Dave Skywalker has always been into electronic music.
By 1986, at the age of 8 he was listening to US house music, having purchased his first record - Steve Silk Hurleys "Jack Your Body" - and was already annoying his neighbours with that "boom boom boom" music.
As house inevitably moved into hardcore around 1990, Skywalker followed; throughout secondary school he was known simply by his nackname: "Hardcore". During college in 1994, Skywalker began to produce hardcore mix tapes for friends under the name DJ Dream which then became DJ Kirby, and by 1996 had began producing his own music using free software under the name "DJ Skywalker". Some of which he then distributed himself under the Mad-P e-mailing list he ran.
During 1996 to 2000 he played in venues around Bournemouth, UK, as part of the University student union, most notably Bournemouths lapdancing club LoveSexy and The Gardening Club. In 1999 though the assistance of Lee Richardson aka DJ Delirious he released his first dubplate, Time and Time, and played a few guest slots on London-based interFACE radio.
After graduating in 2001 Dave Skywalker released his first vinyl single on Nu Underground Recordings which he ran with companions DJ Hattrixx and DJ Dizzy. This was the now infamous, and considerably remixed, Killerwhale, credited with being the first breakbeat hardcore tune released in the new 'old-skool' style, premiered on London's Hyper FM.
Dave Skywalker has released tunes on vinyl, CD, and digital formats on such labels as Underground Feeling, Kniteforce and self-operated Breakbeat Hardcore (BBHC) alongside the website BreakbeatHardcore.com. More releases are due out shortly.
Dave Skywalker now appears at old skool and hardcore events around the country, and predominately plays hardcore with a breakbeat slant, but is also known for playing old skool (Dave was also nominated in the 2006 Old Skool Awards as best up and coming DJ and also at the 2006 Musik4You awards for best new producer), and also harder breakcore sets and PA's under the monicker "Random Attack".
In the past year Daves popularity has been growing, thanks not only to his award nominations, but also due to bookings at events such as Ministry of Sound, Raindance, Moondance, Hysteria, Hardcore Overload, and other smaller events such as High Voltage and Bang Face. He is also regularly invited to guest alongside DJs on their own radio shows.
So what are they saying about Dave Skywalker?
"Absolutely tore the roof off and threw down one of the best sets I've ever heard, evar! if he'd come on at 2am when I was on one I think I would have probably exploded TBH Awesome mate, awesome!" Feedback from Bang Face, Sep 2006
"I've often wondered whether Dave Skywalker is a genius or just plain lucky. When I first got talking to Dave, he was writing huge quantities of music in all different styles. I actually don't think I've ever come across anyone as diverse and productive since! He's a highly intelligent and creative character, and you can see that in everthing he does. Most of the tracks, in my opinion, sound pretty average (not mediocre), but then every now and again he will write something that really stands out. Maybe this is just because he is so experimental. I can think of dozens of his tracks that I think would have been classics had they been released at the right time. I always look forward to hearing his new music, as I expect to be shocked again by his radical take on eveything. He's the sort of producer who can take a sample that most would think 'useless', and turn it into something wonderful. Oh - and everything I've said also applies to Dave's DJ skills." DJ Hattrixx
"Skywalker was playing when I got there. I have known Dave for a while, but never heard him play. Astraboy was already rockin' out to the set, which was superb. A fantastic mixture of gabba / jungle and wierdness. I knew Dave could mix and make good tracks, but was impressed by not only his technical abilities, but his relaxed / bonkers antics behind the decks. Within 10 minutes I was leaping around like all the other nutters lol...I even had glowsticks lol....fantastic set. Especially as he played Wintermute. My neck hurts from head banging." Luna-C, Kniteforce RecordsDiscography:
1999
Sweeet (like Chocl8) [Dubplate]
Time and Time [Dubplate]
Sometimes You're Thinkin' [Old Skool: The Nu Skool EP]
2000
Just 4 The DJ Vol.1 [Dubplate]
Thinkin' of You (Skywalkers End of an Era Dub) Original by Chris White [Point Blank]
