DJ Hype

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DJ Hype is a stage name of drum and bass producer and DJ Kevin Ford. DJ Hype is widely considered one of the pillars of modern drum and bass, with a pivotal role in expanding musical styles within that genre. He was an early DJ on one of London’s pirate stations, Fantasy FM, and has been popular on the international DJ circuit, landing awards for Best Male DJ and Best Radio DJ (in 1994 and 1995, respectively) at the U.K.’s Hardcore Awards. He is also one of the London radio station Kiss 100’s main attractions, and was a player in Suburban Base’s compilation series, Drum and Bass Selection. A champion of jungle’s dancefloor purity, DJ Hype has also rallied consistently against jungle's compartmentalization into artificial “scenes” in the late 1990s.

[edit] History

DJ Hype began producing in 1990, engineering and co-producing tracks (including chart-toppers such as “Exorcist” and “The Bee”) for hardcore staples Kickin’, Strictly Underground, and Suburban Base. Although he never lost touch with his breakbeat roots (even going so far as to spin hip-hop instrumentals over house tracks to add a bit of rhythmic flair), it wasn’t until he launched his own Ganja label in 1994 (with the single “Cops”) that he began seriously focusing on the post-rave possibilities of sampled breaks.

The Ganja label gained almost immediate popularity, primarily through floor-fillers such as DJ Krome & Time’s “Ganja Man” and DJ Zinc’s “Super Sharp Shooter.” That popularity peaked in late 1995 with Still Smokin’, a label compilation released jointly by Ganja and cohort Pascal’s Frontline imprint. The album became one of the highest-selling independent jungle compilations. Re-released in 1997, its success also led to a major label deal with MCA’s Parousia sublabel and the establishment of True Playaz, a DJ Hype–led DJ and production unit also including DJ Zinc, Pascal, and Rude Bwoy Monty. True Playaz has also come to the fore as one of the more consistent outlets for hardstep, a style that all but disappeared during the jump up and techstep dominated mid 1990s.