Darren Styles
Encyclopedia
Darren James Mew better known as Darren Styles, is a British record producer
, disc jockey
and singer-songwriter
from Colchester
, England
. Originally a member of the breakbeat hardcore
group DJ Force & The Evolution, Darren found success during the 1990s as one half of Force & Styles. The duo were pioneers of happy hardcore
and wrote several well-known songs such as "Heart of Gold
", "Pretty Green Eyes
" and "Paradise & Dreams
".
In the early 2000s, Darren Styles began producing more trance
-influenced records with Mark Brady
as Styles & Breeze. The duo released two hit singles "You're Shining
" (2004) and "Heartbeatz
" (2005) which both reached the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart
. They have been involved in all volumes of the popular Clubland X-Treme Hardcore
compilation series.
As a solo artist Darren Styles has released two studio albums, the Gold-selling Skydivin'
(2008) and Feel the Pressure
(2010). He has also frequently collaborated with several other artists such as Hixxy
, Ultrabeat
and N-Force.
, Essex
, England
. He was encouraged to play music from an early age by his father, a blues fan, and always had a passion for music. He spent many nights mastering his ability on the keyboard and developing his own style, inspired by dance music. In February 1992 in Clacton-on-Sea
, Styles had his first "hands on" experience of the underground rave scene in "Oscar's Nightclub" on Clacton Pier
. This event lead to him wanting to be a part of the dance music community.
group DJ Force & The Evolution (with Paul Hobbs, James Broomfield and Paul Hughes) released in 1993. The group signed to hardcore record label Kniteforce and many of their tracks were played by Carl Cox. The group also produced tracks using the alias A Sense of Summer for another hardcore label Universal Records owned by Slipmatt
.
In 1995 he and Paul Hobbs set up their own label UK Dance Records so they could quickly release more material and have complete artistic license over their records. They began producing using the alias Force & Styles and released many 12-inch records on UK Dance and by 1996 their popularity had grown so that they were DJing every weekend up and down the UK, as well as touring Australia, North America, and Ibiza on a regular basis. The two also held residencies at various events including those by Slammin Vinyl, Helter Skelter and United Dance.
By 1997, they had produced some of the biggest happy hardcore
tracks of the time, many of which went on to be covered by commercial dance artists, including singles "Heart of Gold
", "Paradise & Dreams
", "Pretty Green Eyes
", "Pacific Sun
" and "Field of Dreams
". Force & Styles picked up many awards at this time and they were the first ever hardcore DJs to do a guest mix for Pete Tong
's Essential Mix
radio show on BBC Radio 1
.
Force & Styles released three albums: All over the UK
(1996), Simply Electric (1998) - a compilation of tracks by DJ Force & The Evolution and Force & Styles - and their greatest hits album Heart of Gold (2000).
. They also started making Hardcore which was released as 12" records for Hixxy's label Raver Baby.
Styles & Breeze have also released two top 20 singles, "You're Shining
" and "Heartbeatz
" featuring Karen Danzig
, on the major dance label All Around The World.
" which was released as Unique in 1998. His solo career as Darren Styles started in 2002 after releasing a record for Nukleuz and other labels. He has also released many records on Raver Baby and his first solo single was "Save Me
" released on All Around the World
Styles has released singles collaborating with other artists such as "Sure Feels Good
" and "Discolights
" with Ultrabeat
and "Right by Your Side" with N-Force. In 2008, he released Skydivin'
. The album was a collection of old and new hardcore and commercial songs. This album reached #4 in the UK, # 41 in Ireland and has since been certified Gold in the UK. His follow up single to "Discolights" with Ultrabeat was the song "Girls Like You", released 2 February 2009. Styles owns Junkbox Records which has released a number of singles.
In June and July 2009, Styles and Ultrabeat embarked on a ten-date UK-wide co-headlined tour, accompanied by Breeze, Infextious, DJ Frisco, MC Domino, Rebecca Rudd (Ultrabeat) and N-force. Starting in Sheffield, the tour went to Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and London. In late November and early December 2009, Styles was part of Clubland
Live 3 which toured through England, Scotland and Ireland.
Styles' new album Feel the Pressure was released on the 23rd August 2010, and features his top new singles such as "Outta My Head", "Sound Without a Name" and "Holding On".
. They had a baby girl on the 3rd of November 2010.
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...
, disc jockey
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...
and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Colchester
Colchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, England
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...
. Originally a member of the breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore is a derivative of the acid house and techno, of the late 1980s and early 1990s, that combines four-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with the UK rave scene.-The rave scene:...
group DJ Force & The Evolution, Darren found success during the 1990s as one half of Force & Styles. The duo were pioneers of happy hardcore
Happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...
and wrote several well-known songs such as "Heart of Gold
Heart of Gold (Force & Styles song)
"Heart of Gold" is a song written and recorded by Force & Styles. It was first recorded and released in on Force & Styles album All over the UK with the vocals by Jenna, and it was released as a single in 1998 with vocals by Kelly Llorenna. It is one of the most well known hardcore songs and was...
", "Pretty Green Eyes
Pretty Green Eyes
"Pretty Green Eyes" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. A remixed version appeared on their debut album All Over the UK and the song was released as a 12-inch single in 1997. The song achieved mainstream popularity in 2003 when it was covered by Ultrabeat...
" and "Paradise & Dreams
Paradise & Dreams
"Paradise & Dreams" is a song written and recorded by producers Force & Styles featuring Junior which was originally appeared on their album All over the UK and was released as a single in 1997...
".
In the early 2000s, Darren Styles began producing more trance
Trance 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...
-influenced records with Mark Brady
Mark Breeze
Mark Breeze, also known as DJ Breeze , is a UK Hardcore producer based in the United Kingdom. He is most known for his songs "Let's Fly" and "Jump A Little Higher", and frequently contributes DJ mixes to hardcore compilation series such as the Clubland X-Treme Hardcore series.He is mostly known in...
as Styles & Breeze. The duo released two hit singles "You're Shining
You're Shining
-Music video:The video has a girl up in space singing whilst the sun shines bright, then it goes to a club where she is singing the song, Styles & Breeze are DJ's in the club and the audience is raving to the song.-Remixes:# You're Shining...
" (2004) and "Heartbeatz
Heartbeatz
"Heartbeatz" is a song performed by duo Styles & Breeze, it featured Karen Danzig, it became Styles & Breezes second top 20 hit.- Remixes :# Heartbeatz # Heartbeatz # Heartbeatz # Heartbeatz...
" (2005) which both reached the Top 20 of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. They have been involved in all volumes of the popular Clubland X-Treme Hardcore
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore
Clubland X-Treme Hardcore is the first album in the Clubland X-Treme Hardcore series from Clubland which features Hardcore tracks selected by Darren Styles, Breeze, and Hixxy...
compilation series.
As a solo artist Darren Styles has released two studio albums, the Gold-selling Skydivin'
Skydivin'
Skydivin' is the début solo studio album by British dance musician Darren Styles.-Background:The album debuted at #4 in the UK album chart with sales of 22,197...
(2008) and Feel the Pressure
Feel the Pressure
Feel the Pressure is the second studio album by Darren Styles. It was released August 23, 2010.-Background:Styles' previous album Skydivin was his début album as a solo artist and sold well achieving a Gold certification...
(2010). He has also frequently collaborated with several other artists such as Hixxy
Hixxy
Hixxy or DJ Hixxy, born Ian Hicks, is a British UK Hardcore and previously happy hardcore DJ and musician from Portsmouth, England....
, Ultrabeat
Ultrabeat (English band)
Ultrabeat are an English electronic music group from Liverpool, England consisting of producer and vocalist Mike Di Scala and producers Ian Redman and Chris Henry. Formed in 2002, Ultrabeat first emerged with their single "Pretty Green Eyes" which reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart...
and N-Force.
