Toy Town
"Toy Town" is a happy hardcore track by British duo Hixxy and 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. History The track, written and produced by Hixxy and Sharkey, was inspired by the earlier "toytown techno" phase characterised by tracks such as " Charly" by the Prodigy. It starts with a chopped amen break, and goes on to feature "sugar sweet" vocals, a "bouncy kick" and an "ultra-cheesy stab pattern". It has elements of hip hop, house, gabba and techno. Playing at the high tempo characteristic of the "speedrush" of the genre, by the end of the track it has been described as going towards "unstoppable mania". In 1994, it became a club "anthem", and following release on the Essential Platinum label in 1995 it peaked at number 24 in the UK Dance Singles ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hixxy
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. 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. 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". 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 e ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition's character or atmosphere. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often using conventional Italian terms) and, if a specific metrical pace is desired, is usually measured in beat (music), beats per minute (bpm or BPM). In modern classical compositions, a "metronome mark" in beats per minute, indicating only measured speed and not any form of expression, may supplement or replace the normal tempo marking, while in modern genres like electronic dance music, tempo will typically simply be stated in bpm. Tempo (the underlying pulse of the music) is one of the three factors that give a piece of music its texture (music), texture. The others are meter (music), meter, which is indicated by a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1995 Singles
1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government no longer providing public funding, marking the beginning of the Information Age. America Online and Prodigy (online service), Prodigy offered access to the World Wide Web system for the first time this year, releasing browsers that made it easily accessible to the general public. Events January * January 1 ** The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). ** Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union. * January 9 – Valeri Polyakov completes 366 days in space while aboard then ''Mir'' space station, breaking a duration record. * January 10–January 15, 15 – The World Youth Day 1995 festival is held in Manila, Manila, Philippines, culminating in 5 million people ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Official Charts Company
The Official UK Charts Company Limited (formerly Music Industry Chart Services Limited), trading as the Official Charts Company (OCC) or the Official Charts (formerly the Chart Information Network), is a British inter-professional organisation that compiles various official record charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In the United Kingdom, its charts include ones for singles, albums and films, with the data compiled from a mixture of downloads, purchases (of physical media) and streaming. The OCC produces its charts by gathering and combining sales data from retailers through market researchers Kantar, and claims to cover 99% of the singles market and 95% of the album market, and aims to collect data from any retailer who sells more than 100 chart items per week. The OCC is operated jointly by the British Phonographic Industry and the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) (formerly the British Association of Record Dealers (BARD)) and is incorporated as a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Kutski
John Walker (born on 4 February 1982) known by his stage name, Kutski is a British radio DJ, from Chester, England. He presented various shows for BBC Radio 1, playing a variety of hard dance music, including breakbeat, electro, hard trance, hardcore and hardstyle. Kutski now produces and hosts a weekly podcast, "Keeping the Rave Alive", which plays music similar to that heard on his BBC Radio 1 shows. Career Kutski started DJing when he was 15 years old. The first big event he played was Elevate in Bangor, which resulted in earning a residency. Since then he has appeared at underground and mainstream hard dance clubs across the UK. He incorporates DMC-style scratching and mixing into every set. His residencies have included Tasty in London, Ripsnorter in Bristol, and Elevate in Bangor. In 2004, Kutski released his debut track "Making Me Itch" under the name SPX. He signed to the Knuckleheadz label and was featured on the compilations Insomnia 4 and Extreme Euphoria 3. In ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, Hip hop music, hip hop and Independent music, indie, while its sister station BBC Radio 1Xtra, 1Xtra plays Black music, Black contemporary music, including hip hop and Rhythm and blues, R&B. Radio 1 also runs two online streams, BBC Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Dance, dedicated to dance music, and BBC Radio 1 Anthems, Radio 1 Anthems, dedicated to throwback music; both are available to listen only on BBC Sounds. Radio 1 broadcasts throughout the UK on FM band, FM between and , Digital radio in the United Kingdom, digital radio, Digital television in the United Kingdom, digital TV and BBC Sounds. It was launched in 1967 to meet the demand for music generated by pirate radio stations, when the average age of the UK population ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Vice (magazine)
