James Hyman

James Hyman (born 18 April 1970) is a DJ, Radio & TV presenter, music supervisor and MD of JLH, a creative media–marketing company.

Hyman put aside his place at the University of Manchester (he was set to study Latin) in order to work at MTV Europe in the Press office, despite his parents' misgivings (partly because of his father's glimpse of the music industry through his cousin Brian Epstein).^[1]

Whilst at MTV Europe, Hyman studied "Film & Media" at London Guildhall University, graduating in 1992 with 1st class Honors.

TV work

Worked at MTV Europe (1988 to 2000), as a Press Officer then as Programmer / Producer / Director, focusing on Acid House and other Dance/Club/Rave cultures & scenes. His MTV shows, including Party Zone were broadcast to a potential 60 million European households and featured over 500 in-depth interviews with the likes of The Prodigy, Goldie, Moby, David Holmes, The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Paul Oakenfold, and Aphex Twin, many unknown at time of interview and seen first on MTV.

Co-presented MTV's "Up For It" and fronted a spin-off from MTV's Bytesize programme, providing daily reports on Internet news & web sites.^[2]

In 1992 with Coldcut produced a TV Megamix^[3] for Canal+'s weekly pop-culture show, which pre-empted his MTV Megamix format and shows that began broadcasting on MTV Europe in 1998.^[4][5]

In the late '90s / early 2000s, presented new media & web-based Pop-culture shows on Channel 4, Channel 5, produced for BBC's Play UK and produced / presented Headf**k plus a documentary about The Prisoner for the Sci-Fi Channel.

As a pop culture commentator (described as a "pop culturalist" by the BBC) has appeared on BBC News 24,^[6] BBC Three and Nuts TV's weekly music reviewer.^[7]

December 2009 produced a 2-hour Hot Mix - The Noughties for Channel 4 and associated Box Television stations.

Radio & DJing

Presented radio shows for Atlantic 252 and on Xfm London was producer / presenter of The Rinse & co-presenter / producer of the The Remix, the latter nominated in the Sony Radio Academy Awards for 2003.

Like his MTV shows, The Rinse featured in-depth interviews & music from key players at key moments in their careers, including Ice-T, Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Mike Skinner, Dizzee Rascal, Russell Simmons and Nas.^[8]

The Rinse focused on Dance music with Hyman also championing other emerging music trends such as Bastard pop. The Remix focused on mash-up remixes and, according to The Guardian, "led the craze" which caused some controversy when a cease and desist order was issued for playing "A Stroke of Genius" by The Freelance Hellraiser.^[9]

The Xfm shows paved the way for the release of a number of albums:

• The Remix and The Remix 2 (Virgin/EMI)
• Covered (Sony BMG)
• 8 themed mix CDs including: Pulp Mixin' which remixed the work of Quentin Tarantino, Licence To Thrill,

an audio homage to James Bond, which featured in The Daily Telegraph's top 5 CDs of 2004 ^[10]

September 2007, Hyman left Xfm to concentrate on his music supervision company JLH and other broadcast projects.^[11]

A one-hour documentary about Paul Anka and his song "My Way" was produced by Hyman and Nick Minter as part of BBC Radio 2's series, "Song Stories", first broadcast 23 February 2011.^[12] on BBC Radio 2.

DJ's at clubs (nationally and internationally), events such as film premieres (like The Royal Tenenbaums ^[13] and Suzie Gold,^[14]), festivals (including Glastonbury), corporate functions (BMW and The Carphone Warehouse) and celebrity parties (Will Smith, Madonna, Britney Spears and Eminem).

Voice-overs

voice-overs for adverts include:

• Hit40uk
• Toyota
• Q TV
• BT
• Daily Star
• The British Army
• McDonald's "Oriental Menu"^[15]
• PlayStation.^[16]

Music supervision

Through JLH, Hyman provided music supervision (i.e. sourcing / licencing / composing) for:

Adverts including:

• Johnnie Walker ("Dogfight" campaign), with Fernando Alonso ^[17]
• T-Mobile, using Röyksopp's "So Easy".^[18]
• Levi's ("Twisted" campaign), using Pepe Deluxé's "Before You Leave".^[19]
• Morrisons, using "Shine", the first time Take That allowed their music on an advert.^[20]
• Orange, using Born Ruffians "Hummingbird".
• Sainsbury's, using the song "The Bare Necessities" from Disney's The Jungle Book^[20]
• Disney Channel, for Disneyland Paris's 20th anniversary using Labrinth's "Let the Sun Shine".
• National Forest Foundation, using a new recording of Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know" by PS22 Chorus.

Video games including:

• Race Driver: Grid, using Queens Of The Stone Age's "No One Knows (Unkle Mix)" and Leftfield "Phat Planet"

Feature films including:

• Mean Machine (2001)
• Suzie Gold (2004) in which he also played Phillip, a TV presenter
• Kidulthood (2005)
• Revolver (2005)
• Alpha Male (2006)
• The History Boys (2006)
• Living Neon Dreams (2007)
• In the Hands of the Gods (2007) ^[21]
• Daylight Robbery (2008) ^[22]
• RocknRolla (2008) ^[23]
• Three Days In Dublin (2011)
• Blitz (2011)

Pop video

Directed and/or Produced over 200 music videos, including:

• Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick (1990)
• Pink Cashmere by Prince (1993)
• Blue Monday '95 by New Order (1995)
• Come on Baby by Moby (1996)
• Higher State of Consciousness by Josh Wink (1996)
• Santa Cruz by Fatboy Slim (1996)
• Plastic Dreams by Jaydee (1997)
• It's A London Thing by Scott Garcia (1997)
• Starfighter Pilot by Snow Patrol (1999)

Films

Hyman expanded his Quentin Tarantino mix tape, Pulp Mixin', to create a feature-length mash-up film, with the provisional title James Hyman/Quentin Tarantino Movie Mash-Up. It blends Tarantino's film footage with music videos, including those of the music used in the films.^[24][25]

Influence

• In 1999 voted #22 in Muzik's 50 Most Powerful People in Dance Music poll.

• Lil Louis claims Hyman tempted him back into making music again:^[26]

So what was it that enticed Louis back into the limelight? Was it money? Was it boredom?
"It was James Hyman at MTV, " says Louis, rather bizarrely. "He said to me, 'Louis, make some fucking music'"

• Mike Skinner, of The Streets, namechecks James Hyman on "Give Me Back My Lighter" (single, released July 2003):

"James Hyman, thanks for the Xbox,
I've been fucking killing that Halo game"

• His MTV Europe work is profiled in the book All Crews, which looks at drum and bass and jungle.^[27]

• Hyman's championing of The Prodigy is mentioned in Martin James' Prodigy book.^[28]

Notes

References

• James Hyman at the Internet Movie Database
• Pop Videos - Produced/Directed
• Interview with Music Supervisor James Hyman

External links

• Official website
• Xfm Rinse Radio Show
• Music supervision site
• James Hyman on Myspace
• James Hyman on Facebook
• James Hyman on Twitter
• James Hyman at the Curtis Brown Talent Agency