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Annie Mac
Annie Mac DJing in Brighton
Birth name	Annie MacManus
Born	(1978-07-18) July 18, 1978 (age 33) Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Show	Annie Mac
Station(s)	BBC Radio 1
Time slot	7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Friday
Show	Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac (Co-presented with Nick Grimshaw)
Station(s)	BBC Radio 1
Time slot	10:00pm - Midnight Sunday
Style	Dance & Entertainment
Country	Ireland/United Kingdom
Website	anniemacpresents.com

Annie Mac (born Annie MacManus; 18 July 1978 in Dublin) is an Irish DJ and television presenter who hosts an eponymous electronic dance music show on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom which airs at 7:00 pm on Friday evenings as well as a Sunday evening show alongside co-presenter Nick Grimshaw.

Personal life[link]

Annie Mac was born in Dublin, Ireland. She studied English Literature at Queens University, in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Annie lives in London with her boyfriend, fellow club and Radio 1 DJ, Toddla T.^[1] Her brother, Davey McManus, was the lead singer and guitarist in The Crocketts.

Career[link]

Annie currently hosts a number of shows on Radio 1. Her main show, Annie Mac's Mash Up, airs 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm on Friday nights. She also hosted BBC Switch with Nick Grimshaw on Sunday evenings from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm until 21 March 2010. After this date they moved to 10:00pm - midnight with a new show simply called Nick Grimshaw and Annie Mac. She is currently one of only two presenters on the station to present shows in both the specialist and entertainment sector, the other being Huw Stephens.

A popular feature of Annie Mac's Mash Up is the Annie Mac Mini Mix, an opportunity to showcase various DJs ability to produce a five minute mix with other DJs. The Mini mix was also a feature of her previous show on a Thursday night. As well as her own Friday show, Annie also covers for other Radio 1 shows. She is a regular stand in for Zane Lowe's show. In 2009 Annie won the Best female award at the drum and bass awards for her contribution to the promotion of this genre of music.

Annie makes regular appearances as a feature presenter on BBC Two's The Culture Show, giving her opinions on the latest music offerings.^[2] She appeared on Never Mind the Buzzcocks in January 2006 and she co-presented Top Of The Pops on 18 June 2006 with Reggie Yates and on 11 July 2006 with Rufus Hound in a T in the Park special. Annie has also filled in for Zane Lowe on his Gonzo show on MTV2. She regularly DJs at clubs such as Fabric London, Moles Club in Bath, Digital in Brighton and university venues such as Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge and Aston University. She also recently appeared on ITV Comedy, FM, as herself.

On 18 February 2007 BBC Radio 1 launched their first video podcast or vodcast. It featured Annie on a backstage tour around the Radio 1 buildings. This has since been stopped, however there is now a podcast of the Mini Mix.

She has also presented Other Voices for RTÉ Two.^[3]

In September 2009, Mac released her first compilation album, Annie Mac Presents, followed in the two years since by Annie Mac Presents 2010 and Annie Mac Presents 2011.^[4]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Annie Mac at BBC Programmes
• Nick Grimshaw & Annie Mac at BBC Programmes
• Annie Mac on Twitter
• Annie Mac on Myspace
• Annie Mac's channel on YouTube
• More Than The Music - Annie Mac (Tess Askew)

DJ Fresh
Background information
Birth name	Daniel Stein
Also known as	DJ Fresh, Fresh, Mosquito, Absolute Zero
Origin	England
Genres	Drum and bass, Dubstep
Occupations	Record producer, DJ, Musician
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Breakbeat Kaos, Data Records, Ram Records, V Records, Valve Recordings
Associated acts	Bad Company UK, Pendulum, Tenor Fly, $pyda, Adam F, Andy C, Deekline & Wizard, Ivory, Soundweapon, Stamina MC, Koko, Ce'Cile, Sigma, DJ Shadow, DJ Hype, Darrison, Mary Byker, Baron, Swift, Valkyrie, Sian Evans, Rita Ora, Dizzee Rascal.
Website	http://www.thedjfresh.com/

DJ Fresh (born as Daniel Stein) is an English Drum & Bass and Dubstep producer and DJ. He was one of the principal members of drum & bass supergroup, Bad Company,^[1] alongside Darren White (dBridge), Jason Maldini, and Michael Wojcicki (Vegas). He also owns and runs the pioneering drum & bass label Breakbeat Kaos with Adam F.

