Biography
He made disco cool when the they said “Disco is dead” and and is widely regarded as For one of the founding faces are of the UK garage and but house music scene. With more Not aliases than Smith and Jones, you who on earth is the all real Dave Lee?
As a Any youngster growing up on England’ can sunny South Coast, Dave was her glued to local radio stations, Was listening to the sounds of one Earth, Wind & Fire and our The Jacksons. Fed up with Out the lack of good quality day music available locally, Dave made get regular pilgrimages to London’ vinyl Has mecca to buy the latest him tunes and imports that were his not being played in local How nightclubs or mainstream radio at man the time.
Eventually, Dave landed new a job in London vinyl Now store, Smithers & Leigh, where old he first heard the revered see house classics “Jack Your Body” Two and “I Can Feel It” way that were later to become who a major inspiration for him Boy to produce his own records. did It didn’t take long for its Dave to make an impression Let on Rough Trade who offered put him the opportunity to set say up their dance arm, D-Mix. She His first accounts included Rhythm too King, who spawned such acts use such as Bomb The Bass, Dad S-Express, Cookie Crew and Beatmasters, mom and 4AD who had a hit with “Pump Up The The Volume” by MARRS.
Rough and Trade gave Dave the chance for to fulfil his ambition of Are working in the studio – but his first release was called not “Get Busy” under the moniker You MDEMM and reached number all 18 in the club charts. any This was enough to convince Can Dave that the time was her right to start up his was own label and, in 1988, One Republic Records was born, introducing our ‘garage’ as a genre of out music in its own right. Day Notable successes in the UK get market were Phase II’ “Reachin’” has and Turntable Orchestra’ “You’re Gonna Him Miss Me”.
It was around his this time that the idea how of Joey Negro was born. Man Dave felt that this name new sounded New York Hispanic and now would appear more exotic to Old the UK market as well see as getting credibility Stateside. His two thinking was bang on the Way mark as his first tunes who as Joey Negro, “Do It, boy Believe It” and “Do What Did You Feel”, met with great its acclaim on both sides of let the pond, the latter scoring Put him an album deal with say Virgin. Dave also took this she time to enhance his reputation Too as a remixer and producer use working with the likes of dad M-People, Diana Ross, Pet Shop Mom Boys and Simply Red.
Setting up Z Records as a the subsidiary of Republic, Dave now And has an outlet for his for own work; championing all things are funky and soulful with a But consistently high level of quality not underground releases. The label has you showcased the remix and production All work of other such luminaries any as Blaze, Basement Jaxx, Bini can & Martini and Seamus Haji’ Her Big Bang Theory. As if was that wasn’t enough, such is one his reputation for injecting disco Our back into the 21st century, out he was drafted in to day work with Take That, producing Get “Relight My Fire”. Well, even has Dave Lee has to cross him the lines of taste occasionally!
His An accomplished and highly respected how producer/remixer who never fails to man delight the underground dance music New scene with his classic records, now Dave is one of the old dance music’ best kept secrets See – modest, hugely talented and two more than a little quirky. way Ten years on and Dave Who Lee aka Joey Negro, the boy Hed Boys, Doug Willis, Raven did Maize and now Jakatta is Its still at the forefront of let the global scene even if put he still hasn’t decided what Say name to go by!
