Dave Clarke

One of the most respected (and idiosyncratic) techno DJs and producers in the '90s, Dave Clarke began his music career as a hip-hop DJ in the mid-'80s, shifting to acid house and later rave near the end of the decade. He began recording for Stress (as Pig City) in the early '90s and also appeared on R&S, XL, and his own Magnetic North Records. By the mid-'90s, he had gradually shifted away from rave to a brand of straight-ahead techno with the ferocity of hardcore yet the sublime feelings of classic Detroit techno. A series of three singles named "Red" gained fame during 1995-1996 (the last went Top 40 in the U.K.), as did his ferocious DJ sets. Demagnitized, a compilation of his earlier material on Magnetic North (with additional tracks from Cristian Vogel, Dj Hell, and others), was released in 1995. Clarke's phenomenal album debut, Archive One, appeared in a year later on Deconstruction. Clarke also mixed two volumes of the crucial electro compilation series Electro Boogie for Studio !K7. A handful of other mixes followed, including two volumes of World Service, which were issued before and after the 2003 studio album Devil's Advocate. The two-disc compilation Remixes And Rarities: 1992-2005 came out in early 2007. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide