After his older brother turned him on to electronic music, Tim Sweeney quickly learned to mix and made his DJ debut in the Baltimore and DC rave circuit at the age of 15. After moving to New York City in 1999, he enrolled as a music technology student at New York University and promptly set up a radio show on WNYU’s AM Dial.

Since moving Beats in Space over to the FM frequency and transmitting online via streams and podcasts at beatsinspace.net, Sweeney has attracted a strong international following for the diverse range of artists and styles portrayed on the two-and-a-half hour program. In addition to Sweeney’s weekly mixes, assorted guests showcase sounds ranging from the avant-techno stylings of Carl Craig and Superpitcher and the warped disco/funk of Padded Cell to the genre-hopping turntablism of Australia’s The Avalanches. Additional guests have included the Glascow-based Optimo duo, London’s Erol Alkan, as well as esteemed Nordic disco producers Lindstrom and Prins Thomas.

“The show was influenced by many different DJs, producers and personalities”, says Sweeney, citing a range of references including Detroit’s pioneering radio DJ, Electrifying Mojo, Coldcut’s Solid Steel, WBMX and the Hot Mix 5, as well as other DJs such as Ron Hardy, Larry Levan, David Mancuso, The Wizard aka Jeff Mills, and Afrika Bambaataa.

Just as playing on the radio helped to hone his approach and DJing ethic, it was also a series of chance meetings that played a large role in developing his individual sound.

After being in New York for a year, Sweeney met the hip-hop legend Steinski (of Double Dee & Steinski “Lesson 1-3″ fame) at a show and invited him to guest DJ on the radio. Tim later interned at Steinski’s studio and tried to absorb as much as possible from his vast record collection. “Steinski introduced me to so much amazing music like early hip-hop, funk, soul, rock, and the strangest spoken word records you’ll ever hear,” said Sweeney. “I’m lucky to have had the chance to learn from such a true New York character.”

The internship eventually led to Tim being the DJ for Double Dee & Steinski’s first live performance in 2002 at the Roseland Ballroom where he opened up for DJ Shadow.

Later, it was a typical hunt for a gig at the now-defunct Plant Bar in the East Village that led to one of Sweeney’s most fruitful associations. After handing his demo to the then-bartender Luke Jenner and then playing for a few months, he met Tim Goldsworthy who was producing The Rapture and starting up a new label. Sweeney knew Goldsworthy from his work with U.N.K.L.E. and Mo’ Wax, which had been a huge influence since he started DJing.

Sweeney later interned at Tim Goldsworthy and James Murphy’s Plantain studios and again, learned from two producers who willing to share their musical and production knowledge. His work with DFA has since led to him playing the saxophone on the DFA remix of Radio 4′s “Dance To The Underground,” as well as mixing a DFA set for a 2003 Muzik magazine promo CD, and collaborating with Tim Goldsworthy on both the DFA’s Compilation # 2 mix and the DFA Holiday Mix 2005.

Other production work has included co-writing and scratching on two tracks for the recent Rammellzee album, Bi-Conicals of the Rammellzee on Gomma Records and a self-released 7-inch, co-produced by Alex Epton, aka xxxchange, best known for his recent work with Spank Rock.

Sweeney continues to branch out with production work, recently releasing The Flying Squad’s “Trip 1 and 2″ on the Philadelphia-based RVNG label, where he also released a mix CD acclaimed by Pitchfork Media and The Wire magazine, as well as the broader electronic music community.

Sweeney recently left his day job as soundtrack supervisor at Rockstar Games, where for over three years he helped to score popular games including Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Today, he’s a full-time DJ, and has played across Europe, North and South America, and Australia. And through Sweeney finds himself on an international flight nearly every weekend, he hasn’t lost sight of his initial passion.

“Week in and week out, I’m still back in New York on Tuesday to record the show”, says Sweeney. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”