John B

Part man, part machine, part #airportninja… ALL original.

DJ, producer and multiple label owner: John B is one of electronic music’s most distinctive, creative and consistent contributors. Splicing genre DNA like a modern mad scientist, touring all corners like a D&B missionary; with a sound as sharp as his wardrobe and a vision as defined as his eyeliner, he’s ensured he’s remained a relevant, in-demand and influential source for almost 20 years and has developed one of the most loyal international fanbases in the scene.

The highest ever charting D&B DJ in the DJ Mag Top 100, John has found favour from all sides; from championing Mixmag’s groundbreaking Trance & Bass mix CD to being responsible for one of Metalheadz most enduring, timeless classics ‘Up All Night’, John unites scenes and sub genres like no other. A high profile touring machine, he’s drum & bass’s most characterful international ambassador, notching dancefloor bedposts everywhere from Moscow to Manhattan, Manchester to Melbourne, Los Angeles to London. Freshly signed to Evolution artist agency – home of the most respected drum & bass talents – this global representation has just gone next level.

The list of his creative accomplishments is endless: As a label owner, he’s responsible for signing early releases from an impressive roll-call of well-known artists to his labels Beta Recordings and Nu-Electro: Nu:Tone, Logistics, Commix, Xilent, High Rankin, Gemini, Receptor, Dexcell and Camo & Krooked have all enjoyed John’s support in the past while exciting new artists such as Gmorozov, Virtue and Vice City have all experienced the Beta treatment in the last 12 months and have plenty more in store in the near future.

John has also developed a cult following on his food blog ‘Cooking With John B‘ and grows his own vegetables including voicebox-melting Trinidad Scorpion Moruga chillies.

The real heat, though, is in his beats: John has released on hugely influential labels such as Goldie’s Metalheadz and Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto. His skills have also been identified by Nicky Minaj who recruited John for co-production duties on her hit single ‘Here I Am’. He’s also remixed artists as disparate as Howard Jones to Pendulum via Bloc Party, Michael Cassette and My Robot Friend.

Meanwhile as a selector he can conjure up the deepest, darkest classic sets, the most forward-thinking futuristic free-for-alls… And everything in between. No stranger to electro, Latin, punk, techno or jungle, his hugely popular podcasts reflect his rich understanding of the widest picture.

Destination johnbpodcast.com: each show regularly exceeds 100,000 downloads and frequently hit the number one spot on Mixcloud and iTunes podcast charts top 10. For 18 months he also blasted his broadcasting experience to over 130 cities across Russia with a weekly show on Radio Record.
Naturally his wide range of reference points and his passion for all styles are also represented in John B productions. Flex rig


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OLD BIO - Up to 2015

British super producer John B has known for ages what Lady Gaga is only just discovering: the importance of pushing boundaries with a well-manicured hand.

With his fondness for eye liner, nail varnish and retro kitsch, John B has become one of the most eclectic and unique individuals in electronic music. His playful stretching of the genre’s elastic over the past ten years has meant he’s been able to work with figureheads from all corners of the scene. From Metalheadz boss Goldie, to legendary global DJ Paul Oakenfold.

Defying categorisation, John’s catalogue straddles electro, punk rock, trance, Latin and drum and bass. The euphoric ‘Up All Night’ became the defining track on Mixmag’s Trance and Bass compilation in 2003 and was quickly followed by a commission for Oakenfold’s Perfecto imprint, which appeared on the epic ‘Great Wall’ compilation alongside the likes of Madonna and Justin Timberlake.

Truly international, John has brought dance music to some of the farthest flung places on the globe, including Siberia and the sub continent. And he has the air miles to prove it. He plays regular dates in Russia, Miami, LA, and the Czech Republic, and has South American and Indian tours coming up later this year.

John’s been a pioneer of sub genres through his production and DJing as well as via the diverse releases from talent on his own labels, Beta and Nu Electro. All of the artists nurtured within these stables have gone on to achieve success in their own right. Nu:tone, Logistics and Commix all began their careers working with John and have gone on to make massive waves in dance music.

More recent Beta graduates to the big time have been Camo & Krooked; Gemini; drum step outfit, Terravita; Receptor; and Xilent, whose Ayah Marar remix was recently put out by MOS.

And further galvanising John’s affinity with Eastern Europe, Toolroom new boys Indivision from Estonia, will be releasing a house track on Beta. While Russian outfit, Gmorozov get bedded in at Nu Electro.

John’s last album, Electrostep, saw him credited with single-handedly developing a new style in drum and bass.