Career[link]

Early success and 'Escape from Planet Monday' (1998 - 2008)[link]

The cover for Escape From Planet Monday

Along with the three other members of Bad Company, Fresh founded the record label BC Recordings, as well as the website Dogs On Acid.^[2] Bad Company are heralded as one of the finest drum & bass acts ever, having produced numerous genre-defining tracks. Undoubtedly their most renowned track is "The Nine", a track released in 1998 when Fresh was just 21 years old. "The Nine" was later voted the greatest drum & bass track of all time by readers of Knowledge Magazine^[3]

Resuming his solo career in 2002, Fresh founded Breakbeat Punk, which merged with Adam F's Kaos Recordings to become Breakbeat Kaos in 2003.^[4] In 2004 Dogs on Acid was given its own imprint.

Fresh has worked with artists ranging from Pet Shop Boys, DJ Shadow, Apollo 440 to Andy C and Grooverider, and has also held a working relationship with the drum and bass trio Pendulum, whom he signed to Breakbeat Kaos in 2005.^[5]

Fresh has had his own tracks included on a number of remix CDs, including the 2006 release Jungle Sound: The Bassline Strikes Back!, Andy C's Nightlife series, DJ Hype's Drum and Bass Warfare, and Goldie's Drum and Bass Classics.

In 2006, Fresh released his first studio album, Escape from Planet Monday, featuring "The Immortal", "X Project", "Nervous" and "All that Jazz" on Breakbeat Kaos.

A 100% Pure Mix of X Project was featured in the video games Wipeout Pulse (2007) and Wipeout HD (2008).

'Kryptonite' and commercial success (2009 - 2011)[link]

The cover for Kryptonite

In 2009 Fresh released a 12" of "Heavyweight" (with Fantasia on the B side) on the Digital Soundboy label. "Heavyweight" had a different style from Fresh's usual output, and gained positive reviews and a general positive response through the underground scene and within various radio stations.^[6] Fresh subsequently released "Hypercaine" (including a remix from Nero) in September 2009,^[7] and made BBC Radio 1's daytime playlist.

On the 1 August 2010, he re-released his song Gold Dust Featuring vocals from Ce'Cile, Where it peaked 24 in the UK and 39 in Ireland, it marked his first Top 40 hit in both countries. On 16 August, he released his second studio album, "Kryptonite" where it peaked 4 on the UK Dance Chart.

He then released his follow-up single, called "Lassitude" with Sigma and Vocals from Koko. It managed to peak 98 on the UK Singles Chart and 11 on the UK Dance Chart.

Third album, tour and continued commercial success (2011)[link]

The first single from his Third Album, "Louder" was released on July 3, 2011. The song was used as part of a Lucozade Lite advertising campaign in the UK and Ireland. The song features vocals from Welsh singer Sian Evans from the band Kosheen, it peaked number 4 on the Irish Singles Chart and was the first ever Dubstep Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart.

On February 12, 2012 the second single "Hot Right Now" featuring British/Albanian singer Rita Ora which became his second number one in the UK, and the first Drum & Bass song to chart at Number 1 in the UK. The third single from the album, "The Power",features Dizzee Rascal is due to be officially released on June 3rd 2012.

His third album is due for release in September 2012.

FRESH/LIVE[link]

The poster for the FRESH/LIVE tour.

In late 2011, DJ Fresh began a new aspect of his career by launching 'FRESH/LIVE'. This live show incorporates a drummer, guitarist, vocalist, an MC and Fresh himself on keys to perform identical renditions of his studio-produced hits in live settings.

Fresh handpicked the musicians that made up the band, calling on people he had encountered at various stages of his career. On the drums was Kodish, a man with over ten years experience as a drummer in the drum & bass scene, having performed with such eminent acts as Moving Fusion, Bad Company, and Pendulum. Guitarist Richard de Rosa founded the Ska/Swing band Scubaroots, with whom he has performed to thousands of people at countless festivals. Seemingly a master of all trades, he also produced the band's album, was nominated for producer of the year at the 2011 South West Music Awards, and had previously performed on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge with Example and Fresh. Vocalist Fleur exploded onto the scene after performing on X Factor to 9 million TV viewers in 2005 and had also previously performed with Fresh on Live Lounge, and with Ms Dynamite on 1Xtra. The MC comes in the form of Drum and Bass' rising star Messy MC, who has previously performed and toured extensively with Pendulum, The EZ Rollers, Nero, Camo and Crooked and the Hospital Records tour nights Hospitality. He also received the Award for Best Newcomer MC in 2010 at the DNBA Awards and was then subsequently nominated in 2011 for Best MC.

