Before this late-'90s break, Van M had built his reputation in Orlando, FL, where he first heard progressive house in the early '90s. By early 1992, he was making guest appearances at Orlando's Beacham Theater, alongside other pioneering American trance DJs such as Kimball Collins. Over the years, his popularity grew in the trance-happy Florida area, cumulating in his decision to found Balance Promote Group, a DJ booking agency focused on many of Europe's top trance DJs. It was through this connection that he formed the tight relationships that would soon catapult his career forward. In mid-2000, Ministry of Sound released Trance Nation America, a widely distributed CD featuring Taylor and Van M. Around this same time, Van M's production work began to appear on numerous mix CDs, including Sasha and Digweed's Communicate album. ~ Jason Birchmeier