Hixxy

Last updated

Hixxy
Birth nameIan Hicks [1]
Born (1975-08-03) August 3, 1975 (age 48) [2]
Origin Portsmouth [3]
Genres Happy hardcore, Rave
Occupation(s) Record producer, Disc Jockey
Website www.hixxy.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Hixxy, or DJ Hixxy, (real name Ian Hicks, born 1975) is a British disc jockey and electronic music producer known for his innovative work in the UK happy hardcore scene, co-founding the Raver Baby record label, and the Bonkers compilation album series.

Contents

Career

Hixxy began performing as a disc jockey at age 15 under the mentorship of DJ Ramos, and quickly became known on the English rave circuit. [4]

Hixxy came to prominence in 1995 when he and DJ Sharkey released their track "Toy Town", which is considered "a classic of the genre, a riot of scruffy breaks and sugar-sweet vocals that signalled a schism in rave history when it was released". [5] [6] Being considered pivotal in the hardcore scene, "Toy Town" led to React Music releasing the first of the Bonkers compilations in 1996, with Hixxy and Sharkey mixing. The Bonkers series stretched to 19 volumes, with Hixxy as a regular contributor, and while critical reception was varied, the series was credited as the "dawning of a new era" in the UK rave music scene. [7] [8]

By the early 2000s Hixxy's sound had evolved, releasing tracks that adopted the more mainstream trance sound but with hardcore-inspired beats per minute. [6] In 2004 Hixxy founded Hardcore Till I Die, a business for his musical events, through his record label Raver Baby. [9] That same year John Peel, a BBC Radio 1 DJ who was a supporter of the hardcore scene, invited Hixxy to do a mix on his show. [10] [11] The mix was subsequently released on CD by React Music under the title Bonkers: Hixxy Mix as Heard on the John Peel Show. [12] The following year Hixxy partnered with Darren Styles to follow up the Bonkers series by initiating another popular compilation mix series called Clubland X-Treme Hardcore, which fellow artist MC Storm claimed to be "another massive turning point for hardcore". [8] [9]

Hixxy has a prolific touring and performance record, both nationally in the UK and internationally with shows in the United States and Australia. [13] [14] As of 2023 Hixxy continues to perform live, often with fellow hardcore innovators such as DJ Dougal at events including the Bang Face Weekender in Southport. [15] [5] [16]

Discography

Selected singles

TitleArtistRelease datePeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
Dance
Toy Town Hixxy, Sharkey 1995 [5] 24 [17]

Selected mix albums

TitleMixed byRelease datePeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
Comp
Bonkers Hixxy, Sharkey 199625 [18]
Bonkers 2: Now We're Totally Bonkers Hixxy, Sharkey199710 [20]
Bonkers 3: A Journey into Madness Hixxy, Sharkey, Dougal 199731
Bonkers 4: World Frenzy Hixxy, Sharkey, Dougal18 June 19988 [22]
Bonkers 12: The Dirty Dozen Hixxy, Sharkey, Scott Brown, Breeze & Styles April 20047 [24]
Hardcore Til I DieHixxy, Darren Styles, Breeze2004
Bonkers: Hixxy Mix as Heard on the John Peel ShowHixxy2004 [12]
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore Darren Styles, Breeze, Hixxy2 May 20051
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 2 Darren Styles, Breeze, Hixxy6 February 20061
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 3 Darren Styles, Breeze, Hixxy11 December 200611
Best of Bonkers Hixxy & Re-Con, Sharkey & Druid, Scott Brown15 January 20079 [29]
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 4 Darren Styles, Breeze, Hixxy3 December 20077
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 5 Darren Styles, Breeze, Hixxy8 December 200815
Bonkers: The Original Hardcore Sharkey, Chris Unknown, Hixxy11 May 20098 [32]

