the globe.

Getting back to those spaces with a fresh sound and purpose is something I’m really looking forward to.

BRAD:
I’m excited to travel more internationally, not just to play shows, but to help bring wellness into the festival world.

Whether it’s a sunrise set at a yoga gathering or a full immersive experience at a major event, blending wellness and electronic music is something I believe in and want to be part of shaping.

As for collaborations, I’d love to work with some of our long-time favorites — Tiësto, Calvin Harris, Deadmau5, Skrillex, and someone like Fred again.., who really captures emotion and energy in a powerful way.

But I’m just as excited to link with new voices and producers who are breaking the mold.

SHAWN:
We never really stepped away from the festival scene. We’ve continued to attend shows and stay deeply involved in the community.

Now that we have new music ready, it feels natural and exciting to get back out there and share it with fans again.

As for collaborations, we’re working with a bunch of talented young artists right now, and we’re really focused on helping them grow and develop their sound.

It’s inspiring to connect with fresh talent and bring new energy into music.

At the core, it’s still about fun, feel-good, hands-in-the-air energy. That’s the essence of Manufactured Superstars, and making music that creates memories is what drives us.

Touring in spacesuits had to come with some hilarious ‘behind the scenes’ moments. Got any fun stories to share? And on a deeper level, how important is visual branding to an artist’s identity?

BRAD:
Oh yeah, the space suits definitely had their moments. Our rule was that once the space suits were on, they didn’t come off.

So we’d be wearing them through dinners, backstage, pre-parties, afterparties, all of it. Not at airports or hotels — we weren’t that wild. But once the suits were on, we stayed in character the whole night. That was part of the fun.

Manufactured Superstars wasn’t about being Bradley Roulier, the owner of Beta Nightclub, or the co-founder of Beatport. It was a completely separate identity — a fun, high-energy DJ duo built around joy, connections, and not taking ourselves too seriously.

We were serious business guys by day, but once the helmets came on, it was all about music and the moment.

We always matched orange and white unless we mis-packed or lost a suit on tour. Juice and white is a bad combo — trust me. We probably went through a couple hundred suits over the years, but they were surprisingly comfortable and easy to move in.

Visual branding is huge. It gives people something to instantly connect with. The space suits made us recognizable, but more importantly, they made people smile.

And that’s always been our mission — to make people feel good and give them something unforgettable.

Your new single “Something Simple” with Brave Culture just dropped on Black Hole Recordings. What was the creative process like in the studio, and what kind of reaction are you hoping to get from fans?

BRAD:
“Something Simple” is really about capturing that pure, feel-good summer vibe.

It’s the kind of track you'd play on a golden hour drive or with your best friends at a rooftop party. The vocals from Brave Culture are incredible — it has this emotional honesty that just hits you in the right way.

SHAWN:
The production came together pretty naturally. We weren’t trying to overcomplicate anything; we just wanted to make something that felt good and connected.

We absolutely loved all the new Native Instruments guitars, so we made them a key part of the main music. Around the same time, Steve Duda hooked us up with the beta for Serum version 2, which we used extensively for the bass and arp sounds. That combination really helped shape the vibe of the track.

BOTH:
We are especially proud of the Dolby Atmos mix. It gives the track so much depth and space without losing its simplicity. It’s the kind of song that feels familiar but fresh at the same time.

We’re hoping fans feel that same joy and nostalgia we felt by making it — light, catchy, and easy to love.

How do you think Beatport continues to shape music discovery in today’s scene? And beyond Beatport, which platforms do you see as key players in the evolution of the music industry right now?

BOTH:
Beatport is still a major force in all electronic genres. It’s one of the few platforms that truly supports the underground while also driving global trends.

DJs, producers, label owners, agents, managers — anyone in the ecosystem uses it in some way. Whether it’s for discovery, crafting, charting, or digging for that next secret weapon, it remains a core part of culture.

We’re also using tools like Mixed In Key way more than we did in the past. It's been huge for organizing key flows and energy in our sets.

And on the production side, there are so many incredible plug-ins out there now — honestly, too many to list — that help us shape our sound and stay creative.

Beyond Beatport, Spotify, Tidal, and Apple Music are key players right now. All our new tracks are mixed in Dolby Atmos, and both Tidal and Apple support Spatial Audio, which is huge for us.

It gives fans a deeper, more immersive listening experience, and that’s where we see the future going.

You launched your podcast Superstar Diaries at the end of 2024. Is this your secret way of staying inspired after all these years? And what projects can we expect in the next chapter of Manufactured Superstars?

BRAD:
Totally. Superstar Diaries is part therapy, part comedy, part chaos — and yes, it absolutely keeps me inspired.

After 20+ years in this industry, you realize the wildest stuff doesn’t happen on stage. It happens backstage, in green rooms, in airport terminals at 5 AM, or on tech support calls with plugins that “worked yesterday.”

So we started recording the stories of mine, Shawn’s, and all the amazing DJs and producers we’ve crossed paths with over the years.

It’s also a great way to remind ourselves (and everyone listening) why we fell in love with this crazy scene in the first place.

Plus, the stories are just too good not to be told.

SHAWN:
We started Superstar Diaries to give fans a real behind-the-scenes look, not just at the artists, but at all the people who help make these events happen — stage designers, agents, crew, everyone.

It’s a side of the industry that doesn’t always get enough attention. We’ve really enjoyed creating it, and as we ramp back into full-time music, we hope to keep growing Superstar Diaries as part of what we do.

BOTH:
As for what’s next, we’re dropping a full-length Manufactured Superstars album built for Dolby Atmos and big sing-along energy.

We’re also working on immersive live experiences with 360° visuals, mini spheres, pop-ups, and collaborations that blur the line between dancefloor and daydream.

In other words — more fun, more chaos, more music, just the way we like it.

Lastly, should we be clearing space on our playlists? Any fresh bangers or collabs on the way that fans should get excited about?

SHAWN:
We’re really looking forward to sharing a bunch of new music. We have the next eight months or so of releases finished — though I’m sure we’ll move things around.

Something Simple featuring Brave Culture is out now, June 27th. Then Best Friends featuring Kayla Rae will drop at the end of July or early August.

After that, we have three great tracks that we’re working with the label to schedule.

And we’ve just been spending so much time in the studio working on toplines.

BRAD:
We’ve also got a ton of brand-new DJ edits we've been making for our shows.

Shawn always gives them the weirdest names because they're not Shazamable on purpose — you’ve gotta be there to hear it.

On the ambient side, we’re reworking some timeless classics with a new immersive twist.

It’s been really fulfilling to balance high-energy dance music with deep, emotional soundscapes — and somehow it all feels connected.

Most of all, we hope people come to experience it live — the shows, the energy, the visuals.

We’re bringing everything we’ve learned over the years into this new chapter. It’s fun, it’s emotional, and we are very excited about the future!

BOTH:
We want to say thank you to Arny and the team from Black Hole for believing in us all these years and helping us share our art with the world.

Please follow all our socials for tour updates and new music.

We look forward to dancing together and spreading love in this crazy world.