Danny Howells
Encyclopedia
Danny Howells is an English
producer
and DJ
. His music is often described as progressive house, though he prefers to associate more with tech house
and is sometimes described simply as "deepsexyfuturistictechfunkouse". At performances, he is well known to interact personally with the audience. Howells has mixed several albums for Global Underground
in addition to his Nocturnal Frequencies series. Howells is also a member of the duo Science Department with Dick Trevor, which has produced the singles "Breathe" and "Persuasion"/"Repercussion" as well as remixes for artists such as BT. From 2008 he has run his own record label, Dig Deeper - named after his long running club night.
town of Hastings
in 1970. Howells's first event DJ-ing came in the late 1980s and he began to perform at local clubs. In 1991, Bedrock
founder John Digweed
heard one of Howells's mix tapes and invited Howells to join the Bedrock club nights. Howells traveled with Bedrock until they settled at the club Heaven
in London
. He would spend nine years as warm-up DJ for Digweed at Bedrock.
In 1995, Howells began producing experimental techno tracks with fellow Hastings native, Tim Cross, under the moniker Squelch. Over the next two years, Squelch produced several singles and attracted the attention of the record label Jackpot, who released what would be Cross's and Howells's final single together. In 1997, Cross and Howells split, though Howells stayed with Jackpot. Jackpot teamed Danny Howells up with Rob Green to produce a remix of React 2 Rhythm's "Intoxication". Howells performed for the first time outside of the UK, traveling to Holland for his first gig abroad, which gained him a large fan base there. Following his international tour, Howells signed with Dutch
record label ID&T
to create his debut mix album, Nightlife Report 1: Mick Boskamp Presents Danny Howells. Howells and Green continued to work together, including on a remix of Robbie Williams
's "South of the Border
. Howells began to produce solo as well, taking on projects such as Ashtrax's "Kafka" and BT's "Dreaming".
In 1999, Danny Howells began his Nocturnal Frequencies series of mix albums on the record label Obsessive. He also began remixing with Dick Trevor, and the two soon adopted the name Science Department for their original productions. Howells continued his live DJ-ing, playing regularly at clubs including Bedrock, Renaissance, Cream
, and Ministry of Sound
. After the release of his next Nocturnal Frequencies album, Howells left Bedrock and Ministry of Sound, taking a residency at Twilo
in New York City
. After finishing the Science Department track "Breathe", Howells compiled his next mix album Nubreed 002
. The second entry in Global Underground
's Nubreed series, Howells's album consisted largely of funky, progressive, tech house
. Howells was voted number ten of the world's top DJs in DJ Magazine's 2001 Top 100 DJs poll.
Howells continued his relationship with Global Underground, releasing the first album in their 24:7 series in July 2003. The first disc features a primarily downtempo
or chill out music
, similarly to Nick Warren
's Global Underground 024: Reykjavik, while the second is more of a club mix. In 2005, Global Underground brought in Howells for the 27th entry in their series. Howells entry, Global Underground 027: Miami, is based on his 31 October 2004 performance at Club Space
in Miami, Florida
. The first disc is based on his morning set and the second disc on his late night set.
In 2008 he launched his own record label "Dig Deeper", initially as a means of showcasing his own productions, but more recently featuring many new and established artists. In 2011 he released the first compilation on this imprint, entitled "Phase One".
". However, with the commercialisation of trance, Howells and others began to be classified as progressive house, tribal house
, or tech house
.
Danny Howells is also known for his unique clothing styles, including wearing eye liner
and "loud" Paisley
shirts, which he buys from vintage stores or thrift shops.
Remixes
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. His music is often described as progressive house, though he prefers to associate more with tech house
Tech house
Tech house is a subgenre of house music that mixes elements of minimal techno into simple, 4-to-4 beats found in soulful deep house. The genre came to prominence in the late-1990s atmosphere of American clubs as soul influenced Detroit-style techno that also borrowed elements from house before...
and is sometimes described simply as "deepsexyfuturistictechfunkouse". At performances, he is well known to interact personally with the audience. Howells has mixed several albums for Global Underground
Global Underground
Global Underground is a music label founded in 1996 by Andy Horsfield and James Todd. The label symbolizes the international explosion of dance music during the 1990s and first manifesto for high-end DJs such as Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Danny Tenaglia, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, Darren...
in addition to his Nocturnal Frequencies series. Howells is also a member of the duo Science Department with Dick Trevor, which has produced the singles "Breathe" and "Persuasion"/"Repercussion" as well as remixes for artists such as BT. From 2008 he has run his own record label, Dig Deeper - named after his long running club night.
