The Scumfrog

Last updated
The Scumfrog (Jesse Houk)
Birth nameJesse Houk
Also known asThe Scumfrog
Dutch
Born (1971-10-03) October 3, 1971 (age 52)
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Genres Electronica
Techno
House
Occupation(s) Disc Jockey
Music producer
Years active1997–present
Website http://www.thescumfrog.com/

The Scumfrog (Jesse Houk) (born October 3, 1971) is a Dutch-American DJ/remixer/producer/artist, mostly known for his underground flavored remixes of artists like Kylie Minogue, Missy Elliott, New Order, and Annie Lennox and his collaborations writing and producing techno-oriented works with David Bowie, Cyndi Lauper, and Sting. He released four albums as a solo artist (Extended Engagement 2003, Simmer 2004, A Place Where We Belong 2011 and In Case We're All Still Here 2013). As a DJ, he has toured the world many times over, between 2008 and 2014 he hosted and produced the weekly radio show/podcast Glam Scum International, and in 2015 he launched a new series of club nights named M.B.T.S.(Most Below The Surface).

Contents

Biography

Early career: 1997 – 2007

Jesse Houk was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to an American father and a Dutch mother. After finishing college, his dual citizenship allowed him to move to New York City in 1997 where he started producing music under his new alias The Scumfrog. Between 1997 and 2000 he lived between New York Citywhere he DJ’d Deep House and Tech House in NY's East Village lounges, such as the Opium Denand the Netherlands, where he worked with his production partner Jacques Sperwer. Jacques and Jesse released several singles under various names such as Jake & Jesse, Barbarus and a full-length album on BMG Bertelsmann Music Group under the name Resonance. In this period he also recorded his first work under the Scumfrog alias, called The Watersong, which was selected by Danny Tenaglia -- DJ Magazine’s number 1 DJ in the world at the time -- for his Global Underground Athens compilation.

After the underground buzz of The Watersong, The Scumfrog signed an album deal with Roger Sanchez, who also took him as his opening DJ on his 2001 tour. That summer, The Scumfrog single “We Love You” (based on the Beatles/Rolling Stones collaboration) went to number one in most European dance charts and put the Scumfrog name on the map.

The Scumfrog career has largely been marked by an ability to work with mainstream artists without sacrificing his underground sound. Between 2001 and 2007, The Scumfrog scored more than 10 number 1 Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play records remixing mainstream artists like Britney Spears, Enrique Iglesias, Annie Lennox, Jewel, J-pop superstar Hikaru Utada but rarely ever making full vocal remixes of the artists he worked with. His EMI collaboration with David Bowie, remixing his 1984 single “Loving the Alien,” set the tone for a career that would thrive simultaneously in underground clubs and in mainstream recording studios. While on duty for the stars, he never stopped remixing for respected underground Dance Music labels such as Positiva, Intec, Yoshitoshi Recordings, Bedrock Records and Strictly Rhythm, doing remixes for his DJ peers such as Steve Lawler, Planet Funk, Boris Dlugosh, and Dirty Vegas.

His first album, Extended Engagement (2003, EMI/Positiva/Effin) was a two disc mix compilation exclusively of his own productions and remixes, including his own singles "We Love You", "Music Revolution", and "Learning To Fly".

Jesse released more radio-friendly records under the alias Dutch, getting his first number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in 2003, "My Time" which he co-wrote with vocalist Crystal Waters. The follow-up to "My Time" was the single "Why Should I Think About The Rain", featuring Grammy winning singer/songwriter and Rolling Stones back-up singer Lisa Fischer.

In 2004, The Scumfrog won the International Dance Music Award (IDMA) for 'Best Remixer' of 2003. [1]

His second album Simmer (2004, Effin) was the first album where Jesse himself wrote all the songs (no remixes of other artists). It featured the singles "Music Revolution", "Simmer", "Come On", and a duet "Bacon" with his longtime friend, singer Lucy Woodward. Simmer did not have a huge impact, largely because it was marketed and promoted solely by The Scumfrog's own label, and because the songs on the album were not nearly as DJ-friendly as his previous work.[ citation needed ]

In 2005, The Scumfrog's most successful single "Music Revolution" was chosen for Chevrolet's long running Chevrolet HHR commercial on TV and radio. [2] [3] In the same year, Jesse formed the band DJs Are Alive with fellow DJ/performers DJ Skribble, D:Fuse, Static Revenger and Kristine W. [4] The band's mission was to sound like a DJ set and look like a band. DJs Are Alive performed a series of shows in 2006, but disbanded allegedly due to continuing scheduling conflicts with their gigs as individual DJs.