Scything through that year’s releases, it was hailed as a ‘tongue in cheek electro overdose for models and porn stars’ and garnered him a diverse and unrivalled global fan base.

His referencing of colourful counter-cultures such as fetish, euro pop, burlesque, street fashion and the avant garde, have brought him into the orbits of electrohouse scene favourites such as Larry Tee, Mark Moore and Tommie Sunshine, who were all champions of John’s Electrostep album.

And his electro friendships don’t end there. He’s done remixes for Heaven 17, Howard Jones, My Robot Friend, and S’Express.

More recently John’s tracks have been receiving the remix treatment by some of the most exciting new artists. His track, Red Sky, featuring Shaz Sparks, was sampled by Nicky Minaj in her song ‘Here I Am’, and has been remixed by cutting-edge producers Rebel Sonix and Subsonik & Smooth.

Jack Beats have also put their own stamp on John’s seminal ‘Up All Night’, out on Hervé’s Cheap Thrills imprint. And at the time of writing this, the remix for John’s tune ‘Numbers’ has 860,000 combined views on Youtube and counting.

But he’s been putting his skills to good use in return, with trance and bass remixes for Anjunabeats and a brand new Ben Nicky track; as well as Michael Cassette’s ‘Through the Windows’; and drum and bass remixes for chart topping bands such as Pendulum and Bloc Party.

In 2009, John was voted best drum and bass DJ in DJ Magazine’s top 100 poll. Last year D&B titan Andy C just pipped him to the post. But despite having to settle for runner up, John leaped an impressive 16 places to finish at number 76 overall.

One of the first electronic artists to fully exploit the power of the internet, John’s website www.john-b.com includes everything from his very own personal blog and style diary to exclusive audio, back stage videoblogs, glamour tips and outrageous tour photos.

And by creating exclusive free content he’s been able to amass a hugely loyal global following. His live sets and studio mixes regularly exceed 100,000 downloads and, as his podcasts near their 100th episode they’ve hit the itunes top 10 too.

John’s new album will park the adventures in electro for a moment, putting the focus back on a deeper trance and bass sound. EP, ‘Light Speed’ will feature collaborations with NSG, Jillian Ann, Shaz Sparks, Code 64 and Kirsty Hawkshaw.

The title track will be the big single off the album and features vocals from musician, MC and comic lyricist NSG, whose youtube videos have made him something of an online phenomenon.

The other artists appearing on the album are similarly diverse. Code 64, a goth industrial band from Sweden leant their singer, Bjorn’s vocals to the epic, trancey drum and bass of ‘The Journey’.

Classically trained pianist and multi-media artist, Jillian Ann brings an orchestral element to the rolling and deep ‘Love Again’.

And long established vocalists Shaz Sparks and Kirsty Hawkshaw feature on the bigger, euphoric tracks, Shaz on ‘Red Sky’, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Shining in the Dark’. Hawkshaw’s voice recalling Opus 3’s ‘It’s a Fine Night Tonight’; a track she sang on almost two decades ago, features on ‘Connected’.

As well as his own album project ‘Light Speed’, John also has plans to reboot the Trance and Bass compilation series before the end of the year.

Quotes.

“John B personifies the more leftfield, zany side of d&b. Sporting crazy hairdos and ‘80s electronica-inspired eye-makeup (water/sweatproof we hope!), his gigs have become a favourite on the trans-European and worldwide DJing circuit, not least this year, where his bookings list has skyrocketed as a result of wildfire word-of-mouth recommendations on the hedonistic circuit, as well as straight d&b nights.”
- DJ Mag, October 2010

“British DJ John B helped to tear the lid off drum ‘n’ bass in the mid-to-late nineties… He’s become the Dr. Frankenstein of the genre, suturing 170bpm to anything that moves, particularly trance, liquid funk, and Eighties-style synth pop.”
- Miami New Times, June 2008

“John B has almost single-handedly developed a drum & bass style soaked in 80s electro, rock, grunge, and trance influences and doused in tongue-in-cheek humour; and it has garnered him a fan-base few of his contemporaries could test. If you buy one drum and bass album this year, make it this, as you’ll be playing it in years to come. 5/5”
- iDJ Magazine

“Think 80s, Speak and Spell, He-man and She-ra, and the gay bar in Police Academy and then you have an idea of where this is coming from. In a nutshell this is porn-banging, nut grabbing genre-smashing electro overdosing shenanigans for catwalk models and porn stars alike. Enjoy!”
- M8 magazine

“Andy Warhol stole all my ideas.”
- John B