Early life
Styles was born as Darren James Mew in ColchesterColchester
Colchester is an historic town and the largest settlement within the borough of Colchester in Essex, England.At the time of the census in 2001, it had a population of 104,390. However, the population is rapidly increasing, and has been named as one of Britain's fastest growing towns. As the...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
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...
. He was encouraged to play music from an early age by his father, a blues fan, and always had a passion for music. He spent many nights mastering his ability on the keyboard and developing his own style, inspired by dance music. In February 1992 in Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
, Styles had his first "hands on" experience of the underground rave scene in "Oscar's Nightclub" on Clacton Pier
Clacton Pier
-Development:Officially the first building of the new resort of Clacton-on-Sea, the pier was officially opened on 27 July 1871, as a wooden structure in length and wide...
. This event lead to him wanting to be a part of the dance music community.
Force & Styles
His first records were as part of the breakbeat hardcoreBreakbeat hardcore
Breakbeat hardcore is a derivative of the acid house and techno, of the late 1980s and early 1990s, that combines four-to-the-floor rhythms with breakbeats, and is associated with the UK rave scene.-The rave scene:...
group DJ Force & The Evolution (with Paul Hobbs, James Broomfield and Paul Hughes) released in 1993. The group signed to hardcore record label Kniteforce and many of their tracks were played by Carl Cox. The group also produced tracks using the alias A Sense of Summer for another hardcore label Universal Records owned by Slipmatt
Slipmatt
Slipmatt is an English happy hardcore producer and DJ based in Essex, England. He was one half of rave act SL2, who had a 1992 UK hit with "On A Ragga Tip".-History:...
.
In 1995 he and Paul Hobbs set up their own label UK Dance Records so they could quickly release more material and have complete artistic license over their records. They began producing using the alias Force & Styles and released many 12-inch records on UK Dance and by 1996 their popularity had grown so that they were DJing every weekend up and down the UK, as well as touring Australia, North America, and Ibiza on a regular basis. The two also held residencies at various events including those by Slammin Vinyl, Helter Skelter and United Dance.
By 1997, they had produced some of the biggest happy hardcore
Happy hardcore
Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...
tracks of the time, many of which went on to be covered by commercial dance artists, including singles "Heart of Gold
Heart of Gold (Force & Styles song)
"Heart of Gold" is a song written and recorded by Force & Styles. It was first recorded and released in on Force & Styles album All over the UK with the vocals by Jenna, and it was released as a single in 1998 with vocals by Kelly Llorenna. It is one of the most well known hardcore songs and was...
", "Paradise & Dreams
Paradise & Dreams
"Paradise & Dreams" is a song written and recorded by producers Force & Styles featuring Junior which was originally appeared on their album All over the UK and was released as a single in 1997...
", "Pretty Green Eyes
Pretty Green Eyes
"Pretty Green Eyes" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. A remixed version appeared on their debut album All Over the UK and the song was released as a 12-inch single in 1997. The song achieved mainstream popularity in 2003 when it was covered by Ultrabeat...
", "Pacific Sun
Pacific Sun (song)
"Pacific Sun" is song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Junior. It was originally released on white label in 1997 and appeared on their greatest hits album Heart of Gold...
" and "Field of Dreams
Field of Dreams (song)
"Field of Dreams" is a song originally written and recorded by Force & Styles featuring Jenna on vocals. The song was released on white label in 1997 and later appeared on their greatest hits album Heart of Gold . In 2003 the song was covered by Flip & Fill featuring Jo James and reached No...
". Force & Styles picked up many awards at this time and they were the first ever hardcore DJs to do a guest mix for Pete Tong
Pete Tong
Peter "Pete" Tong is an English DJ who works for BBC Radio 1. He is known worldwide by fans of electronic music for hosting programmes such as Essential Mix and Essential Selection on the radio service, which can be heard through Internet radio streams, for his record label FFRR Records, and for...
's Essential Mix
Essential Mix
The Essential Mix is a weekly radio show on BBC Radio 1 currently broadcast between 03:00 and 05:00 Saturday morning. Originally broadcast on 30 October 1993, The Essential Mix features contemporary DJs and music producers of electronic dance music....
radio show on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
.
Force & Styles released three albums: All over the UK
All over the UK
All over the UK was a studio album by British happy hardcore musicians Force & Styles released on 26 August 1996 on United Dance Recordings.-Background:...
(1996), Simply Electric (1998) - a compilation of tracks by DJ Force & The Evolution and Force & Styles - and their greatest hits album Heart of Gold (2000).
Styles & Breeze
During the early 2000s Styles began adopting a more trance influenced sound and started producing with Mark Brady as Styles & Breeze. Most notable of these productions was the single "Let Me Fly" produced under the name 'Infextious' and released on Hard House label NukleuzNukleuz
Nukleuz is a dance record label based in the Clapham area of London, UK. Nukleuz is the home to many artists and compilation series in various genres including trance, UK hardcore, tech house and hard house....
. They also started making Hardcore which was released as 12" records for Hixxy's label Raver Baby.
Styles & Breeze have also released two top 20 singles, "You're Shining
You're Shining
-Music video:The video has a girl up in space singing whilst the sun shines bright, then it goes to a club where she is singing the song, Styles & Breeze are DJ's in the club and the audience is raving to the song.-Remixes:# You're Shining...
" and "Heartbeatz
Heartbeatz
"Heartbeatz" is a song performed by duo Styles & Breeze, it featured Karen Danzig, it became Styles & Breezes second top 20 hit.- Remixes :# Heartbeatz # Heartbeatz # Heartbeatz # Heartbeatz...
" featuring Karen Danzig
Karen Danzig
Karen Danzig is a British singer with paternal German ancestry.Danzig, mostly known for her success in the Clubland genre of Dance music, sang and co-wrote "Heartbeatz" which entered the Top 20 UK charts at No.16 on All Around The World Records....
, on the major dance label All Around The World.
Solo career
Styles' first solo record was "Feelin' FineFeelin' Fine
"Feelin' Fine" is a song written by Darren Mew and originally released as a happy hardcore song in 1998 under the alias Unique. In 2003, Ultrabeat released a cover of the song, and added newly written lyrics, as their second single which reached #12 in the UK Singles Chart-Unique version:Darren...
" which was released as Unique in 1998. His solo career as Darren Styles started in 2002 after releasing a record for Nukleuz and other labels. He has also released many records on Raver Baby and his first solo single was "Save Me
Save Me (Darren Styles song)
"Save Me" is a single by British DJ Darren Styles, the third single released form his album Skydivin, it was released in 2006. The single reached #70 on the UK Singles Chart.-Track listing:CD Single / Download#Original Hardcore Edit...
" released on All Around the World
All Around the World
All Around the World may refer to:* "All Around the World" * "All Around the World" * "All Around the World" * "All Around the World"...
Styles has released singles collaborating with other artists such as "Sure Feels Good
Sure Feels Good
"Sure Feels Good" is a song written and recorded by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles, released as a single in 2007. It was the first Styles/Ultrabeat collaboration since Ultrabeat covered "Pretty Green Eyes" and "Feelin' Fine" in 2003...
" and "Discolights
Discolights
"Discolights" is a song written and produced by Ultrabeat and Darren Styles and it is taken from Darren's debut solo album, Skydivin and Ultrabeat's second album The Weekend Has Landed. The song combines the hardcore and commercial styles of the two artists...
