Hard House/NRG

• Andy Allder
• Baby Doc
• BK
• Blu Peter
• Captain Tinrib
• Choci
• Dave Randall
• John Truelove
• Jon the Dentist
• Mrs Wood
• Mishka
• Nick Sentience
• Tony de vit

Andy Allder

Andy Allder has been producing music since the early '90s. He is probably best known as D-Bop with Dave Cros

Baby Doc started his artistic life as a sculptor, jacking this in when he realised he needed more money to elevate himself from the squat he was living in. It was a natural progression to music as both his brothers were successful producers, and Baby Doc was no exception. He is one of the pioneers of the hard house/nu NRG scene. He created 'Mantra to the Buddha' and 'Hiroshima' back in '94 that were way ahead of their time.

His label Dream Inn pushed the way forward for the nuNRG scene even before the term was invented. Releasing tracks that polished the sound for clubs like Trade, and the sound for many current hard dance producers and Djs. He has remixed commercial artists such as The Pet Shop Boys, Marc Almond and Cher, often using the full vocal in the remix, something other remixers shy away from. His music is tough and melodic blending the best of hard house, nuNRG and techno. Utterly unique, with a very distinctive sound.

He runs his hugely successful Arriba labels and with his side kick SJ tour as a legendary live show.

Put on a Ben Keen tune and you are guaranteed to get the dance floor rammed, no question about it. He is one of the leading producers and remixers of Nukleuz, and has put together well over 150 tracks, and counting. He has produced on all the major leading hard house record labels. His style is impeccably produced chunky, driving hard house with his trademark percussion loops, big bass lines and uplifting synths.

BK is also a talented Dj who constantly has crowds dancing throughout the world. He has Djed from Trade to Insomniacs, which shows that his style can translate to many a listener in the hard dance scene. However his real talent is in the studio, pick up a BK track in the record shop and you are promised a winner.

A very popular figure in the hard dance scene, he continues to push super high quality and style to the masses.

Peter Harris began his Djing career at the Garage night in Heaven on a Friday. He then went on to become resident at ff the legendary Sunday nighter at Turnmills, the precursor to Trade. Blu Peter will also be known for his residency at Warriors with Mrs Wood and Wayne G. He is currently signed to the great React record label, and is the man behind the Reactivate series of compilations.

His musical style is an uplifting blend of house, trance, nuNRG and techno. However there is a darker stomping feel about his music, not afraid to get the 303 out. Listen to 'Flagship' '94 Choci Chewn's. In '98 Blu Peter teamed up with Graham McMahon (aka. Freedom Of Sound) to create 'Widescreen and digital' an album that showed the wide blend of styles they posses.

With co-collaborator Mrs Wood they have produced a number of tracks and re-launched the ff club for a number of events. He is a unique and ground breaking Dj who commands the dance floor, and is not afraid to experiment and push the boundaries of what a Dj set should be and contain.

Jon Bell (formerly Dr Base) started the legendary and hugely influential Tinrib record label in '95. Club nights Fish and Superfish followed which were mostly sell out parties. The music Tinrib produces is hard, uplifting NRG trance with an element of tongue in cheekness. The Captain has created a unique sound that only Tinrib has (with the help of the Tinribiser?). He set up his sub-label Dirty House to cater for the funkier side of things, which again kept standards high and people dancing.

Tinrib and Dirty House record label closed in 2002, due to industry pressures, however the Captain is still releasing tunes and remixes on other record labels. The Tinrib web site has subsequently began releasing the back catalogue for free over the internet. An established Dj and live performer, he is often jetting around the globe spreading the party spirit.

The Tinrib label has released so many classics, such that I am sure any Dj within the hard dance scene will have at least one Tinrib 12". This is how important this label and the man behind it is. Credit has to go to the Captain for having the brains and guts to stay one step ahead of the scene.

Choci is one of the founders of the infamous Tonka Sound System, the others being Harvey Bassett and Rev. The Tonka Sound System put on warehouse parties and outdoor gatherings around Brighton blending hip-hop, reggae, electro and house from 1988-1992. This was the inspiration for many future producers and promoters and was the basis for the Choci sound and drive.

Choci runs his 5 record labels (Cannon, Choci's Chewns, VCF, VCR and Public House) originally from his record shop Choci's Chewns in Soho London, until it closed in 2003. The labels' releases were the bench mark for the early acid trance scene, having released the likes of Lab 4, Guy McAffer and Blu Peter. He has collaborated with many of the big names on the hard trance and techno scenes including Chris Liberator and Mark Sinclair.

Having Djed at Escape from Samsara, Pendragon and even known to have filled in for Blu Peter in the early days of Heaven he has gained a reputation for energetic sets that compliment his talented productions.

Dave Randall has been running his own label Chug n Bump since '94. From '92 he was resident at Trade and ff. He is also remembered for his 7 year residency at the Zap club in Brighton, and has been resident at Fish, Superfish and Escape from Samsara to name a few.

Randall has worked with some big names in the dance industry including S-Express, Bomb The Bass, 808 State, Depeche Mode, and many of the leaders in the hard dance scene including the late Tony De Vit.

