Gavin Hardkiss

Gavin Hardkiss helped found Hardkiss Music in the early '90s and the record label went on to release dance music from God Within, Hawke, Little Wing, and Rabbit in the Moon. In addition to a record executive, Gavin Hardkiss is a DJ focusing on modern dance music including the tribal- and funk-influenced sounds of house, trance, breaks, and techno. As a DJ, Gavin Hardkiss travels far and wide to posit his sounds in unique and exotic locations. He has spun in a forest in Eugene, OR, an abandoned whaling station near Valparaiso, Chile, the surrealist Discotheque Rachdingue near Barcelona, Spain, and amongst the local wildlife in the Lower Haight, San Francisco. He also DJed at more traditional and well-known venues such as the Ministry of Sound and the End in London, Nikita in San Francisco, and the Limelight and Tunnel in New York.

In April 1998, Hardkiss finished an original sonic composition for an urban entertainment center called the Sony Metreon with locations in San Francisco and Tokyo. Gavin Hardkiss also composed three hours of music for a project by French cartoonist Jean Girot (Moebius). A two-volume compilation is available at the Metreon.

Gavin Hardkiss composes electronic soundtracks and dance music under the moniker Hawke and releases them on Hardkiss and his other label, Sunburn. The first Hawke album, Namaquadisco, was well-received by mainstream and underground press. Other 12" vinyl releases followed including 3 Nudes in a Purple Garden, Acid Funk, Erections From Namaquadisco Vol. 1, 2 and 3, and Theme From Sticky Trumpets. Hawke was also featured on the Hardkiss album Delusions of Grandeur. Sunburn Recordings released the first volume in the Shadow Mix series called Through Rose Tinted Glasses in 2001.