''Vice'' (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian-American magazine focused on lifestyle, arts, culture, and news/politics. It was founded in 1994 in Montreal as an alternative punk magazine, and its founders later launched the youth media company Vice Media, which consists of divisions including the printed magazine as well as a website, broadcast news unit, a film production company, a record label, and a publishing imprint. As of February 2015, the magazine's editor-in-chief is Ellis Jones. On 15 May 2023, Vice Media formally filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as part of a possible sale to a consortium of lenders including Fortress Investment Group, which will, alongside Soros Fund Management and Monroe Capital, invest $225 million as a credit bid for nearly all of its assets. In February 2024, CEO Bruce Dixon announced additional layoffs and that the website Vice.com will no longer publish content. The print magazine returned in September 2024. History The precursor to ''Vice ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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DJ Mag
''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Latin America, China, South Korea, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Canada, Russia, Belarus, and the Netherlands. History An earlier version of the magazine appeared towards the end of the 1980s when it was then known as ''Disc Jockey Magazine.'' The name was then changed to ''Jocks Magazine'', but the publication underwent re-branding shortly afterwards. After this process the first issue of ''DJ Magazine'' was launched in the middle of 1991; it was initially produced as weekly publication with Chris Mellor as its first editor. The magazine at this point was already the UK's top-selling disc jockey magazine and was widely regarded as one of the magazines of choice in the burgeoning house ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bonkers (compilation Album Series)
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 Music Limited, React (now Resist). It was available on 2xCompact disc, CD and 2xCassette tape, TC formats. DJs DJ Sharkey, 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''. History The Bonkers name was based on the bar with the same name at Butlins Minehead (which has since changed to an Irish Bar). Hixxy, DJ Hixxy said in an interview with Vice “React wanted to sign 'Toy Town, Toytown', so we went up to London to meet them. I said, 'Listen, forget ‘Toytown’. You can have that, no problem. But I’ve got a bigger idea.' It totally changed the meeting. We sat and discussed [the idea for the happy h ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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React Music Limited
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 music, trance, hardbag, happy hardcore, drum and bass and chill out. React stood for Record Entertainment And Computer Technology, the name was thought up by James's little brother Alex and his best mate Geoffrey Richards. Artists React enjoyed commercial success within the dance/club scene. The artists at React varied, from short-term "one hit wonders" to longer-term acts, which released numerous singles/albums and included: * The Source (British group), The Source featuring Candi Staton: Generally considered one of ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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MC Magika
Aimran Majid (born 1974 or 1975), more commonly known as MC Magika, is a British MC, music producer and rave promoter. He was regularly featured at many of the big UK raves in the mid to late 1990s including Dreamscape, Helter Skelter, Fantazia, and on the dance music compilation ''Dancemania'' ''Speed'' sub-series. He is also known for being the MC for DJ Carl Cox, over several years from the early 1990s. Magika has presented on MTV Dance, hosted radio shows, and in 2022 started a martial arts academy in Stirchley, Birmingham. Discography Singles *"Flashdance (What a Feeling)" (1996) *"Hardhouse Raver" (2002) - with Mutant DJ Albums *''The Old Skool Masters Round 2: Ratpack V Magika Presenting Blackmagic'' (1998) - with Ratpack *''Candy Raveparty Vol. 1'' (2001) - with DJ Horn *''Candy Raveparty Vol. 2'' (2002) - with KengKeng Appearances ''Dreamscape'' *''6'' (1993) *''7'' (1993) *''8'' (1994) *''10''(1994) *''11'' (1994) *''12'' (1994) *''14'' (1994) *''22'' (1996) ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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UK Dance Singles And Albums Charts
The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the dance music genre (e.g. house, trance, drum and bass, garage, synth-pop) in record stores and digital downloads The chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1's and Official Charts Company's website. From 1981 the Media Research Information Bureau compiled a disco and dance chart that was published in several music weeklies. The trade publication ''Music Week'' started compiling a dance chart from Gallup data in the mid-1980s. In 1990 the publishers of ''Music Week'', together with the BBC and a retailer consortium, formed the Chart Information Network (later to become the Official Charts Company). It began compiling the chart in 1990. The archive on the Official Charts Company website goes back to 3 July 1994. [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |