Ian M is the original hard house DJ and still the best.
For eight years in the ‘90s, the Leicester prodigy played a central role in the success of the most important after-hours club in British dance music history, Trade, the most influential club in the annals of hardness.
Having cut his teeth in his hometown for several years towards the end of the 80s, the DJ world’s God of thunder got his first big break when Trade offered him a slot on a tour date in Birmingham.
The rewarding residency which followed at the London club’s homebase in London gave Ian the challenging task of playing after the lord of the dance Tony de Vit, one which he pulled off successfully week after week.
The fruitful relationship with Trade afforded the Godfather of hard house a number of memorable career highlights. These include playing to an audience of 250,000 at the Love Parade in Leeds, teaming up with Danny Tenaglia at Twilo in New York and headlining Dance Valley in Amsterdam alongside Carl Cox.
The punisher’s more recent successes at the epicentre of the hard universe are as notable and widespread, as his much-admired residencies at Sundissential, Insomniacz, Storm, Twist, Sinergy, Fuel and Insekt testify.
Worldwide demand for his dynamic DJ sets has taken Ian to France, Hong Kong, Ibiza, South Africa, Washington, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
As a creator of top quality tunes with high production values, Ian has never been described as prolific, but when he does deliver a new tune it tends to be an event rather than just a record coming out.
Who can forget the phenomenal global hysteria surrounding his timeless masterpiece ‘Crazy Pills’ when it first appeared?
Prior to that landmark outing, a string of unforgettable classics had cemented his reputation as a most outstanding music maker.
These include two remixes of Dyewitness for Tidy Trax, his famed ‘Black Is Black’ remake for the same label, the storming singles ‘Annihilation’ and ‘The Dreamer’ along with hard-as-nails treatments for top labels such as React, Tripoli Trax, Elasticman, OVD, Kaktai and Mohawk.
Ian compiled and mixed the biggest-selling volume of the Trade album series, and has also released a host of superb compilation mixes for Tidy Trax, Fevah and Torture Garden.
Ask any hard house DJ to cite their influences and you can bet that Ian M is near the top of their list, and his pervasive influence shows no sign of waning.
Yes, it felt like trade of old. Will really miss Turnmills. Not out till Justin Bourne's last do at The Colosseum, going to try and convince Phil to go ;) Are you going? x
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