Dave Randall does not work within the boundaries that some other producers set for themselves, he is able to explore and invent new sounds and arrangements. Look at some of the artists appearing on his label, Paul Harding, Chris Liberator and Oberon for example, these are ground breaking producers and Dj's offering a new underground edge to the often predictable hard dance scene.

John Truelove is the man who cut up Jamie Principle's house tune 'Your love' blended it with the vocals of Candi Staton and produced 'You got the love', this then became one of the most demanded singles of 1990, spending 12 weeks in the charts a year later. With the money this gave him, John Truelove set up his own labels and began releasing his own NRG music.

He has been the front man for the Truelove Label Collective which includes the labels TEC, Spin City, Stay Up Forever, RAW, Hydraulix, 4X4, Boscaland, Phoenix Uprising and so on... The range of styles his collective covers is immense, from the quirky hardbag of Fluff to the up front acid techno of Stay Up Forever. Where else could you find Chris Liberator sharing the same label as Wayne G. Proving time and time again that there are no limits to quality music, John Truelove has continually re-invented his labels and music to keep the industry on its toes. John Truelove has created the skeleton on which the current hard dance scene has grown from.

Currently John Truelove is touring as Lectrolux, which is his live show, where you can hear those early classics and future dance floor killers that have made John Truelove infamous. Recently his Now Voyager mix of "You Got The Love" made the ending credits to the final Sex and the City American TV series.

Jon Vaughan bases himself in Wales, with his studio that he shares with Shane Morris. Together they are the hugely successful Barabas and OD1. Jon the Dentist has been part of the nuNRG scene since its birth, and has collaborated with the other pioneers such as Blu Peter and Baby Doc. Baby Doc and Jon together recorded some ground breaking tracks such as 'Infanta-Ci' and 'Catalan Rising'.

Jon has set up two labels Phoenix Uprising/Rising and Boscaland. Boscaland released some pounding techno tunes towards the later releases, seeing the likes of Dave the Drummer and Mark Tyler releasing tunes. Phoenix Uprising concentrated on hard house catering for the more bouncy side of things. Both labels show the many sides to Jon's music, often uplifting but always with a techy bight. He has earned the respect across the globe for his Dj talents, and his music production. In '99 he released his solo album 'The Culture' on TEC which was Jon at his best once more.

A prolific remixer as well as producer, he has remixed many hard dance tunes (including every squat party's favorite 'London Acid City'), of note is his Eat Static 'Contact' remix on Planet Dog '98, it has the unique Dentist baseline, uplifting rifts, and demonstrates how he can put his mark into a remix

Jane Rolink began her career working for the record label Some Bizarre Records, which gave her a grounding for the music business. From there she managed the fan club of Soft Cell and went on to work within the legendary dance label Strictly Rhythm. It was this that fueled her passion for all things Techno.

Mrs Wood then began her residency at ff. Here she would play the records that made her move, blending the hardest techno with uplifting trance to create an indefinable Dj set. She later became resident at Garage at Heaven on Fridays. The music she produced on React records was also a reflection of her Djing skills. Her debut artist album was called 'Woodwork' and was created with Kevin White. This showcased the many sides to her talent, ranging from minimal techno to funky house.

Mrs Wood was one of the first Djs to compile a Dj compilation album, which was entitled 'Mrs Wood Teaches Techno' on React records. She is now an internationally renowned Dj, and continues to present her own style of funky techno and house.

It is hard to imagine the chaos an Andreas Mishka track can cause in a club, no one does acid trance quite like it. With his massively successfully and respected label Ephadrine he has shown the dance scene the power of his music. He releases much of his work under the name Mad Gay Mafia, and has collaborated with his acid buddies Choci and Injector on numerous projects. If you like your music to have plenty of NRG and acid to it, then you are sure to have a handful of Mishka tracks at the front of your record box.

Mishka has really re-invented the acid trance genre, making it accessible to all hard dance Djs to play without being too squelchy. Andy Farely is a huge favorite of his sound. As well as releasing on Ephadrine he has released on other pioneering labels such as Cannon, DP, VCF and Public house.

An established Dj as well, Mishka can be heard regularly playing his unique pounding style.

As a member of the Nukleuz team you are guaranteed quality productions and releases and Nick does not disappoint. He has made the techno sound accessible to the masses with his unique twist on it. Defying the Techno purists by blending trance and hard house sounds over a techno framework. His trade mark percussion is cleverly arranged and perfectly balanced in every track, creating a quality only few producers can live up to.

To hear him Dj is always a pleasure - he knows exactly how to work a crowd and I can say that every time I have heard him play I have been impressed. His 'Instru(mental)' and 'Back to the front' releases with Phil Reynolds are hard dance classics.

Having mostly released his tracks for Nukleuz on the purple label, he has created a stream of releases that still feel as fresh as when they were first released, and continue to get the dance floors going crazy. An extremely talented man who has created a sound that fits well in techno, hard trance, hard house and even funky house sets.