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Carl Cox - UK
DJ / Producer / Remixer
At the end of the cliché...
A
legend. Put simply, DJ Carl Cox is nothing less than a
full-blown, crowd loving, honest, caring larger than life DJ´ing
legend. Chances are, if you've paid even the slightest attention to the
lifestyles and counter cultures of the post Acid house youth , if you've been
awake and up for dancing in the last ten years, this man will have touched your
life somehow.
You may remember him as the man who pioneered the
concept of three deck mixing, elevating the DJ to the role of sonic manipulator extraordinary. Or as the Technics maestro whose
every gig in those heady late eighties epitomized the care free torrential
spirit of rave. You might even have stood, awe-struck and dawn-kissed, with
15.000 others in a field at some sunrise or biology rave, wondering if what you
were hearing could really for real. Alternatively, you might have seen him on
Top of the pops back in 1992/´93 or on The Big Breakfast in 1996. Who knows,
perhaps you've even heard one of his set recently, answer from Aberdeen to
Zurich, Manchester to Melbourne, and felt this incredible turbo rush crowd
energy as chants of Coxy, Coxy greeted his entry like some homecoming astronaut
getting the ticker tape treatment down 5th Avenue. Maybe you've just noticed
that in a world where the Super DJ is as blandly ubiquitous as the Super model,
one name keeps cropping up time and time again at the top of every readers´poll
hat counts: Carl Cox. The living embodiment of the perfect gentleman, the DJ
diplomat and progressive music pioneer, Carl Cox is much loved living legend.
And he is also very much so one of us.
 Born
in Manchester 34 years ago, his parents had come to Britain from Barbados. The
Jamaican islands party ethos has unquestionably shaped Cox´s popularity. As he
ones noted, I've never been into reggae. Where I m from, its all happier
calypso. They call it Jump Up music. I've never seen sad faces or moodiness out
there. I´d like to think its the same when I m DJ-ing. Ask anyone from
Liverpool's Cream to Glasgow's Slam, and they'll tell you - Carl Cox always
plays for his crowd. No annually retentive inverse snobbery here. When you
listen to Carl Cox, its all about inclusion , joining in, not feeling left out.
Taking Techno to the masses. Its a vibe that harks back to all those abandoned
rave ideals of positively and coming together.
Part of his popularity undoubtedly comes from his
experience. Growing up in a Manchester household where music was all, Cox was
buying soil and funk records before he was 10, had his own decks before his 15th
birthday and was being booked for parties within six months. The son of a bus
driver father and maternity nurse mother, it was also this passion for music
that saved him from fading out on the wrong side of the tracks. Something of
teenage tearaway, a short spell inside a detention center soon sorted him out.
He knew his priority. In 1986, he moved to Brighton, slipped easily into South
Coasts vibrant pre-house scene, and had swiftly made his mark. But, like so many
of his contemporaries, it was inevitably acid house that changed his life.
His pedigree is impeccable. Carl Cox was there at
all the crucial moments: playing the opening night of Shoom, running The Project
night with Paul Okenfold, a residency at Brighton´s ZAP club as well numerous
orbital parties and illegal warehouse bashes during 1988/´89´s Summer Of Love.
Throughout the late Eighties and early Nineties, his ethos ( as now ) was to
play anywhere that would have him and if they didn't think they liked his music,
then he'd just work all the harder to get that appreciation. Combined with his
dexterity on the decks, and his ( then unusual ) ability to mix simultaneously
on three decks rather than the regulation two, it wasn't long before Carl Cox
had entered the rave pantheon. Such was the reverence that would greet the very
mention of his name, an apocryphal story began to circulate that was a full
blown urban myth before long: there was, it was said, a DJ mix tape done by Carl
Cox at seven in the morning after a hard nights DJ slog, where not only was he
mixing up on three decks, but you could also hear hear him in the background
cooking a fried breakfast at the same time !
I t
was also a time of fame for his production work. Signing an unheralded long term
deal with Oakenfold´s Perfecto, his first single I Want You debuted at 23 in
the charts in 1992, while its follow up Does It Feel Good To You also went top
forty. Remix work flooded in. Never one to eschew taking his uncompromising
sound to a new audience , his Carl Cox concept appeared on the Radio 1 Roadshow. And in an effort to look after both those who'd
helped him get where he was and also the talent of the future, he set up his now
international DJ-Agency, Ultimate.
But these were also times of fragmentation in
the dance scene. Dance Music had splintered off into a thousand sub-genres:
garage, house, Techno, jungle, rave... and Carl Cox found himself at a cross
roads . Increasingly disillusioned with the music on the rave circuit on which
he had made his name ( this was the time of Sesame Street , Charlie and Trip to
Trumpton, remember ), he was misleadingly tagged as a hard-core DJ, with all the
unpleased connotations that description engendered. In fact, as a quick peak at
his all time musical faces will tell you, his roots have always been firmly in
the world of house and Techno. Opting out of the rave scene, and battling to get
his true sets heard in clubs a tenth the size of his former crowds, his
integrity and unquenchable spirit saw him through the lean times. Waving the
rave good bye, Cox went underground, rediscovering a vitality for smaller clubs
and crowds.
