Dave Angel

A child of the London acid-house explosion, British-born DJ and producer Dave Angel makes Detroit-styled techno with strong jazz and soul influences. One of the first artists of international renown to take Motor City futurism to a major-label level, Angel scored a U.K. pop hit with a remix of <a href="spotify:artist:0NKDgy9j66h3DLnN8qu1bB">Eurythmics</a>' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" in 1990, then released the full-lengths Tales of the Unexpected (1995) and Globetrotting (1997). He also released several mix CDs and numerous singles, many on his own <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rotation+Records%22">Rotation Records</a>. He remains an influential figure throughout the techno and tech-house scenes, and has continued touring and releasing material such as 2023's "Glide."

Born David Gooden, Dave Angel is the brother of rapper <a href="spotify:artist:7dupCiguCFkYZRisA3foPu">Monie Love</a> and singer <a href="spotify:artist:6VQWw2bI6sC23tqfz8ciPZ">Baz</a>. The son of a jazz musician, Angel's roots are in bebop and modern jazz (as both a fanatic and a radio jockey) as much as in the Detroit-styled techno he is more often known for. Self-taught as both a producer and musician, Angel drew heavily in style and mood from original Detroit luminaries such as <a href="spotify:artist:208EQzx7RmoE2Ng9gF2edh">Juan Atkins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0v6N0xV7AfHHKVcgUOjC51">Derrick May</a>, and Eddie Fowlkes. His musical career began when he borrowed a keyboard from a friend and produced a track which heavily sampled <a href="spotify:artist:0NKDgy9j66h3DLnN8qu1bB">Eurythmics</a>' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." He titled it the "Nightmare Mix" and pressed 500 copies of the track as a white label single. <a href="spotify:artist:0NKDgy9j66h3DLnN8qu1bB">Eurythmics</a>' <a href="spotify:artist:7gcCQIlkkfbul5Mt0jBQkg">Dave Stewart</a> approved the mix, and Angel recorded it in a professional studio; it was released by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22RCA%22">RCA</a> and reached number 23 in the U.K. charts.

Following the track's success, Angel frequently DJ'ed on pirate radio alongside drum'n'bass pioneers <a href="spotify:artist:1OzYR8zjOzw4H0WHP5i6U3">Fabio</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:65g8RO3JqCUTigI7YR3dAw">Grooverider</a>, as well as throughout Europe, where he often found greater audiences than at home. He issued a string of EPs on labels like <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22R%26S%22">R&S</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Love+Records%22">Love Records</a>, and his own <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rotation%22">Rotation</a> label. His EP In Flight Entertainment appeared on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Island%22">Island</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Blunted%22">Blunted</a> sub-label in 1994, and debut album Tales of the Unexpected arrived in 1995. His early <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22R%26S%22">R&S</a> EPs were compiled on the 1996 released Classics, and second album Globetrotting was issued by <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%224th+%26+Broadway%22">4th & Broadway</a> in 1997. His many commercially issued mixes include a <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Mixmag%22">Mixmag</a> session with <a href="spotify:artist:2vePaJjwrZ6zVLAxf6UrCy">Darren Emerson</a>, a volume of the X-Mix series, and 1998's 39 Flavours of Tech Funk. He also released three CDs on the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Trust+the+DJ%22">Trust the DJ</a> imprint, with 2002's DA02 collecting his remixes for <a href="spotify:artist:2Djz8cbEv5rtrYrJYdzQ20">Model 500</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0qLNsNKm8bQcMoRFkR8Hmh">James</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6WPeOlm3f3UGoO1l6OPOUO">Krust</a>, and others, and the other two being continuous DJ mixes.

Angel's third album, Frame by Frame, was issued by Japanese label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Plaza+in+Crowd%22">Plaza in Crowd</a> in 2011. It included a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:0Jb1cpfG4GB6pZfroFhAw0">Ken Ishii</a>, another early international proponent of Detroit-style techno. Angel continued performing across the globe and releasing material on labels such as <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Crosstown+Rebels%22">Crosstown Rebels</a>, <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Bedrock+Records%22">Bedrock Records</a>, and <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Halocyan%22">Halocyan</a>. 2018's "Belle Âme" marked the first <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Rotation%22">Rotation</a> release in over a decade, and 2023's "Glide" appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:4rzWjR3L3M54c6I25NzdM3">Radio Slave</a>'s <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22REKIDS%22">REKIDS</a>. ~ Paul Simpson & Sean Cooper, Rovi