Biography
Danny Howells was born in the South East EnglandSouth East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England, designated in 1994 and adopted for statistical purposes in 1999. It consists of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex...
town of Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
in 1970. Howells's first event DJ-ing came in the late 1980s and he began to perform at local clubs. In 1991, Bedrock
Bedrock Records
thumb|200px|Bedrock RecordsBedrock Records is an English record label for trance, house and techno started by Nick Muir and John Digweed.Its name comes from a nightclub in London that is also called Bedrock. Bedrock Records has released many singles from artists such as Astro & Glyde, Brancaccio &...
founder John Digweed
John Digweed
John Digweed is an English DJ, record producer and acclaimed actor.-Biography:John Digweed began DJing around age 4...
heard one of Howells's mix tapes and invited Howells to join the Bedrock club nights. Howells traveled with Bedrock until they settled at the club Heaven
Heaven (nightclub)
Heaven is a Superclub in London, England which appeals predominantly to the gay market. It is located underneath Charing Cross railway station in Central London, just off Trafalgar Square.-Early history:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He would spend nine years as warm-up DJ for Digweed at Bedrock.
In 1995, Howells began producing experimental techno tracks with fellow Hastings native, Tim Cross, under the moniker Squelch. Over the next two years, Squelch produced several singles and attracted the attention of the record label Jackpot, who released what would be Cross's and Howells's final single together. In 1997, Cross and Howells split, though Howells stayed with Jackpot. Jackpot teamed Danny Howells up with Rob Green to produce a remix of React 2 Rhythm's "Intoxication". Howells performed for the first time outside of the UK, traveling to Holland for his first gig abroad, which gained him a large fan base there. Following his international tour, Howells signed with Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
record label ID&T
ID&T
ID&T is a Dutch entertainment and medium enterprise that was founded in the early 1990s.ID&T stands for the initials of three founders of the company, Irfan, Duncan and Theo, all residents of Amsterdam...
to create his debut mix album, Nightlife Report 1: Mick Boskamp Presents Danny Howells. Howells and Green continued to work together, including on a remix of Robbie Williams
Robbie Williams
Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...
's "South of the Border
South of the Border (1997 song)
"South of the Border" is a 1997 song released by Robbie Williams, the third single from his debut album Life Thru a Lens. The song reached #14 on the singles chart, his only single to miss the top ten until "Sin Sin Sin" in 2006. Williams described this single as "One of the best, so much better...
. Howells began to produce solo as well, taking on projects such as Ashtrax's "Kafka" and BT's "Dreaming".
In 1999, Danny Howells began his Nocturnal Frequencies series of mix albums on the record label Obsessive. He also began remixing with Dick Trevor, and the two soon adopted the name Science Department for their original productions. Howells continued his live DJ-ing, playing regularly at clubs including Bedrock, Renaissance, Cream
Cream (nightclub)
Cream, based at the Nation nightclub in Liverpool, is one of the best-known night clubs in the UK. Cream began life as a weekly house music night at Nation, and ran in this format for 10 years, from October 1992 to June 2002...
, and Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
. After the release of his next Nocturnal Frequencies album, Howells left Bedrock and Ministry of Sound, taking a residency at Twilo
Twilo
Twilo was an American nightclub in operation from 1995 to 2001 in New York City and from 2006 to 2007 in Miami. The New York location at 530 West 27th Street in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan regularly attracted a crowd of thousands to its warehouse-like dance floor...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After finishing the Science Department track "Breathe", Howells compiled his next mix album Nubreed 002
Nubreed 002
Nubreed 002 is a house music mix album in the Nubreed series by Boxed. It is mixed and compiled by Danny Howells.-Disc 1:#16B - "Let The Show Begin" #Echomen - "Orient" #The Beloved - "Timeslip "...
. The second entry in Global Underground
Global Underground
Global Underground is a music label founded in 1996 by Andy Horsfield and James Todd. The label symbolizes the international explosion of dance music during the 1990s and first manifesto for high-end DJs such as Sasha, Paul Oakenfold, John Digweed, Danny Tenaglia, Nick Warren, Dave Seaman, Darren...
's Nubreed series, Howells's album consisted largely of funky, progressive, tech house
Tech house
Tech house is a subgenre of house music that mixes elements of minimal techno into simple, 4-to-4 beats found in soulful deep house. The genre came to prominence in the late-1990s atmosphere of American clubs as soul influenced Detroit-style techno that also borrowed elements from house before...
. Howells was voted number ten of the world's top DJs in DJ Magazine's 2001 Top 100 DJs poll.
Howells continued his relationship with Global Underground, releasing the first album in their 24:7 series in July 2003. The first disc features a primarily downtempo
Downtempo
Downtempo is a laid-back electronic music style similar to ambient music, but usually with a beat or groove unlike the beatless forms of Ambient music. The beat is sometimes made from loops that have a hypnotic feeling...
or chill out music
Chill out music
Chill out music is an umbrella term for several styles of electronic music characterized by their mellow style and mid-tempo beats — "chill" being derived from a slang injunction to "relax."Chill out music emerged in the early and mid-1990s in "chill rooms" at dance clubs, where relaxing music...
, similarly to Nick Warren
Nick Warren
Nick Warren is an English house DJ and producer. He is well-known for his eight albums released in the Global Underground series and as a member of the duo Way Out West...