The UK-wide tour completely sold out, taking in seven prestigious venues: The Arches in Glasgow, Alexandra Palace in London, The Big Reunion in Skegness, Manchester Club Academy, Waterfront in Norwich, Concorde 2 in Brighton, and the Student Union in Leeds. FRESH/LIVE is set to return in Spring 2012.

Discography[link]

• Escape from Planet Monday (2006)
• Kryptonite (2010)
• Third Studio Album (2012)

See also[link]

• Breakbeat Kaos
• Drum and bass
• Dogs On Acid
• Dubstep
• Jungle
• Pendulum

References[link]

External links[link]

• DJ Fresh on Myspace
• DJ Fresh discography at Discogs
• DJ Fresh at rolldabeats

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Sub Focus
Background information
Birth name	Nick Douwma
Origin	Guildford, England
Genres	Drum and bass, dubstep, house, electro
Occupations	Songwriter, musician, audio mixing, record producer, DJ
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Ram Records
Associated acts	Pendulum, TC, Danny Wheeler, Coco Sumner, The Prodigy, Chase & Status
Website	subfocus.com

Nick Douwma, better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English Electronic Music record producer. He has been releasing records since 2003.^[1] On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut album. He plans to release a second album in 2012.^[2]

Chart success[link]

In March 2005 he had a number one single on the UK Dance Chart with "X-Ray / Scarecrow". The single reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3] In June 2008, he hit number one on the UK Dance Chart again with "Timewarp / Join the Dots". In August 2009, he cracked the UK Top 40 for the first time with "Rock It / Follow the Light", which reached number 38.^[4] "Rock It / Follow the Light" also got him a third UK Dance Chart #1, as well as reaching the B-List of BBC Radio 1's playlist.

Sub Focus has also remixed selected works of The Prodigy, Deadmau5, Rusko, Dr. Octagon, Empire of the Sun and Dizzee Rascal.

On 6 October 2009, Sub Focus released "Smooth" which was free to download.

In 2010, Sub Focus was a support act for Australian drum & bass band Pendulum on their UK tour to promote their third album Immersion.^[5] Later that year, he produced the Example track "Kickstarts" for his second album, Won't Go Quietly. The track was successful in the UK Singles Chart, peaking at #3.^[6] This makes it Sub Focus' most commercially successful production to date.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Singles[link]

[A] "Falling Down will be re-released. It will consist of the original version, VIP Mix, xKore Remix & Nick Thayer Remix.

Remixes[link]

Guest appearances and collaborations[link]

VIP mixes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sub Focus on Myspace
• Sub Focus on Facebook
• Sub Focus on Twitter
• Sub Focus discography at Discogs

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2010)

Lincoln Barrett, better known by the stage name High Contrast (born 18 September 1979, Penarth, Cardiff), is a Welsh drum and bass DJ and producer.

History[link]

Barrett grew up more interested in films and film soundtracks rather than music, and still cites Wendy Carlos's A Clockwork Orange soundtrack album and the Vangelis soundtrack for Blade Runner as defining musical influences. Whilst studying film making in Newport, he heard J Majik's Arabian Nights which turned the then 17-year-old Barrett on to drum and bass music. Barrett used to work in Cardiff's only electronic record shop, Catapult. A short time after he began to make music, he was given a DJ residency at Cardiff's drum and bass night, named Silent Running. During his residency at Silent Running, Barrett played alongside artists such as Grooverider and London Elektricity.

In June 2002, Barrett's debut album, True Colours, was released on Hospital Records, with "Return of Forever" and "Global Love" finding their way into the UK Singles Chart.^[1] His second album was High Society.

On 6 April 2003, High Contrast was featured on the BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix show. His mix included liquid funk mostly from the Hospital Records label. On 9 January 2005, this Essential Mix was replayed on Radio 1 when another drum and bass artist, Andy C, was unable to deliver his mix. In October 2005, Barrett launched his own record label, The Contrast. The first single, "Days Go By" / "What We Do" was released in early November 2005.

