Felix da Housecat (born Felix Stallings Jr., August 25, 1971) is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

and electro. Felix is regarded as a member of the second wave of Chicago house

Musical career

Early life

Stallings developed an interest in the emergent Chicago house music scene at a young age. While a student at Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois in the mid-1980s, a chance introduction to

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

pioneer DJ Pierre gave the then 15-year-old Stallings his break, and under the patronage and guidance of Pierre, he released his first single, "Phantasy Girl," in 1987. Also in 1987, Felix went to Alabama State University to study media and communication. There he studied different musicians of the era, including Prince,

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip

, and Gang Starr, as well as developing an interest in hip hop and R&B tracks.

1990s

After graduating, he released "Thee Dawn" on

Guerilla Records Guerilla Records was a British record label that was founded in 1990 by Dick O'Dell and John Gosling, with William Orbit. It specialised in a style of progressive house that they preferred to call "dub house", with artists such as Leftfield, ...

. He became popular in Europe, and in the following year, "By Dawn's Early Light" and "Thee Industry Made Me Do It" followed. A further single, "In The Dark We Live (Thee Lite)", appeared under his pseudonym, Aphrohead. Originally released on the UK label, Bush, "In The DaAlbum", followed in 1998. In 1999, he released "In The Dark We Live". Shortly afterwards, Stallings formed Radikal Fear Records. It released material from Mike Dunn,

DJ Sneak Carlos Sosa (born November 5, 1969), known as DJ Sneak, is a Puerto Rican-born American DJ and record producer raised in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is noted as being one of the second wave of Chicago house producers, (alongside Derrick ...

, and

Armando Armando may refer to: * Armando (given name) * Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd * Armando (producer) Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...

as well as Felix himself. During 1995, he released his debut album ''Alone in the Dark'' (as Thee Maddkatt Courtship) on Deep Distraxion, followed by the Radikal Fear

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

, ''The Chicago All Stars'' and a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

album entitled ''Clashbackk Compilation Mix''. The album ''I Know Electrikboy'' was never officially released in either the US or UK, although promotional copies are in circulation.

2000s

In 2001, ''

Kittenz and Thee Glitz ''Kittenz and Thee Glitz'' is a 2001 album by American DJ / producer Felix da Housecat. It was released in the U.S. on Emperor Norton in 2002 after being critically acclaimed in the UK. The album was created alongside Tommie Sunshine, Miss Kitti ...

'', written and produced alongside

Tommie Sunshine Tommie Sunshine (born Thomas Lorello; March 26, 1971) is a record producer, remixer, DJ and songwriter of electronic music from Chicago currently living in Brooklyn, New York. He is known for creating dance remixes to popular rock and alternativ ...

, Miss Kittin, Dave The Hustler, Harrison Crump, Junior Sanchez, Junior Jack and Melistar, was released which gained Felix mainstream exposure. At the end of that year, Felix won Best Album at the now-defunct Muzik Awards. The ensuing fame brought Felix remix work for

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter and actress. She is the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. She has been recognised for reinve ...

. The proper follow-up, ''

Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever ''Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever'' is a 2004 album by Felix da Housecat, his first since 2001's ''Kittenz and Thee Glitz'' and continued his collaboration with both Tommie Sunshine and Dave the Hustler. It is a concept album based on the story of ...

'', was released in 2004, though Felix released a pair of mix albums, 2002's ''Excursions'' and 2003's ''A Bugged Out Mix'', in between. Felix also collaborated with P Diddy on the pair's "Jack U" single. The pair remain friends, with Diddy performing alongside Felix at Space in Ibiza in 2005, and Felix performing at Diddy's after-party for The Main Event at the Winter Music Conference. Various remixes of "

Silver Screen Shower Scene "Silver Screen Shower Scene" is the first single from Felix da Housecat's album '' Kittenz and Thee Glitz''. Co-written with Dave Jenefsky a.k.a. The Hustler, T. Lorello a.k.a. Tommie Sunshine, and Felix himself, it features French electronic mu ...

" were used in video games such as ''

Midnight Club 2 ''Midnight Club II'' is a racing video game developed by Rockstar San Diego and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sequel to '' Midnight Club: Street Racing'', published for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Microsoft Windows and first in series to ...

,'' and '' SSX 3''. The Soulwax Remix of his song "Rocket Ride" was featured in the game '' Need for Speed: Underground 2.'' "Everyone Is Someone in LA" was featured in '' Tony Hawk's American Wasteland''. His songs have also featured in television programs such as '' The Sopranos'' and "Silver Screen Shower Scene" featured in the party scene in Shane Black's 2005 film, ''

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ''Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'' is a 2005 American neo-noir black comedy mystery thriller film written and directed by Shane Black (in his directorial debut), and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, and Corbin Bernsen. The scrip ...

.'' Felix's album, '' Virgo Blaktro and the Movie Disco'', was released on October 2, 2007 in the US on Nettwerk Records. Production was overseen by Dallas Austin. "Future Calls The Dawn" was released on July 9, 2007 on Wall of Sound/PIAS with "Sweetfrosti" featured as the B-side. "Sweetfrosti" contained a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark and Bob) and the Casales (Gerald and Bob), along with Alan Myers. The band had a ...