Upon his return to the US after a long European tour in 2007, Jesse decided to trade his New York City home for the desert and mountains of New Mexico where he lived until 2015.

2007 – Present: Grammy nomination, Glam Scum International

One of the biggest successes of his career came in the form of an unreleased Scumfrog remix of Peter Bjorn & John "The Young Folks", which went viral during the summer of 2007, and in its unreleased bootleg form made it to the playlists of many mainstream radio stations. At the same time, his collaboration with Italian DJ/Producer Tommy Vee in covering Steve Miller Band's 1970s hit "Serenade" also made it into many European pop-charts.

In 2008, the Scumfrog started a weekly hour-long radio show Glam Scum on Sirius Satellite Radio in the US. A year later, after a merger between Sirius and Satellite radio company XM, the show was dropped, and the show was re-launched as Glam Scum International and licensed to several radio stations around the world.

During 2007, The Scumfrog had been writing and recording with Cyndi Lauper in New York on her dance music album Bring Ya To The Brink . Their song "High and Mighty" became the opening track of the album, which was released in 2008 and nominated for a Grammy Award in the category ‘Best Dance Album’ in 2009. [5] (The album lost to fellow nominees Daft Punk.) [6]

In 2011, The Scumfrog reunited with his underground roots in the custom-made DJ set "A Place Where We Belong". Similarly to his debut album Extended Engagement, the mix consists of 12 original productions (some his own, some remixes of other artists). Jesse himself announced that he did not want to call it an album because ‘DJs are not supposed to make albums, DJs are supposed to make DJ mixes’.[ citation needed ] The new material was offered in a non-stop DJ mix on his Facebook page where – in a video – Jesse explained his voluntary donation system for his new music. Many of the songs on "A Place Where We Belong" were licensed to labels for single-release. "In Love" was released on Umek’s label 1605, "Illusion" came out on Floorplay, "Running" on Inkfish, and "Don’t Give Up" featuring Vassy (a cover of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush) on Armada.

Armada Music released The Scumfrog's fourth album, In Case We're All Still Here in 2013, which features his collaboration with Sting. The two teamed up to remake Sting's 1993 hit "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You". [7]

In 2015, he released the single "Send Wave" on Hot Since 82 label Knee Deep In Sound.[ citation needed ]


DJ career

As a DJ, The Scumfrog has toured the world many times over.[ citation needed ] Even though he has played many festivals over the past ten years (Burning Man being his favorite), he makes it clear that he prefers smaller venues with great sound systems for the music that he plays.[ citation needed ] In 2015, he started a new brand of small-room underground clubbing named M.B.T.S.(Most Below The Surface).

Personal life

Jesse Houk currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Remixes

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Judge Jules</span> Musical artist

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.

Deep Dish is an American electronic music duo, consisting of Iranian-American artists Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Oakenfold</span> British record producer and trance music DJ

Paul Mark Oakenfold, formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Massive Attack, the Cure, New Order, the Rolling Stones, the Stone Roses and Michael Jackson. Oakenfold was voted the No. 1 DJ in the World twice in 1998 and 1999 by DJ Magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sasha (DJ)</span> Welsh DJ and record producer

Alexander Paul Coe, known professionally as Sasha, is a Welsh DJ and record producer. He is best known for his live events and electronic music as a solo artist, as well as his collaborations with British DJ John Digweed as Sasha & John Digweed. He was voted as World No.⁠ ⁠1 DJ in 2000 in a poll conducted by DJ Magazine. He is a four-time International Dance Music Awards winner, four-time DJ Awards winner and Grammy Award nominee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiësto</span> Dutch DJ and record producer (born 1969)

Tijs Michiel Verwest OON, known professionally as Tiësto, is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by Mix magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, he was voted by DJ Mag readers as the "best DJ of the last 20 years". He is also regarded as the "Godfather of EDM" by many sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Global Underground</span>

Global Underground is a British record label and compilation series founded in 1996 by Andy Horsfield and James Todd. The label symbolised the international explosion of dance music during the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s and first manifesto for high-end DJs such as Tony De Vit, Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Danny Tenaglia, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, Darren Emerson, James Lavelle, Carl Cox, and Solomun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Sanchez</span> Musical artist