In 2007, he delivered his second effort, selected as 'Essential Mix of the Year' by Pete Tong.^[2] His third album Tough Guys Don't Dance was released in October 2007. The second single from the album, "If We Ever" was supported on Radio 1 by Annie Mac, Zane Lowe and Jo Whiley helping it to reach number 1 in the DnB chart, number 1 in the dance chart and number 4 in the Indie chart.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, High Contrast remixed the #1 single "No Way to Say" for the Japanese Ayumi Hamasaki's remix album, Ayu-mi-x 6: Silver. He also made successful remixes of "Hometown Glory" by Adele and "Pjanoo" by Eric Prydz, which were later included on album, Confidential. He has started producing house tracks under the alias, 'Two Fisted Tales' with tracks released so far including "Fugue State" and "Rushmore" He played them during his take over for the Rob Da Bank show on BBC Radio 1 in January 2009.

He played at the 2011 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Barrett currently is a resident DJ at the following clubs: Hospitality as part of Hospital Records at Matter in London (previously at Heaven), Aperture at Clwb Ifor Bach (The Welsh Club) in Cardiff, at Roxy in Prague. He is also on regular rotation at Fabric in London.

Personal life[link]

His father, Paul 'Legs' Barrett, used to manage Shakin' Stevens. His mother, Lorraine Barrett, was the Welsh Assembly member for Cardiff South and Penarth until May 2011. According to a recent Hospital Records podcast, Barrett is an atheist.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• True Colours (2002)
• High Society (2004)
• Tough Guys Don't Dance (2007)
• Watch the Ride - High Contrast (2008)
• Confidential (2009) (UK #68)
• The Agony and The Ecstasy (2012) (UK #45)

Compilation albums[link]

• FabricLive.25 (2005)
• Hospitality Presents This is Drum + Bass (2009)^[3]

Singles[link]

• "Make it Tonight" / "Mermaid Scar" (2001)
• "Return of Forever" (2002)
• "Global Love" (2002) (UK #68)
• "Basement Track" (2003) (UK #65)
• "Twilight's Last Gleaming" (2004) (UK #74)
• "Angels and Fly" (2004)
• "Racing Green" / "St Ives" (2004) (UK #73)
• "When the Lights Go Down" / "Magic" (2005)
• "Days Go By" / "What We Do" (2005)
• "Everything's Different" / "Green Screen" (2007)
• "If We Ever" / "Pink Flamingos" (released 16 July 2007)
• "In A Gadda Da Vida" / "Forever And A Day" (2007)
• "The First Note Is Silent" (with Tiësto and Underworld) (2011) (UK Single Chart #48)

Remixes[link]

• "Edge of Seventeen (Just Like the White Winged Dove)" by Stevie Nicks
• "Kaleidoscope" by Tiesto
• "Wall" by Enter Shikari
• "Baggy Bottom Boys" by Jokers of the Scene
• "Ready for the Weekend" by Calvin Harris
• "In For The Kill (Skream's Let's Get Ravey Mix)" by La Roux
• "Most Precious Love" by Blaze featuring Barbara Tucker
• "Hometown Glory" by Adele
• "Pjanoo" by Eric Prydz
• "Reload It" by Kano
• "Time to Pretend" by MGMT
• "Something Good '08" by Utah Saints
• "Papua New Guinea" by Future Sound of London
• "I Found U" by Axwell
• "It's Too Late" by The Streets
• "Talk" by Coldplay
• "Gold Digger" by Kanye West
• "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West
• "We Run This" by Missy Elliott
• "My Dreams" by London Elektricity featuring Robert Owens
• "Remember the Future" by London Elektricity
• "Headlock" by Imogen Heap
• "Barcelona" by D.Kay & Epsilon
• "Hey U" by Basement Jaxx
• "Thugged Out Bitch" by Dillinja
• "Girls & Boys (Aquasky song)" by Aquasky and El Horner
• "Renegade Snares" by Omni Trio
• "Back For More" by Influx Datum
• "Karma (Comes Back Around)" by Adam F & Guru
• "No More" by Roni Size featuring Beverley Knight and Dynamite MC
• "No Soul" by ILS
• "Spaced Invader" by Hatiras
• "This Feeling" by Blue Sonix
• "Born Free" by M.I.A.
• "Blue Orchid" by The White Stripes