 He'd
parted ways with Perfecto, and started his own low key imprint, MMR, for cutting
edge Techno productions. Thanks to his persistence and incredible vivacity, he
found himself ones more welcomed by the very same promoters and clubs who only a
year or two beforehand refused to book him. Well, they could hardly refuse now,
when every appearance he made would be greeted with enormous crowds,
overwhelming cheers and applause and a half-hour of handshakes afterwards. He
may have been misunderstood by the industry sometimes, but the ones on the dance
floor knew and always have - Carl Cox is one of them. The man that hates to say
1995 was Carl´s comeback year. His mix album F.A.C.T. confirmed his status as a
DJ deity selling over 70.000 copies. He was on the cover of Muzik magazine and
the clubs coudn´t get enough of him. He was also voted No. 1 DJ at the
international Dance Awards. Today, he plays the UK´s biggest clubs( Slam, Cream, Lakota, Ministry of Sound, Club UK ), while 50% of his
bookings are now for overseas. His Ultimate Agency, run with his wife Rachel
includes such well known artists as Josh Wink, Laurant Garnier, Judge Jules and
Luke Slater on its books. Meanwhile, there's his new label, Worldwide Ultimatum,
where he'll be investing in the heroes of tomorrow. The worlds busiest DJ too ?
Quite possibly.
And
now there's his debut album - At the end of the cliché. Far more than just a
collection of ultra now dance floor grooves, these tracks are an immaculate
distillation of all Carl Cox´s passions, triumphs, struggles, pasts and
optimistic futures. Full of textures that run like serpentine rivers through the
history of club music in the Nineties, its an album that confirms Carl Cox´s
position as one of the greats. And for all you might want to put him on a
pedestal, he'd just as likely step right down again and disappear into the
crowd. Where he belongs - as one of us.
The legend continues....
So much has been said about one of the
greatest DJ's in the world, but in the past year Cox has propelled himself to
even greater heights, redefining his place on musical history once more.
Carl Cox has achieved more successes and
attained more goals than any other DJ, yet gain proving that he is one of the
hardest working people in the industry. Not content with excelling himself as a DJ, he
has developed talents as a producer, artist, remixer, radio DJ, businessman and
ambassador for dance music.
 He
started the year with the launch of his own " Worldwide Ultimatum "
record label, and February saw the release of his debut single for the label.
The " Two Paintings And A Drum " EP gave Cox his first chance to
really show the world his inner self. " Phoebus Apollo " the lead
track from the EP became a hit, reaching number 23 in the UK charts and
regularly rocked dance floors worldwide, establishing the link between Detroit
and Horsham !
His second single " Sensual Sophis-ti-cat
/ The Player " followed and reached number 24 in the UK charts, firmly
securing Cox's place as a serious producer for the future. Hot on the heels of
these two successes, he released his long-awaited debut solo album " At The
End Of The Cliché' ".
This album was a culmination of influences
gained over 18 years experience as a DJ and took him 2 years to complete. It
stormed
the national charts attaining a position of number 22 in the album charts and
wed a site to Cox that people hadn't expected. For the first time the press and
media were forced to swallow a seemingly bitter pill and celebrate the talents
of the man that people love.
Last year Cox truly rocked the dancefloors all
over the place as he conquered corners of the world previously left untouched.
Apart from the usual stomp across Europe which included one of his most
memorable gigs, " The Love Parade " in Berlin, where he played to
800,000 people, Cox laid down his musical law to crowds in America, Israel,
Australia and most notably South Africa.
Carl Cox's achievements do not stop there. He
was awarded the IDA " DJ of the Years " for the second year, Muzik
magazine crowned him " DJ of the Year " in their Saints and Sinners
awards and he received " best British DJ of the Year " accolades in
Scotland, Ireland, Germany and France.
 This
was followed by the news that he was join the team at London's finest Kiss FM
radio station with his own " Ultimate Mix " show on Saturday nights
and was later awarded " DJ Mixer of the Year " by listeners. His
career as a radio jock is one that is only just beginning !
 His
management agency " Ultimate Music Management " also blossomed under
his watchful eye and has now carved a path that no other agency can follow with
the best British and International DJ's and PA's lining up to get on the books.
Last year they hooked up with Super club " Cream " to take over Europe
with the grueling " Ultimate Cream Tour" starring Carl Cox and show
casting other DJ's from the agency and label. Between the agency and the label
" Ultimate B.A.S.E. " weekly club night began. Every Thursday night at
the Velvet Underground crowds queue to see Carl Cox playing at his only
residency
alongside the top guest DJ's from all nations.
So what can we expect in 1997 ?
 It
will start with a bang, as Cox releases the almighty follow up to his "
F.A.C.T. " compilation with " F.A.C.T. 2 " on his own label. This
will coincide with the massive " F.A.C.T. 2 Tour " which will see the
man steaming up the clubs in UK and Europe before heading to
America, Australia, Japan and
South Africa.
Somewhere in between
he will find time to record
his second solo album
and single releases, remix tracks, produce radio shows, run his club, head both the
label and the agency and continue to rock crowds the world over.
The best just
keeps getting
better !
Please also visit:
www.carlcox.com
ICU would like to thank Carl Cox for his trust and support over the years. - Keep it rocking...
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