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PAUL HARRIS (DJ/PRODUCER/REMIXER)
The word ‘crossover’ could have been invented for DJ/producer/remixer Paul Harris. The Grammy-winning artist (with global dancestars Dirty Vegas) is as at home DJing and producing for underground clubs as he is playing at fashion shows for the likes of Julien Mcdonald and Hugo Boss. And while tracks like Baditude (with Dave Spoon and Sam Obernik) regularly land plaudits such as Essential New Tune on Pete Tong’s show, Harris is also the go-to guy for mainstream artists from Kylie (songwriting and production) to Justin Timberlake and Madonna (remix duties – Dirty Vegas’ mix of Die Another Die was used in the Bond film).
It’s all the same to South Londoner Harris, who with characteristic ‘down to earth’ aplomb says: “it doesn’t matter if it’s Madonna dancing next to you or Joe Bloggs, they all just want to have a good time”. Harris started his working life aged 16 as an Assistant Trader in the city, but making it to work for 6am after clubbing til 4am was no fun, so he bought a set of decks and committed to his first love - music. His first DJ break came aged 17, with a weekly set playing what was then known as ‘Balearic Beats’ (roughly translated to anything he fancied.) Before long, his residencies grew to include the legendary Milk Bar in London, Ministry of Sound and many others around the country, with guest spots at the halcyon clubbing spots of the time – Venus in Nottingham, the super glam Miss Moneypennys, Cream and Golden.
Paul soon graduated out of the DJ booth and into the studio. He formed ‘Colour System Inc’ with Fionn Lucas and following on from the success of their own releases, they turned out remixes for the likes of All Saints, Felix Da Housecat, Giselle Jackson and Johnson and Abacus. In 1999, Paul returned to the booth spinning at London’s hottest parties, hosted by Charlotte and Fran Cutler, and Meg Matthews, and a number of premier / launch parties spinning for the likes of Kylie, Madonna, Mario Testino, Fendi and Juicy Couture.
In 2000 a chance meeting with old friend Ben Harris led to ‘Hydrogen Rockers’ being formed – their first release ‘Musica’ was picked up by Plastica in London and Yoshitoshi in the US. Paul and Ben’s remixes proved their golden touch; supporters included Sasha, Digweed, Howells, Tong, Deep-Dish and Lawler – with dance floor fillers including ‘Sono – Keep Control’, ‘Lil Louis – Blackout’ and ‘J Magic – Love is Not a Game’. Fate stepped in again when Paul bumped into Steve Smith in an airport – a crazy weekend in Switzerland later and Paul, Ben and Steve formed Dirty Vegas. The first track off the starting block was Days Go By, and with haunting lyrics and vocals set against a prog-electro riff it became an instant club classic. A major label deal was signed and a full band put together – just in time for the track to be picked up for a national US advertising campaign for Mitsubishi… The ad got the most incredible response – for the music more than the car - the record became one of the most requested tracks on American radio,
Dirty Vegas’ album debuted on the US Billboard at number seven and went gold in the US and silver in the UK. A tour followed with Moby as did appearances on major TV shows ‘David Letterman’, ‘Jay Leno’ and ‘Carson Daley’, an MTV award nomination, three Dancestar awards (including record of the year) and of course the biggie – The Grammy for Best Dance Single (receiving three nominations in total). The boys were so convinced they weren’t going to win The Grammy they were actually in the bar when their award was announced and made their entrance at high speed down the centre aisle with the likes of Robert de Niro and Aretha Franklin looking...
Two solid years of touring, a second album, a sackful of silverware (including the slightly surreal Playboy Artist of the Year award) and a million albums sold, Paul realized he was missing the vibe of making and playing house music, so in February 2005 he left the band behind him and headed off to DJ, playing everywhere from Melbourne to Moscow, Singapore to Curitiba, and NYC to LA. He hasn’t completely abandoned the glamour and glitz – his gigs still include the swanky Serpentine Summer party, Jade Jagger’s parties for Sergeant Care Cancer and more, but you can also catch him rocking it everywhere from his residency at London mecca Bungalow 8 to Warung (Brazil), Ministry of Sound, Nikki Beach (Miami), and Mansion (NY) among others. The production and remix success continues; he’s just remixed the new Fatboy Slim track, Toe Jam (released under the new Brighton Port Authority moniker and featuring David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal alongside Norman Cook), Tom Novy and more. Work on an array of projects with writers such as Richard ‘Biff’ Standard, Karen Poole, Makeba Riddick, Kish Mauve and Andy Chatterly has left Paul keen to discover yet more new bands to produce and work with.
His ongoing project with Steve Mac has resulted in Essential New Tune In Love With You under their Atrium moniker – released on Positiva – and their last release, You, sat at number 3 in the Beatport Chart for weeks; expect more of the same from their next cut, Dizzy Heights. His Better Day track with Dirty South did equal damage, again receiving an Essential New Tune plaudit and bothering the top of the Beatport chart. He’s also produced and written for Kylie, Ladyhawke, Blondefire, Lorie, and formed a studio partnership with Jay P, releasing a slew of tracks under various guises. “I’m just obsessed with music,” says Paul. “Pop or underground, it’s all good – I’m still a total trainspotter really!”
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