John Digweed

Hastings native John Digweed had been DJing for close to ten years when his DJ remix tape caught the ear of Renaissance promoter Geoff Oakes. He was soon working alongside the likes of another popular Renaissance DJ, Sasha. The new position gave the DJ what he needed for his big breakthrough, and he has continued to prosper ever since. Soon a Renaissance CD compilation containing some of Sasha and John's best remixes was released. The album was a surprise huge seller, warranting a follow-up, Renaissance 2, which soon approached gold status in Europe. Like Sasha, Digweed isn't limited to remixing other people's records. He promotes shows in Europe under such pseudonyms as Babealicious and Northern Exposure. Sasha and Digweed continued their collaboration with the Northern Exposure series, compiling the duo's best remixes for other artists (the second volume was released in 1998 in completely different East Coast and West Coast editions). Digweed scored two Top 30 hits in 1997 with remixes of Chakra's "I Am" and Bedrock's "For What You Dream Of" (featured in the hit movie Trainspotting). Digweed also bought a dance club in the south of England in order to perform there on a weekly basis. Via the Global Underground mix series, he released volumes recorded in Sydney and Hong Kong during 1998, then premiered Bedrock — his combination label and production concern — in late 1999. A starring appearance in the American rave movie Groove also increased his stateside visibility. The new millennium saw another release from Bedrock, a double disc of fresh singles and collective new cuts called Foundations. Several mix albums followed in the early 2000s, including Stark Raving Mad, additions to the popular Fabric and Choice: A Collection of Classics series, and two volumes of Transitions.