" with Ultrabeat
Ultrabeat (English band)
Ultrabeat are an English electronic music group from Liverpool, England consisting of producer and vocalist Mike Di Scala and producers Ian Redman and Chris Henry. Formed in 2002, Ultrabeat first emerged with their single "Pretty Green Eyes" which reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart...
and "Right by Your Side" with N-Force. In 2008, he released Skydivin'
Skydivin'
Skydivin' is the début solo studio album by British dance musician Darren Styles.-Background:The album debuted at #4 in the UK album chart with sales of 22,197...
. The album was a collection of old and new hardcore and commercial songs. This album reached #4 in the UK, # 41 in Ireland and has since been certified Gold in the UK. His follow up single to "Discolights" with Ultrabeat was the song "Girls Like You", released 2 February 2009. Styles owns Junkbox Records which has released a number of singles.
In June and July 2009, Styles and Ultrabeat embarked on a ten-date UK-wide co-headlined tour, accompanied by Breeze, Infextious, DJ Frisco, MC Domino, Rebecca Rudd (Ultrabeat) and N-force. Starting in Sheffield, the tour went to Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and London. In late November and early December 2009, Styles was part of Clubland
Clubland
Clubland may refer to:* Clubland , an American film by Mary Lambert* Clubland , an Australian comedy film* Clubland , a 1990s house-music group* Clubland , a UK dance album and events brand...
Live 3 which toured through England, Scotland and Ireland.
Styles' new album Feel the Pressure was released on the 23rd August 2010, and features his top new singles such as "Outta My Head", "Sound Without a Name" and "Holding On".
Personal life
Styles is engaged to Fiona Merry who appeared on the reality television series ShipwreckedShipwrecked (TV series)
Shipwrecked is a British reality television programme airing on Channel 4's youth programming brand, T4. The original version ran for 3 series from 9 January 2000 to 20 December 2001 and was constructed as a social experiment, without a competitive format or a prize.The programme returned for 4...
. They had a baby girl on the 3rd of November 2010.
Awards
- 1997 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Producers: Force & Styles
- 1997 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Live PA: Force & Styles
- 1997 Hardcore Heaven Awards Rookie DJs of the Year: Force & Styles
- 1997 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Record Label: UK Dance
- 1997 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Visiting DJ: Darren Styles
- 1997 Kiss FM Awards Best Hardcore Record: "Heart of Gold"
- 1998 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Producers: Force & Styles
- 2003 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Producers: Styles & Breeze
- 2003 Kiss FM Awards Best Hardcore Record: "You're Shining"
- 2004 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Producers: Styles & Breeze
- 2004 Kiss FM Awards Best Hardcore Record: "Heartbeatz"
- 2005 Kiss FM Awards Best Hardcore Record: "Slide Away"
- 2006 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Producer: Darren Styles
- 2006 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best DJ: Darren Styles
- 2006 Hardcore Heaven Awards Track of the Year: "Save Me"
- 2007 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best DJ: Darren Styles
- 2008 Hardcore Heaven Awards Best Producer: Darren Styles
- 2008 Hardcore Heaven Awards Track of the Year: "Flashlight"
- 2009 Hardcore Heaven Awards Outstanding Contribution: Darren Styles
- 2009 Hardcore Heaven Awards Track of the Year "Sorry"
- 2010 Total Dance Music Album of the Year: Feel The Pressure
- 2010 Hardcore Heaven Awards Track of the Year: "Smack You Like a Bitch"
Discography
- All over the UKAll over the UKAll over the UK was a studio album by British happy hardcore musicians Force & Styles released on 26 August 1996 on United Dance Recordings.-Background:...
(1996) (as Force & Styles) - Skydivin'Skydivin'Skydivin' is the début solo studio album by British dance musician Darren Styles.-Background:The album debuted at #4 in the UK album chart with sales of 22,197...
(2008) - Feel the PressureFeel the PressureFeel the Pressure is the second studio album by Darren Styles. It was released August 23, 2010.-Background:Styles' previous album Skydivin was his début album as a solo artist and sold well achieving a Gold certification...
(2010)