DJ Harvey

The music career of DJ Harvey (Harvey William Bassett) began inconspicuously, as a teenaged drummer in Ersatz, a post-punk band based in his native Cambridge, England. His earliest work can be heard on "Smile in Shadow," a 7" single released by the band in 1980, on his Leisure Sounds label. A trip to New York a few years later fostered his interest in DJ'ing. By the end of the decade, his effortless charisma and eclectic selections, translated through marathon sets as part of the TONKA Hi-Fi sound system, earned envy and admiration from aspiring club DJs. Word spread internationally, which enabled him to play in Japan and on Ibiza, while he also established Moist, an early-'90s venue in London's Covent Garden district that hosted the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:7wxPD9vDsKD5OuHCeWgXRm">Larry Levan</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:30ZqCPhfRzzWcgIbXrbHnU">François Kevorkian</a>, and Kenny Carpenter, among others. On a more commercial level, he took up a residency at London's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Ministry+of+Sound%22">Ministry of Sound</a>, mixed the 1996 set Late Night Sessions for the nightclub's label offshoot, and remixed tracks by <a href="spotify:artist:5NGO30tJxFlKixkPSgXcFE">the Police</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3DEveX6KVzhPDqq2VRuN14">the Brand New Heavies</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7JAVVMYPeCTx4Uq1mp3uKD">Super_Collider</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3s398TKZNahAURRacx7oIT">Ian Brown</a>.

During the early 2000s, Harvey settled in the U.S., specifically California, in part due to a visa issue. He remained in the States for several years, yet his image swelled through continued DJ work, sought-after re-edits and noncommercial DJ mixes, additional remixes for <a href="spotify:artist:3xYNGCooNIzKMAtJYKSOyq">Electronic</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3C8RpaI3Go0yFF9whvKoED">the Avalanches</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:066X20Nz7iquqkkCW6Jxy6">LCD Soundsystem</a>, and a profile-raising association with Sarcastic Clothing. Among many other outlets during the 2000s was Map of Africa, a partnership with Thomas Bullock (<a href="spotify:artist:554RtgUuJezEX3YgJ0nd40">A.R.E. Weapons</a>, Rub N Tug) that allowed him to indulge in his throwback rock frontman fantasies. Early the following decade, he drove the left-field house act <a href="spotify:artist:5YBkmI0Db3IWEG1EtGSSOK">Locussolus</a>, as well as the neo-psychedelic band <a href="spotify:artist:1MypHeHdiK4ie6wN5BmxjE">Wildest Dreams</a> (featuring three members of <a href="spotify:artist:4WmMnGO1nLIsE85XwcBAZE">Orgone</a>), each of which issued an album. All the while, he continued to operate as a revered maverick DJ who projected the unique image of a biker/surfer type with a stylistically broad and free-spirited approach to his trade. Although he eventually abstained from alcohol and other drugs, his oft-circulated quote -- "You can't understand the blues 'til you've had your heart broken, you can't understand my music 'til you've had group sex on ecstasy" -- continued to accurately encapsulate his philosophy. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi