Roy Kerr, also known as the Freelance Hellraiser, is an English DJ, producer, remixer and one of the creators of the UK bootleg (mashup) scene.
Under the Freelance Hellraiser name, Kerr gained fame with a mashup in 2001 called "A Stroke of Genius", which combined an instrumental edit of the Strokes' track "Hard to Explain" with Christina Aguilera's pop hit "Genie in a Bottle". Although originally greeted by a cease and desist order by RCA (the label which both Aguilera and the Strokes are signed to), he went on to remix Aguilera's single "Fighter", as well as tracks for Placebo and ex-Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft. "A Stroke of Genius" was later dubbed as "the song that defines the decade" by The Guardian . [1]
In 2006, he released his album Waiting for Clearance, featuring such artists as Jan Hammer, Iain Archer and Snow Patrol frontman Gary Lightbody. The following year, he formed Kid Gloves with Anu Pillai, writing and producing two songs for Ladyhawke's gold-selling eponymous debut album, including the single "Paris Is Burning".
In 2004, he was commissioned by Paul McCartney to remix some lesser-known McCartney tracks as preshow entertainment for his tour of that year. Those tracks, and several more, were released under the name Twin Freaks. In 2009, Kid Gloves contributed to Little Boots' gold-selling debut album, Hands , writing and producing her duet, "Symmetry", with the Human League's Phil Oakey.
Nicholas John McCabe is an English musician best known as the lead guitarist of the Verve.
A Northern Soul is the second studio album by English alternative rock band The Verve. The album was released in the United Kingdom on 20 June 1995 on the Hut label and in the United States on 3 July 1995 on Vernon Yard Records. The title is a reference to Northern Soul, a popular soul movement in Britain during the 1970s.
A mashup is a creative work, usually a song, created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, typically by superimposing the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another and changing the tempo and key where necessary. Such works are considered "transformative" of original content and in the United States they may find protection from copyright claims under the "fair use" doctrine of copyright law.
Christina Aguilera is the debut studio album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on August 24, 1999, by RCA Records. After recording "Reflection", the theme song for the 1998 Disney film Mulan, RCA laid the foundation for the album immediately and started presenting Aguilera with tracks for her debut album, which they originally decided would have a January 1999 release. Its music incorporates dance-pop and teen pop genres, with a few songs featuring strong elements from soul and contemporary R&B. Contributions to the album's production came from a wide range of producers, including David Frank, Ron Fair, Guy Roche, Robin Thicke, Matthew Wilder and Aaron Zigman.
Thunderpuss is the remix/production team of Los Angeles-based music producers Barry Harris and Chris Cox. Harris had previously worked as part of several music groups including Kon Kan, Top Kat, Killer Bunnies and Outta Control and had also released several solo singles himself. Cox, a musician and DJ, had also worked for years as a DJ and producer, producing a megamix of Paula Abdul songs, among other things, and started his own record label, Interhit Records, with Jeff Johnson.
Freak Out! is the debut studio album by American rock band the Mothers of Invention, released on June 27, 1966, by Verve Records. Often cited as one of rock music's first concept albums, it is a satirical expression of frontman Frank Zappa's perception of American pop culture and the nascent freak scene of Los Angeles. It was also one of the earliest double albums in rock music, as well as the first two-record debut album. In the UK, the album was originally released as an edited single disc.
My Kind of Christmas is the third studio album and first Christmas album by American singer Christina Aguilera. It was released on October 24, 2000, by RCA Records. The album was recorded from late 1999 to mid 2000, while Aguilera was touring to promote her first two albums: Christina Aguilera (1999) and Mi Reflejo (2000). My Kind of Christmas contains cover versions of Christmas standards, such as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and "Angels We Have Heard on High", as well as several original recordings, which incorporate dance-pop elements. The album was produced by Ron Fair, the Matrix, Robbie Buchanan, Barry Harris and Chris Cox.
Richard Philips, better known by his stage name Richard X, is a British songwriter and music producer. Gaining attention as a pioneer of the bootleg craze, Richard X has earned success as a producer and remixer. He has helmed hit singles for artists including Annie, Kelis, Liberty X, Rachel Stevens and Sugababes. According to an early issue of the now defunct Popworld magazine, Philips' alias comes from a postcard which was sealed with a kiss misinterpreted for the letter X.