's Global Underground 024: Reykjavik, while the second is more of a club mix. In 2005, Global Underground brought in Howells for the 27th entry in their series. Howells entry, Global Underground 027: Miami, is based on his 31 October 2004 performance at Club Space
Club Space
Club Space is a large nightclub located in the downtown area of Miami, Florida, owned by Louis Puig.In the nine years of operation, Space has resided in two buildings. was a one-story renovated warehouse, consisting of three rooms, as well as an outdoor patio area, which was one of the primary...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. The first disc is based on his morning set and the second disc on his late night set.
In 2008 he launched his own record label "Dig Deeper", initially as a means of showcasing his own productions, but more recently featuring many new and established artists. In 2011 he released the first compilation on this imprint, entitled "Phase One".
Genre and style
Up until the late 1990s, DJs such as Howells allowed themselves to be categorised under genres like "deep tranceTrance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
". However, with the commercialisation of trance, Howells and others began to be classified as progressive house, tribal house
Tribal house
Tribal house is a subgenre of house music similar in structure to deep house, but providing elements of ethnic or indigenous musical percussions...
, or tech house
Tech house
Tech house is a subgenre of house music that mixes elements of minimal techno into simple, 4-to-4 beats found in soulful deep house. The genre came to prominence in the late-1990s atmosphere of American clubs as soul influenced Detroit-style techno that also borrowed elements from house before...
.
Danny Howells is also known for his unique clothing styles, including wearing eye liner
Eye liner
Eye liner is a cosmetic used to define the eyes. It is applied around the contours of the eye to create a variety of aesthetic illusions. Although primarily aimed at females, it has broadened its appeal to the male market, known commonly by the portmanteau guyliner.-History:Eyeliner was first used...
and "loud" Paisley
Paisley (design)
Paisley or Paisley pattern is a droplet-shaped vegetable motif of Indian, Pakistani and Persian origin. The pattern is sometimes called "Persian pickles" by American traditionalists, especially quiltmakers,The Persian Pickle Club, Sandra Dallas. St. Martin's Press,...
shirts, which he buys from vintage stores or thrift shops.
Selected discography
Albums- 1998: Nightlife Report 1: Mick Boskamp Presents Danny Howells (ID&TID&TID&T is a Dutch entertainment and medium enterprise that was founded in the early 1990s.ID&T stands for the initials of three founders of the company, Irfan, Duncan and Theo, all residents of Amsterdam...
) - 1999: Nocturnal Frequencies (Obsessive)
- 1999: Danny Howells Presents Jackpot Records (Jackpot)
- 2000: Nocturnal Frequencies 2 (Obsessive)
- 2000: Nubreed 002Nubreed 002Nubreed 002 is a house music mix album in the Nubreed series by Boxed. It is mixed and compiled by Danny Howells.-Disc 1:#16B - "Let The Show Begin" #Echomen - "Orient" #The Beloved - "Timeslip "...
(BoxedBoxedBoxed was a record label which has released around forty mix albums from DJs such as John Digweed, Nick Warren, and Danny Howells. They are most known for their Global Underground series. After stopping releases due to financial difficulties in 2003, Global Underground Ltd...
) - 2001: Renaissance: Revelation (Renaissance)
- 2002: Nocturnal Frequencies 3 (Obsessive)
- 2003: 24:7 (BoxedBoxedBoxed was a record label which has released around forty mix albums from DJs such as John Digweed, Nick Warren, and Danny Howells. They are most known for their Global Underground series. After stopping releases due to financial difficulties in 2003, Global Underground Ltd...
) (BillboardBillboard (magazine)Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Electronic AlbumsTop Electronic AlbumsDance/Electronic Albums is a music chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States. The chart debuted on the issue dated June 30, 2001. It originally began as a fifteen-position chart and has since expanded to twenty-five...
#10) - 2005: Global Underground 027: Miami (Global Underground Ltd.) (Billboard Top Electronic Albums #14)
- 2006: Choice - A Collection Of ClassicsChoice - A Collection Of ClassicsChoice – A Collection of Classics is a series of DJ mix albums, mixed by various artists for the independent record label Azuli Records.-History:...
(Azuli RecordsAzuli RecordsAzuli Records is an independent record label, focusing mainly on house music and other forms of electronic dance music. The label was founded by DJ Dave Piccioni in London, UK in 1991 and went into liquidation in April 2009. It's assets were sold to Phoenix Music International Ltd...
) - 2008: Renaissance: The Mix Collection (Renaissance)
- 2009: Dig Deeper: The New Label
Remixes
- Felix da HousecatFelix da HousecatFelix da Housecat is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash. His name was inspired by Felix the Cat....
- ("We All Wanna Be PrinceWe All Wanna Be Prince"We All Wanna Be Prince" is a song performed by American recording artist Felix da Housecat. Co-written by Alex Croisy, it was released as the album's second single in July 2009. The song was offered as the "Free MP3 of the Day" on Spinner.-Background:...
") (2009)