See also

Related Research Articles

Happy hardcore, also known as 4-beat or happycore, is a subgenre of hardcore dance music or "hard dance". It emerged both from the UK breakbeat hardcore rave scene, and Belgian, German and Dutch hardcore techno scenes in the early 1990s. The thing that makes happy hardcore stand apart from Gabber, is that happy hardcore tends to have breakbeats running alongside the 4/4 kick drum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Sharkey</span> British musical artist and producer

DJ Sharkey is a British record producer, disc jockey and rapper. As of September 2011 he is semi-retired from music production and performance. Sharkey has performed in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada, and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xploded Music</span> British electronic music record label

Xploded Music is a British record label set up by Cris Nuttall and Matt Cadman. The label is a joint venture with Universal, and has developed from their previous partnership with the All Around the World dance music label. All Around the World originated in Blackburn and has had success with artists such as N-Trance, Cascada, Scooter, Dannii Minogue, Armin van Buuren, Lost Frequencies, N-Dubz, Loud Luxury, Skepta, Starley, Yolanda Be Cool, and many more. AATW also owned & operated four music TV channels; Clubland TV, and three Now Music-branded channels - Now 70s, Now 80s and Now 90s, all of which are now fully owned by Universal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Dougal</span> British hardcore DJ and producer (born April 1975 (unconfirmed))

DJ Dougal, is a British UK Hardcore and Happy Hardcore artist and DJ.

Ultrabeat are a British electronic dance music group from Liverpool, England, formed in 2002. Originally consisting of vocalist and producer Mike 'Re-Con' Di Scala and producers Ian Redman and Chris Henry, Ultrabeat emerged with their cover of the Force & Styles song "Pretty Green Eyes", which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart 2003. With the addition of vocalist Rebecca Rudd in 2005, they released further singles, including top forty hits such as "Feelin' Fine", "Better than Life" and "Elysium ", followed by their début album Ultrabeat: The Album in 2007, which peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphoria (compilations)</span> Series of dance music compilations

Euphoria is a series of dance music compilations that debuted on the Telstar Records label in early 1999. During the first year, Euphoria focused primarily on trance music until mid-2000 when Euphoria released the first chill-out album in the series and the first hard house album in late 2000. Euphoria was later spun off into a number of associated club nights around the UK, Ibiza and Cyprus. Over the course of three years, in excess of 500 tour dates were chalked up with tour DJs such as Adam White, Robert Van Ryn, Simon Webdale and Darren James. The compilations included box sets usually priced at around £20.00. The Euphoria albums were of high quality and still are highly collectible and the earlier versions are somewhat rare.

The Bonkers series was one of the leading happy hardcore compilation series in the UK. The first release was in 1996 on the record label React. It was available on 2xCD and 2xTC formats. DJs Sharkey and Hixxy were signed by React, and they released "Bonkers", the first in a series of albums that has become the best-selling hardcore compilation series of all time. As of 11 May 2009, the series had reached its nineteenth release, titled Bonkers: The Original Hardcore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal Music TV</span> UK record label; imprint of Universal Music Operations Ltd.

Universal Music On Demand (UMOD) is a London-based record label owned by Universal Music Group, formed in 1998 as Universal Music TV (UMTV). UMOD specialises in producing compilation albums and occasional single releases. It was founded when Seagram acquired PolyGram and merged the company's record labels under the same umbrella, replacing the PolyGram TV label.

Darren James Mew, better known as Darren Styles, is an English music producer, DJ, singer and songwriter from Colchester, Essex. Originally a member of the breakbeat hardcore group DJ Force & the Evolution, Styles found success during the 1990s as one half of Force & Styles. The duo were pioneers of happy hardcore and wrote several well-known songs such as "Heart of Gold", "Pretty Green Eyes" and "Paradise & Dreams".