Speedway were a Scottish pop rock group, who were formed in 2001, by Glaswegians Jill Jackson and Jim Duguid (drums). The band acquired three more members in that year, with bass guitarist Tom Swann from Droitwich plus guitarist Dan Sells, now lead singer of The Feeling, and signed with Innocent Records in 2002. Also recruited as a guitarist was Carlos Garcia of The Crave.
"Genie in a Bottle" is a song by American singer Christina Aguilera from her self-titled debut studio album (1999). It was written by Pam Sheyne, Steve Kipner and David Frank, and produced by Kipner and Frank. The song was released on May 11, 1999, by RCA Records as the album's lead single. It is a teen pop and dance-pop song which incorporates elements from R&B. Lyrically, "Genie in a Bottle" uses sexual references to talk about the theme of self-respect.
A megamix is a remix containing multiple songs in rapid succession. It often features various artists. There may be only one verse or even just a brief chorus of each song used, sometimes in addition to samples of the same or other songs. It is common to use different samples to maintain and sometimes even ridicule the original. To unify the songs together smoothly, a single backing beat may be added as background throughout the megamix, although this is not a must. This backing beat is kept basic so as to simplify mixing and to not compete with the music. These mixes are usually several minutes long at minimum, going up to a half-hour or an hour, or even more sometimes.
Alessandro Cortini is an Italian musician best known for being the keyboard, guitar, and bass player in the industrial band Nine Inch Nails. Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles-based electronic-alternative band SONOIO.
Osymyso is a musician and DJ from the United Kingdom who specialises in the genres of mashup / bastard pop and breakbeat. He has been making music since 1994 and released his first album, Welcome to the Pailindrome, in 1999. Songs which he has created include "Pat n Peg", which turns an argument between two EastEnders characters into a track through the looping of the shouts You bitch! and You cow! and the addition of a hip hop beat, and "Intro-Inspection". In a 2002 front page survey of the genre, The New York Times remarked on "Intro-Inspection" and called Osymyso "one of the most popular bootleg artists".
Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including the Cars, U2, R.E.M., the Killers, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, AFI, the Hives, Weezer, One Direction, Silversun Pickups, Editors, Modest Mouse, Lonnie Holley, and Taylor Swift.
Edward Owen Kayvan Temple-Morris is a British DJ, record producer and TV presenter. He hosted London radio station XFM's specialist show The Remix for 15 years, before moving it to Soho Radio. He joined Virgin Radio UK in 2017 and currently presents mid-mornings on weekdays.
Twin Freaks is an album by Twin Freaks, a duo composed of Paul McCartney and Freelance Hellraiser, released on 13 June 2005.
"Love Is Noise" is a song by English alternative rock band the Verve, the second track on their fourth album, Forth (2008). It was released as the first single from the album on 3 August 2008 as a digital download, with the physical release following on 11 August 2008 in the United Kingdom. The song received its first airplay by Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 on 23 June 2008.
Ladyhawke is the debut studio album by New Zealand singer and songwriter Ladyhawke. It was released on 19 September 2008 by Modular Recordings. Featuring production by Pascal Gabriel, Greg Kurstin, Kid Gloves, Kish Mauve's Jim Eliot, Paul Harris and Van She's Michael Di Francesco, the album incorporates 1980s-influenced new wave and synth-pop, as well as indie rock. It was promoted by five singles: "Back of the Van", "Paris Is Burning", "Dusk Till Dawn", "My Delirium" and "Magic".
"My Delirium" is a song performed by New Zealand musician Ladyhawke. The third track on Ladyhawke's eponymous debut album, the song was released as a single on 8 December 2008. The most commercially successful single of Ladyhawke's to date, "My Delirium" sold over 70,000 copies in Australia, peaked at number nine on the New Zealand Singles Chart, number eight on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart and has reached the top 50 in the UK and Denmark.
"Telepathy" is a song by American singer and songwriter Christina Aguilera featuring American musician Nile Rodgers, recorded for the 2016 Netflix musical drama series The Get Down and included on the accompanying soundtrack of the same name. It was co-written by Sia in collaboration with Mikkel Storleer Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen. The track was produced by Elliott Wheeler and The Get Down director, Baz Luhrmann. While it was available to download from the soundtrack upon its release, it was promoted in Italy to contemporary hit radio as a single on August 23, 2016. Various remixes were also released throughout the following month.