's "Snowball", originally released in 1981. "Like Something 4 Porno!" was released as the album's lead single on September 24, 2007 with

es from

Kris Menace Kris Menace (born Christoph Hoeffel) is a German electronic musician and music producer. History Christophe Hoeffel began to work as a producer and writer in the mid-1990s for different projects and started using the pseudonym "Kris Menace" in 20 ...

, Teenage Bad Girl and Armand Van Helden, while a third single, "Radio", was released digitally in April 2008. Since then, Felix has released his first Global Underground compilation, for the

Newcastle-upon-Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is als ...

compilation and club label. Felix also teamed up with Kris Menace to release "Artificial" in June 2008. In 2009, Felix released '' He Was King'', via Nettwerk Records.

Discography

Studio albums

Mix albums

Singles

Remixes

* Passion Pit – " Little Secrets (Felix Da Housecat Pink Enemy Remix)" (2009) *

– " Toxic (Felix Da Housecat's Club Mix)" (2004) *Buy Now! – "For Sale (Felix Da Housecat Remix)" (2007) * Ladytron – " Playgirl (Felix Da Housecat Glitz Club Mix)" (2001) * The Chemical Brothers – "

Get Yourself High "Get Yourself High" is a 2003 single by The Chemical Brothers. It features Canadian rapper k-os and appeared as a bonus track on their collection ''Singles 93–03''. A music video featuring footage from a martial arts film accompanied the song. ...

(Felix Da Housecat's Chemical Meltdown Mix)" (2003) * The Disco Boys – "Born to Be Alive" *

Garbage Garbage, trash, rubbish, or refuse is waste material that is discarded by humans, usually due to a perceived lack of utility. The term generally does not encompass bodily waste products, purely liquid or gaseous wastes, or toxic waste produc ...

– " Androgyny (Thee Glitz mix)" & "Androgyny (Thee Drum Drum mix)" (2001) *

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

– "

What You Waiting For? "What You Waiting For?" is a song by American singer Gwen Stefani from her debut solo studio album, '' Love. Angel. Music. Baby.'' (2004). Written by Stefani and Linda Perry, the song is the album's opening track and was released as Stefani's d ...

(The Rude Ho Mix by Felix Da Housecat)" (2005) *

Holly Valance Holly Rachel Candy (; born 11 May 1983), known professionally as Holly Valance, is an Australian actress and singer. Valance began her acting career on the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours'', as Felicity Scully (1999–2002, 2005, 2022). Sh ...

– " State of Mind (Felix Da Housecat's Dub)" (2003) *

– " American Life (Felix Da Housecat's Devin Dazzle Club Mix)" (2003) *

– " Die Another Day (Thee RetroLectro Mix)" (2003) * Miike Snow – "Silvia (Felix Da Housecat Remix)" (2010) *

Mylène Farmer Mylène Jeanne Gautier (; born 12 September 1961), known professionally as Mylène Farmer (), is a Canadian-born French singer, songwriter, occasional actress, writer, and entrepreneur. Having sold more than 30 million records in France, she is ...

– "

Je t'aime mélancolie "Je t'aime mélancolie" (English: "I Love You Melancholy") is a 1991 song recorded by the French artist Mylène Farmer. The song was released as the third single from her third studio album '' L'autre...,'' in December 1991. Characterized by its ...

(Felix Da Housecat Remix)" (2003) * Mylo – "Drop the Pressure" * Nina Simone – " Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix)" (2003) *

Pet Shop Boys The Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of primary vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 50 million records worldwide, and were listed as the most successful duo i ...

– " London (Thee Radikal Blaklight Edit)" (2003) *

– "I don't know what you want but I can't give it anymore (Thee 2 black ninja mix) (1999) * New Order – " Here To Stay (Felix Da Housecat Extended Glitz mix)" (2002) * Paola & Chiara – "Vanity & Pride (Felix Da Housecat Club Mix)" (2008) * Uffie – " Pop the Glock (Felix Da Housecat's Pink Enemy Remix)" (2009) *

–

Where Is The Feeling? "Where Is the Feeling?" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue from her fifth studio album, '' Kylie Minogue'' (1994). The song was written by Wilf Smarties and Jayn Hanna, while production was handled by Brothers in Rhythm. I ...

(Da Klub Feelin Mix)" (1995) *

RAC RAC or Rac may refer to: Organizations * Radio Amateurs of Canada * RATCH-Australia Corporation, electricity generator * Refugee Action Collective (Victoria), Melbourne, Australia * Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, US * Rent-A-Center, ...

– "Hollywood Featuring Penguin Prison (Felix Da Housecat Remix)" (2012) * Ali Love – "Another (Felix Da Housecat Remix)" (2013) * Pompeya – "Y.A.H.T.B.M.F. (Felix Da Housecat Heavenly House Mix)" (2014) *Born Dirty and

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

- "Samba Sujo (Felix Da Housecat and Dave The Hustler Remix)" (2019)

''DJ Magazine'' top 100 DJs

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Felix Da Housecat 1971 births Living people African-American DJs American electronic musicians American house musicians Record producers from Illinois Musicians from Chicago DJs from Chicago Club DJs Electronic dance music DJs Electroclash Remixers Alabama State University alumni 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people