Danny Howard (born 14 July 1987 [1] ) is a British dance music producer, DJ, and current host of Radio 1's Dance Party . [2]
Howard attended Edge Hill University, where he studied sport and exercise science. [3] During his time at Edge Hill, Howard had a residency at the UK's biggest nightclub, The Syndicate, in Blackpool. After his time at university, Howard had a brief stint of playing for Ministry of Sound in Egypt for three months.
In August 2011, after competing against five others in a series of challenges, Howard won the BBC Radio 1 Superstar DJ. [4]
In April 2012, Howard was offered his own Saturday show on BBC Radio 1: Radio 1's Dance Anthems with Danny Howard." [5]
In 2017, Howard was nominated at the Electronic Music Awards for Radio Show of the Year for BBC's Radio 1 Dance Anthems.
In November 2017, Howard secured a Friday primetime slot on BBC Radio 1, with the show airing from 11 pm - 1 am. [6] MistaJam was announced as the new host of Dance Anthems.
As part of further schedule changes at BBC Radio 1 in 2020, the show was brought forward to 9 pm, with Howard swapping shows with Pete Tong. [7]
From September 2021, Danny Howard took over as host of Radio 1's Dance Party (Fridays, 6 pm - 8 pm), following the departure of Annie Mac. [8]
In addition to Radio 1's Dance Party on Friday evenings, from July 2024, Howard began presenting Radio 1's Dance Party Warm-Up on Thursday evenings exclusively on Radio 1 Dance. [9] The show launched in-line with wider schedule changes on the online-only stream, in preparation for an expected launch on the BBC's existing DAB+ allocation towards the end of 2024. [10]
On 2 April 2012, Howard released his first single ’Twenty Nine’, on the house music label Spinnin' Records. [11]
In the summer of 2012, Howard played at San Antonio for Judgment Sundays hosted by Judge Jules, playing at both the opening and closing parties. [12] He also played many dates at the BCM club in Magaluf, Mallorca, in June and July.
On 30 June 2012, Howard closed the Xstatic summer festival. In 2012 he played at the Coloursfest in Scotland. [13]
In early January 2013, Howard released his single ‘Apex’ on Spinnin’ Records and also featured in his first music video. [14]
In February 2013, Howard released his debut album, ‘Clubbers Guide 2013’, from Ministry of Sound. [15]
In mid-October 2013, Howard released his latest single, ‘Spire’ on Spinnin' Records.
In October 2013, along with Futuristic Polar Bears, he released "Thundergod" on Carrillo Music. [16]
In April 2016, Danny Howard officially launched his record label, Nothing Else Matters, with former Radio 1 colleague Nigel Harding and RCA Records. [17] It came after he released 99 Soul's ‘The Girl Is Mine’, which topped the UK Dance Chart. [18]
After a year-long hiatus from releasing music, in 2019 Howard launched the ‘next chapter’ of Nothing Else Matters with a collaboration with Eli & Fur. In a tweet, he said that he's “So excited take this label in a new direction of quality underground, straight-up club music. I’m feeling proud to be launching with the amazing Eli & Fur. More music info soon. NEM IS BACK!”. [19]
Howard is a supporter of both Leeds United F.C. and Blackpool F.C. [20] [21]
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, hip hop and indie, while its sister station 1Xtra plays black contemporary music, including hip hop and R&B. Radio 1 also runs two online streams, Radio 1 Dance, dedicated to dance music, and Radio 1 Anthems, dedicated to throwback music; both are available to listen only on BBC Sounds.
Julius O'Riordan, better known by his stage name Judge Jules, is a British dance music DJ, record producer and entertainment lawyer. He is known for his DJ activities, music production and long-running radio show which achieved global success. He was voted best DJ in the world by DJ Mag in 1995.
Peter Michael Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is the host of programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records and for his own performances at nightclubs and music festivals. Tong has also worked as a record producer and is regarded as the "global ambassador for electronic music."
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David Alistair Pearce is an English dance DJ, EDM producer and broadcaster, who has performed across the United Kingdom and the world. He previously presented Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1 for ten years. He is renowned for playing a key role both as a performer and behind the scenes in the development of English dance and club culture.
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Hix is a Northern Irish DJ, music producer, songwriter, musician, broadcaster and radio presenter. He is also occasionally referred to as DJ Hix. He is known for presenting radio shows on Cool FM, a commercial radio station based in Newtownards, Northern Ireland, and on Kiss FM UK. He is also known for his live DJ sets and his commercially released music. Hix was born in London before moving to Northern Ireland at a young age.
Peter Dalton, known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter. He is known for presenting radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2005 to 2020; since 2020 he has presented on Capital Dance and formerly Capital after he departed from the station in 2024.
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Annie Mac was a BBC Radio 1 radio show featuring Annie Mac and focusing on Music, chat and Live Music Sessions, broadcasting from 2004 to 2021.
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Radio 1's Dance Anthems is a radio show broadcast on BBC Radio 1 from 4pm to 7pm on Saturdays, and on Radio 1 Dance from 3pm to 6pm Monday to Friday and 4pm to 7pm on Sundays. The show, which is currently presented by Charlie Hedges, plays a mix of classic and contemporary dance tracks and remixes.
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