2001
Killerwhale [Nu Underground]
Feel the Power of Bass [Nu Underground]
That Piano Tune [Poptartz]
2003
Mash Up [Nu Underground]
Our Tune by Dave Skywalker & DJ Stoopid [Dubplate]
2004
We Enter [Underground Feeling]
Koala Bear (Remix) Original by Garry Bynon [10%]
A Slightly Random Direction [Dubplate]
Freestyles of Bass (Remix) Original by DJ Chance [Dubplate]
2005
Breaks in Hackney [Dubplate]
2006
Premier Process [Breakbeat Hardcore]
Halo (Remix) Original by Jow [Breakbeat Hardcore]
Crazy Dayz [Dubplate]
Floating Point [Dubplate]
Voodoo Magic (Hardcore Breaks Mix) [Dubplate]
Voodoo Magic (DnB Mix) [Dubplate]
Always Be Together [Dubplate]
The Way [Dubplate]
2007
Smash Ya Brain In (Full Stop) by Dave Skywalker & Luna-C [Kniteforce]
Charly (Remix) Original by The Prodigy [Dubplate]
I Always Wanted To Start a Breakcore Mashpit [Dubplate]
Crushed [Dubplate]
Sonar [Dubplate]
02:30AM [Dubplate]
Smack My Bitch Up (Skywalkers Focused Edit) Original by The Prodigy [Dubplate]
2008
Hit My Deck [Dubplate]
Big Bang [Back To The Oldskool]
(I) Still Bleed [Dubplate]
The Bells [J-Tek (Due in 2009)]
Asmodeus [Dubplate]
Kyoto [Dubplate]
>R_U_RED.Y? [Hardcore Lives (Due 2009 on Hardcore Energy 4)]
185 Hertz [Dubplate] Previous Bookings:
2009
JANUARY: History of Hardcore @ Jacks (London, 24th January)
FEBRUARY: Chemical Heaven @ Intake (Mansfield, 7th February), High Voltage @ Angel (Bedford, 27th February)
MARCH: Epidemik Afterpary @ Club Life (formerly The Factory, Vauxhall - London, 29th March)
APRIL: Kompound Frakture @ Platform 9 (Guildford, 18th April)
2008
JANUARY: Epidemik @ Ministry of Sound (London)
MARCH: Epidemik @ Ministry of Sound (London)
APRIL: Accelerate @ East Oxford Community Centre (Oxford), Bang Face: The Weekender (Camber)
MAY: The Elusis Project @ The Rampant Lion (Manchester)
JULY: Epidemik @ The Junction (Cambridge), Elation @ Factory (London)
AUGUST: Slammin Vinyl Sanctuary Festival 2008 @ Matterley Bowl (Winchester), Bang Face Boat Party @ River Thames (London), Riverdance 11: The After-Party @ Temple Pier (London)
SEPTEMBER: Hardcore Underground 3 Launch Party @ Fever (Northampton)
OCTOBER: Kompound Frakture @ The Emporium (Fleet)
NOVEMBER: Epidemik @ The Junction (Cambridge), Bounce 2 This @ Subway City (Birmingham), No Skillz Aloud @ TM Bar (Northampton)
DECEMBER: Bang Face @ Elektrowerkz (London), Lean 2 Mean @ Fever (Northampton, 21st December)
2007
JANUARY: Bang Face @ Elektrowerkz (London)
FEBRUARY: Epidemik @ The Junction (Cambridge)
MARCH: Epidemik @ The Junction (Cambridge), Radioactive Hardcore @ The Angel (Bedford), Epidemik @ Ministry of Sound (London)
APRIL: Tasty @ Mass (London), Bang Face @ Elektrowerkz
MAY: Push Up @ Cross Kings (London)
JUNE: Moondance @ seOne (London)
OCTOBER: Breakpirates 6th Birthday @ Rampant Lion (Manchester)
DECEMBER: Epidemik 12th Birthday @ Ministry of Sound (London), Cruze-In @ JDs Bar (Sutton Coldfield), Moondance @ seOne (London)
2006
JANUARY: Moondance @ seOne (London)
MARCH: Subliminal Discharge @ Deep Blue (London)
APRIL: Raindance @ seOne (London)
MAY: Hysteria @ seOne (London), Old Skool Awards @ KoKo (London)
JUNE: Hardcore Overload @ The Emporium (Coalville)
JULY: High Voltage @ The Angel (Bedford)
SEPTEMBER: Epidemik @ Ministry of Sound (London), Bang Face @ Elektrowerkz (London)
OCTOBER: Musik4You Awards @ Destiny (Watford), Extreme Old Skool @ OC's Bar (Birmingham)
NOVEMBER: Epidemik @ Ministry of Sound (London)
DECEMBER: Epidemik @ The Junction (Cambridge), Out of This World 2 @ Renaisance Rooms (London), Polysexual vs Twisted @ Heaven (London), Moondance @ seOne (London)
2005
JANUARY: Back to the Oldskool @ KoKo (London)
MARCH: Fruit Club @ Brunel Rooms (Swindon)
MAY: Subliminal Discharge @ Mass (London)
AUGUST: Total Bedlam vs Vibealite @ The Venue (Long Eaton)
SEPTEMBER: Timelapse @ Masons (Thrapston)
NOVEMBER: Cruze In @ JDs Bar (Sutton Coldfield)
DECEMBER: Moondance @ seOne (London)
2004
FEBRUARY: Renegade @ Queens Ents (Cambridge)
APRIL: Club Lockup @ EQ (London)
MAY: Sunday Sundae @ The Peacock (London)
JUNE: Resonance Sunday Skool @ The Peacock (London)
JULY: Independance @ The Peacock (London)
AUGUST: 2 Fat Ladies @ The Peacock (London)
OCTOBER: H-Bomb 2: Fight Night @ Phatz (Maidenhead)
NOVEMEBR: Remember Remember @ The Rhythm Factory (London)
2003
SEPTEMBER: Resonance Sunday Skool @ The Peacock (London)
DECEMBER: Club Lockup @ Limelight (London)
1996-2000
Various Bournemouth venues with the Bournemouth DJ Society
