Arsenal was founded in Brussels (’99) by Hendrik Willemyns and John Roan who forced their way into various dj-sets with the release of their first EP release - a moody-deephouse-track on Wally’s Groove World with guestvocals by Blissphemy. The track made it to Cafe del Mar (chillhouse-mix) and was licensed on their label. One year later they worked with Mario Vitalino Dos Santos on various tracks. Mario lives in Belgium but was born in Salvador, Brazil.
In the studio they are joined by Steve Verhaege, Bruno Fevery, Bart Van Aken, Mirko Banovic, Mario Goossens and Leonie Gysel.
Like all brazilians living elsewhere he pours his lament into bossa-type complaints! Hendrik and John tried to translate those sentiments into Arsenal-songs and in each one you can hear saudade... The first EP to appear out of that cooperation (A Volta) was a direct hit. Loved by the critics and played by all the major dj’s this track made it to several big compilations. Since 2001 they have been working with DJ Handic, from Morocco, who gives their music a slight hip-hop vibe...