ABOUT CHRIS
Chris has been involved in dance music since the very beginning, when in the early nineties he was a regular at Brighton’s infamous Zap club listening to the likes of Eric Powell, Dave Clarke, Tall Paul and John 00 Fleming.

Already from a strong musical background, Chris started working with the connections he made and learned the ropes as a dance music producer. His early works were well received but it was his 1996 tune, ‘Breathless’ (co- produced by Zap resident John Weatherley) that catapulted him forward. The release, helped by a classic remix by Tony De Vit, went on to sell over 30,000 copies and appeared on countless compilations.

From this point onwards Chris became a full time producer and engineer working with everyone from Sourmash through to Andy Farley, Eric Powell through to K90. As a producer in his own right he has remixed and been remixed by the likes of Sinead O’Conner, Tiesto and Satoshi Tomiie through to Sourmash and Tony De Vit.

He has sold over 100,000 vinyl units and had over 100 commercial releases. He is one of only a small group of producers with genuine cross genre appeal with successful projects in house, progressive, techno, hard dance and trance. His first label, Interflow Sounds, went from being a small imprint set up as primarily a vehicle for his own productions, to one of the leading independent hard dance/trance labels with no less than 20 releases and two subsidiary labels. In 2002 he released the highly acclaimed mix album ‘Harder, Faster, Deeper’.

In 2001 he signed to the established trance label, Eve Records, forming a relationship which would ultimately see him buy the company in 2004.

He now presides over a suite of labels and works alongside some of the most exciting names in the industry, including John Askew, Thomas Datt, John O’Callaghan… the list goes on and on.

The diversity of the labels also allows Chris to indulge in all of his favourite dance music genres, be it house, tech house, progressive, trance or techno.

Chris’s DJ’ing career has mirrored that of his productions - eclectic and always one step ahead of the game. Since he started DJing in 1998 Chris has played as far a field as Japan and Australia together with regular European and UK dates.

As owner of the famous ‘Recoverworld Live’ brand he has taken his own club night across the length of the UK taking residents including himself, John Askew and K90 and his own unique ‘deep trance’ sound with him.

Chris's other DJ'ing style is more progressive and backs up the style of production he has when he releases on the Baroque label as either "Interflow" or "SDM Soundclash".

Whatever style you are after, what you get when you book Chris Hampshire is exclusivity and originality. With so many quality acts signed to his labels and so much upfront material supplied by his close ties within the industry, you are guaranteed to hear exclusive tunes before anyone else that will give your night its own unique flavour.

That’s not to say that you will be taken on a journey of self indulgence, though. Chris has been in the business long enough to know how to read a crowd and make the party rock.

But if you want quality music, with its own unique flavour, look no further than Chris Hampshire – Producer/Label Manager/Recoverworld Resident DJ.

What are your views on trance music? Which artists do you respect most in this genre, and where do you see this genre going in the future?

I can’t afford to have favorites with what I do – if they are signed to any of my labels it’s because I like and respect what they do and I genuinely believe that as a label group we have the most exciting and best artists of any of the genres. If I hear someone I like then I always try to go after them to get them to do a project for us.

In short, our artists are the ones I most respect!!

These are exciting times, not just in trance but in dance music in general. Its been pushed right back underground, which is where it belongs and the fact that recording equipment is no longer prohibitively expensive, it means that a very exciting crop of new and hungry producers are coming through.

What’s the best thing about being a DJ, and what are the most important characteristics and talents of an awesome DJ?

I love it because I always use it as an opportunity to showcase new material and when you drop a brand new track and it totally delivers, it is one of the best feelings you can have. In terms of important characteristics, well I you can bring something different to the table, avoid disappearing too far up your own backside and remember it is about entertainment rather than ego, then you won’t go far wrong.

What productions have you been working on recently, what can we expect from you in the near future?

I have been working on a project with Bissen in New York and the first single is called “The Vault” and will be coming out on Discover later this year. On remix duty will be Askew and David Newsum plus Activa is doing a rework for his “Live As…” album.

We are also re releasing the classic Hampshire and Weatherley track “Breathless” as there were over 20 mixes and they have never been digitized so this one will be one for the collectors.

Most of my time in the studio these days is spent working on other people’s tracks and mastering but I have made a little promise to myself to start making more music and “The Vault” is definitely a taste of things to come.

What Places have you visited and what was your favourite gig and why?

I am fortunate enough to have been all over, with highlights being Italy and Japan. I am doing a fair bit in Poland at the moment and loving the crowds there. I love Italy because the crowds chant along to the tracks so it is like a football match and Japan simply because it is such a visual extravaganza and they are so passionate about the music that you play.

I hear you run your own label, tell us about it?

At the risk of sounding like a show off, I run 10 labels and a few more bits besides. I am fiercely proud of what we do at Recoverworld and the artists that we champion and let’s just say it keeps me off the streets!!!

5 interesting facts about you?

I am a qualified hairdresser and once came third in a national hairstyling competition.

I have a pathological love of studio equipment and in the days when I had more spare time I used to work as a freelance kit reviewer for one of the leading Music Tech magazines

I love football and support Aldershot Town – the most interesting of all league clubs. ;-)

I once accidentally trashed ATB’s flat after a gig in Germany after being introduced to Jagermeister by Alex MORPH – its bloody mental stuff!!

I once read a book on particle synthesis and created a small black hole in the corner of my studio. Through this I am able to sample tracks that haven’t even been written yet and attribute this to my unique production sound.

Thanks Chris for The Interview and We look forward to having you play down at STANDARDS with Discover records, Brighton’s only night dedicated to Trance & Electronica. You can catch Activa and other top discover Records artists At The Loft
10 Ship Street, Brighton BN1 1AD on Sat 11 October 08.
23:00 – 3:00.