Roger Sanchez is an American house DJ, remixer and producer. He won a Grammy Award for his remix of "Hella Good" by No Doubt in 2003, and is best known for his song "Another Chance", which was an international hit in 2001. He is a four time DJ Awards winner for "Best House DJ" in 1999, 2002, 2004 and 2007 and has received twelve nominations in total. He won the first International Dance Music Award for Best Podcast in 2007 and has received 8 IDMA nominations for Best American DJ (2003–2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiga (musician)</span> Canadian DJ and musician

Tiga James Sontag, known simply as Tiga, is a Canadian musician, DJ and record producer of electronic dance music. He has released three albums, Sexor, Ciao!, and No Fantasy Required. Sexor won the 2007 Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year. Tiga released a selection of compilations in the early 2000s, featuring mixes such as American Gigolo, DJ-Kicks: Tiga and, Mixed Emotions, which put him on the map as one of "the world's best mixers". His compilation mix, Tiga Non-Stop, was released in November 2012, and premiered Tiga's latest single "Plush". The mix also features tracks from artists such as Kindness, Duke Dumont and Blawan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rui da Silva (DJ)</span> Portuguese DJ (born 1968)

Rui da Silva is a Portuguese producer and DJ, whose single "Touch Me" went to number one in the United Kingdom in 2001.

Christian Jay "C. J." Bolland is an English-Belgian electronic music producer and remixer with British roots.

Richard Gonzalez, better known by his stage name Richard "Humpty" Vission, is a Canadian house music producer, remixer, and DJ.

Andy Hunter is a British Christian DJ and electronic dance music artist. Born in Leicester and starting his career in the drum and bass scene of Bristol during the 1990s, he has continued to release new music, releasing his 14th album in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tomcraft</span> Musical artist

Thomas Brückner, known by his stage name Tomcraft, is a German DJ and producer. He specializes in progressive house and progressive trance music and is better known for having created the tracks "Loneliness" and "Prosac", working alongside Eniac.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Howells</span> Musical artist

Danny Howells is an English producer and DJ. His music is often described as progressive house, though he prefers to associate more with tech house and is sometimes described simply as "deepsexyfuturistictechfunkouse". At performances, he is well known to interact personally with the audience. Howells has mixed several albums for Global Underground in addition to his Nocturnal Frequencies series. Howells is also a member of the duo Science Department with Dick Trevor, which has produced the singles "Breathe" and "Persuasion"/"Repercussion" as well as remixes for artists such as BT. From 2008 he has run his own record label, Dig Deeper - named after his long running club night.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharam</span> Iranian techno and house DJ and producer

Sharam Tayebi, better known as Sharam, is an Iranian techno and house DJ and producer. Born in Tehran, Iran, he emigrated to Washington D.C. at the age of 14. A mainstay of the Washington underground dance music scene, he has been active both as one half of the duo Deep Dish and solo artist, producer and mixer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Garth</span> English DJ and recording artist

DJ Garth is a House music DJ and recording artist who is largely credited with both defining and capturing the sound of San Francisco house music in the 1990s. He co-founded the Wicked Sound System and established a series of underground parties which were important in putting San Francisco on the club/rave map.

Dance Nation is a Dutch Electronic Dance Music formation founded in 2001 by songwriters, producers and DJs Rob Janssen & Brad Grobler. Dutch singers and performers Sean & Kim are the live act fronting Dance Nation since their first and highly successful single "Sunshine".

Dustin Fuselier, known in his stage name D:Fuse, is an American producer, remixer and DJ based out of Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Childs</span> American singer

Jake Childs is an American record producer. He was born in Austin, Texas, and started playing music early in life, following in the footsteps of his father who played trumpet professionally with the Navy Jazz Band. Childs learned to play trumpet, guitar, bass and keyboard.

References

  1. "Winter Music Conference 2012 - WMC 2012". Archived from the original on 2011-11-15. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  2. "SCREEN | READY FOR THEIR CLOSE-UP: FilmTecknarna Gets Chevy HHR in Gear | August 2020 Stories". Screenmag.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. "Jasongleed.com". Jasongleed.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  4. "DJs are Alive". Clubplanet.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  5. Santo, Michael (8 February 2009). "Full List of 2009 Grammy Award Nominees". Huliq.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  6. "2009 Dance Grammy Nominees and Winners". Archived from the original on 2011-06-15. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  7. "Music". Armadamusic.com. Retrieved 26 August 2020.