React Music Limited was a British independent record label, based in London, formed in 1990 by James Horrocks and Thomas Foley. James Horrocks was initially involved with successful dance music independent Rhythm King, and React pursued a similar approach — specifically electronic dance music, house music, acid house, techno and rave, along with newer "dance" oriented subgenres which emerged throughout the 1990s. These included hard house, tech house, trance, hardbag, happy hardcore, drum and bass and chill out.

Mark Breeze, also known as DJ Breeze, is a British DJ and producer of UK hardcore music. He is best known for his collaborations with Darren Styles as Styles & Breeze and the compilation mix series Clubland X-Treme Hardcore. He is also the founder of the label Infinity Recordings, running it from 1997 to 2003, when DJ Silver took over its operations.

Clubland is a brand created by the UK dance record labels All Around the World and Universal Music TV. Since 2002 Clubland has made many dance compilation albums, including the popular Clubland series, which is currently up to Volume 28, which was released on 13 November 2015. Clubland also hosts live events in various nightclubs and clubland Ibiza, and in 2008 many Clubland artists featured on the Clubland Night of Your Life arena tour. In January 2008, Clubland launched its own digital TV channel, Clubland TV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paradise & Dreams</span> 1997 single by Force & Styles featuring Junior

"Paradise & Dreams" is a song written and recorded by producers Force & Styles, featuring Junior which originally appeared on their album All over the UK (1996) and was released as a single in 1997. Both members of Force & Styles would later record cover versions of the song at later dates, the first was by The Force in 2003 and another was by Ultrabeat versus Darren Styles which appeared on both artists début albums Ultrabeat: The Album (2007) and Skydivin' (2008).

This is the discography page for Darren Styles. It also includes the discography of his groups DJ Force & The Evolution, Force & Styles and Styles & Breeze. It also includes the peak chart performance of each album or single where applicable.

Clubland X-Treme Hardcore are a series of compilation albums from Clubland, released by Universal Music TV and AATW, that was initiated by DJ producers Hixxy and Styles. The series has been credited as a turning point in the popularity of the hardcore music scene.

Dowster or DJ Dowster, also known as David Thomas,, is a Welsh record producer, singer-songwriter and disc jockey from Cwmbran in South Wales. David has been involved in the rave scene since 1998 and his love of the music lead him to begin his DJ career in In 2001, Dowster was signed to Raver Baby Records by its owner DJ Hixxy to become part of the original Raver Baby Collective. This collective, known at the time as the RBC, included some of the UK Hardcore scene's leading DJs and MCs – Hixxy, Breeze, Darren Styles, UFO, MC Storm and MC Whizzkid. In addition to his DJ bookings and single releases within this period, Dowster's solo and collaborative studio projects can be found on certain volumes of the highly successful Bonkers series as well as other leading names in UK hardcore compilation albums. Three of his most popular tracks were "Starlight", "Steps Ahead" and "Here We Go".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fracus & Darwin</span>

Fracus & Darwin are a British DJ and production duo, known for producing a variety of electronic music styles. They have been guests on BBC Radio 1 and have performed at clubs and festivals across the world.

<i>Happy 2b Hardcore</i> 1997 compilation album (DJ mix album) by Anabolic Frolic

Happy 2b Hardcore is a DJ mix album by Canadian DJ Anabolic Frolic. It was released in 1997 on American breakbeat label Moonshine Music and is the first series in Frolic's Happy 2b Hardcore series of DJ mix albums, documenting the emergence of happy hardcore music in the United Kingdom and Europe. The series itself is a spin-off of Moonshine's Speed Limit 140 BPM+ series of fast-tempo dance music compilations. The album was conceived to introduce American audiences to happy hardcore, and contains sixteen of the genre's anthems which carry many of happy hardcore's defining characteristics, such as fast tempo, frantic breakbeats, major key tonality, off-kilter, quirky keyboard effects and "semi-melodies."

