For those who follow Progressive Trance music in Belgium, this man doesnt need an introduction. Ishtar s presence in the scene - behinds the decks at nearly every festivity in the region - is undeniably important, and this for many years now.

Ishtar, officially known by the name Thomas Van Laecke, hails from Waarschoot, a small and quiet community near Ghent, Belgium. As a young, excited music lover, the psychedelic sounds of Goa trance approached him. It was the year 2000 and the music style flourished. A couple of his friends got infected by the Psychedelic microbe and started to organize parties. Thomas got involved but soon realized that this music was not entirely his.

It encouraged him to seek the excitement and hustle in a more subtle, funky atmosphere. He found this in Progressive Trance, a type of underground music pretty much neglected by the Belgian crowd at that time. From then on, Thomas got real musical ambitions. He became deejay Ishtar and started to promote actively the refreshing progressive sound by organizing small parties.
In 2004 his efforts were rewarded when his friend Jan Peeters (RDeem) asked him to become resident of Purple Snow, at that time the biggest organization in Belgium who promoted Progressive Trance. The Purple Snow editions grew and Ishtar began to play at bigger and more acclaimed venues, alongside the biggest names in the scene, such as Son Kite, Ticon and Liquid Soul. Progressive music steadily crawled out of the shadow, while Thomas sharpened his turntable skills.

Ishtar is now a respected player in the scene, thanks to his unique passionate vision on electronic music. He created his own style, whereby his music recently evolved to a more minimalistic and techy sound, but still with a strong psychedelic touch. This powerful sound, combined with a surprising track selection and a pleasing attitude brought him to the biggest psychedelic Open Air festivals of Belgium (Eargasm 2008, Heron 2008/2009, Rhakti Dei 2009).

Nowadays he 's promoting his own parties under the guise of Lawnmowers, which features artists from all over the world.

But it doesnt stop here. Today Ishtar is taking his first steps into producing electronic music and recently became a member of Tribal Vision Records, a well known label in the Progressive scene. Both strides will allow him to broaden his horizon even more, and this to an increasingly large audience. Just wait and see