The Reactivate series was a compilation album series known for pioneering electronic techno and trance music. With 18 releases, and a number of best-of compilations, the series has achieved both chart success and over a million record sales. The albums were published by UK-based React Music over a 24-year period starting from 1991. The Reactivate sound has been reported as significant in the international rave music scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toy Town</span> 1995 single by DJ Hixxy and MC Sharkey

"Toy Town" is a happy hardcore track by British duo DJ Hixxy and MC Sharkey. Released in 1995, the single was a hit in the UK clubbing scene, peaked at number 24 in the UK dance singles chart, and had a pivotal impact in the UK rave music scene with a move away from breakbeat towards the newer happy hardcore "cheesy" sound.

References

  1. ↑ "Hixxy". Resident Advisor . Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  2. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. "Hixxy". Apple Music . Archived from the original on 21 February 2023. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "Hixxy Biography". Active Talent Agency. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  4. ↑ Shapiro, Peter (1999). Drum 'n' Bass The Rough Guide. Rough Guide. p. 88. ISBN   9781858284330.
  5. 1 2 3 Ravens, Chai (11 March 2020). "Happy hardcore will never die: the life of rave's most juvenile subculture". Dazed and Confused . Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  6. 1 2 S, Ian (19 August 2021). "Gone to a Rave #35: High on a Happy Vibe – The Rise and Fall of Hardcore". The Ransom Note. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  7. ↑ Roberts, Joe (10 March 2019). "Happy hardcore will never die: An ode to the Bonkers series". DJ Mag . Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  8. 1 2 Edwards, Amber (11 June 2022). "DJ Hixxy set to perform at Plymouth's DEPO". Plymouth Herald . Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  9. 1 2 Hodgson, Jaimie (20 July 2021). "'Why Don't We All Go Bonkers?' – The Rise and Fall of Happy Hardcore". Vice . Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  10. ↑ Mugan, Chris (7 December 2002). "His station's saving grace". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  11. ↑ "John Peel Tracklistings: 17/3/2004". BBC . 17 March 2004. Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  12. 1 2 "Bonkers: Hixxy Mix as Heard on the John Peel Show". MusicBrainz . 2004. Archived from the original on 25 March 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  13. ↑ "Get Ready For HTiD USA 2018 with This Hardcore Playlist!". EDM Identity. 4 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  14. ↑ "Hixxy Past Events". Resident Advisor . Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  15. ↑ Jolley, Ben (6 December 2019). "Bang Face Weekender locks Perc, Sherelle, Hixxy & Dougal Bonkers reunion, more in second wave". DJ Mag . Archived from the original on 1 February 2023. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
  16. ↑ "Hixxy Tour Dates". Resident Advisor . Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  17. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 24 September 1995 - 30 September 1995". Official Charts . 1995.
  18. ↑ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 18 May 1997 - 24 May 1997". Official Charts . Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "Resist Various Artists Bonkers - Mixed By Hixxy & Sharkey". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  20. ↑ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 18 May 1997 - 24 May 1997". Official Charts . Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  21. ↑ "Resist Various Artists Bonkers 3". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  22. ↑ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 24 May 1998 - 30 May 1998". Official Charts . 24 May 1998. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "React Various Artists Bonkers 4 - World Frenzy". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  24. ↑ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 18 April 2004 - 24 April 2004". Official Charts . 18 April 2004. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  25. ↑ "Aatw/Umtv Various Artists Hardcore Til I Die". BPI . Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  26. ↑ "Aatw/Umtv Various Artists Clubland X-Treme Hardcore". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  27. ↑ "Aatw/Umtv Various Artists Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 2". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  28. ↑ "Aatw/Umtv Various Artists Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 3". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 21 January 2007 - 27 January 2007". Official Charts . 21 January 2007. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  30. ↑ "Aatw/Umtv Various Artists Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 4". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  31. ↑ "Aatw/Umtv Various Artists Clubland X-Treme Hardcore 5". BPI . Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
  32. ↑ "Official Compilations Chart Top 100 17 May 2009 - 23 May 2009". Official Charts . 17 May 2009. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.