Hard House History

In this episode of Hard House History, Paul Glazby sits down with Glynn Tolley for a brilliant journey through more than three decades of dance music, club culture, production and promotion.
Glynn's story begins long before the superclubs and packed dancefloors. From making pretend radio shows on a reel-to-reel recorder as a child to DJing school discos, saving for his first pair of Technics and eventually warming up alongside the likes of Sasha, his route into dance music was anything but conventional.
The conversation moves into Glynn's early production career and Within a Dream's "Where Is the Feeling?", a record that sparked major-label interest and eventually found its way to Kylie Minogue. Glynn shares the remarkable story behind the track, the record-industry politics surrounding its original release, and how Kylie eventually recorded her own interpretation.
Then comes Leeds.
Glynn recalls becoming involved with Sundissential, initially helping create a safer environment for clubbers before becoming increasingly involved behind the scenes. From there came Funkessential and, following one of the more colourful chapters in the story, the birth of Kiss Da Funk.
What followed was an extraordinary period in UK clubbing. Glynn and the Kiss Da Funk team brought David Guetta to the north of England before he became a global superstar, booked Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso before Swedish House Mafia existed, brought Eric Morillo back to Leeds and even became the first promoters to bring Avicii to the UK.
There are plenty of classic behind-the-scenes stories too, from club politics and financial gambles to Ibiza madness and the characters who made the era unforgettable.
Finally, Paul and Glynn discuss the resurrection of Kiss Da Funk after almost 12 years away, and why a generation of clubbers is finding its way back onto the dancefloor.
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Hit play and hear the stories behind one of UK clubland's great success stories, told by someone who was right in the middle of it. 
And if you were there the first time around, Kiss Da Funk is back, with the next event at Mint Warehouse on 26 September.
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Some DJs have been part of dance music history, while others have helped shape it. In this episode of Hard House History, Paul Glazby sits down with the legendary Judge Jules for a journey through more than four decades of clubs, radio, raves, Ibiza and electronic music.
Jules takes us right back to the beginning, from discovering electronic music through acts including Human League and Heaven 17 to experiencing the sheer power of New Order on a proper club sound system at Camden Palace. From there, his musical education took another huge turn with visits to New York's Paradise Garage and an introduction to the emerging sound of house music.
The conversation uncovers the unlikely origins of the Judge Jules name, born while Jules was a law student promoting unlicensed parties and often finding himself the one tasked with speaking to the police. Those early events, his love of rare groove and old-school hip-hop, and a chance encounter at Clink Street would eventually help launch one of British dance music's most enduring careers.
Jules and Paul explore the acid house explosion, Kiss FM, the move to BBC Radio 1, the legendary broadcasts, Ibiza and the creation of Judgment Sundays. They also discuss the harder side of Jules' sound and why the lines between trance, techno and hard house are becoming increasingly blurred again.
There is plenty of reflection too. Jules talks about the importance of luck, preparation, and staying relevant; the responsibility a DJ has to the crowd; and finding the balance between educating and entertaining a dancefloor. He also explains why, after four decades, he is still searching every week for records with that elusive "magic factor".
The conversation also moves into his remarkable second career as an entertainment lawyer, returning to study while still DJing before ultimately becoming a partner in his own firm.
From underground parties to Radio 1, Ibiza superclubs, law and an MBE, this is the story of a career that continues to evolve.
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This episode of Hardhouse History is about far more than records, DJs and dancefloors. Paul Glazby sits down with 19-year-old Hugo from The Test Lounge for a deeply personal conversation about family, loss, musical discovery, and carrying forward something his dad, Chris, started purely for the love of music.
The Test Lounge began with a simple idea. Chris wanted to dig into his incredible record collection, play the music he loved and share it with anyone who wanted to listen. It wasn't about followers or creating content. It was about spreading happiness and excitement through music.
Following Chris's sudden passing, Hugo found himself surrounded by thousands of records, a DJ setup and an extraordinary musical legacy.
Despite an unsuccessful attempt to learn to DJ with his dad when he was younger, Hugo decided to try again. Hours of practice eventually produced that first proper mix, almost perfectly timed with Fergie walking through the door. With encouragement from Fergie and two close friends, Hugo eventually decided to bring The Test Lounge back, this time putting his own personality in front of the camera.
Paul and Hugo talk about the staggering breadth of Chris's collection, from hard house, Trippy Traxx, Positiva and Defected through to Michael Jackson, Prince, Elvis, NWA, Beastie Boys and Frank Sinatra. For Hugo, exploring those thousands of records has become a musical education in itself.
There's also plenty of talk about Fergie's influence and support, Hugo's love of the harder sounds, his first vinyl DJ set at the Spin reunion in Birmingham and the unforgettable feeling of watching a dancefloor actually dance.
That experience also brought home one of his Dad's strongest beliefs: put the phones away, forget about the DJ and enjoy the music. For Hugo, that philosophy is now at the heart of what comes next.
The Test Lounge started with Chris. Hugo isn't trying to replace that story. He's carrying it forward while beginning one of his own.
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Discover the story behind The Test Lounge, hear Hugo's journey into DJing and celebrate a musical legacy being passed from one generation to the next. 
Listen to the full episode of Hardhouse History now, and if you love the stories behind the music, follow the podcast, share the episode and help us keep Hardhouse History alive.
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This week on Hard House History, Paul Glazby sits down with one of electronic music’s most distinctive and enduring artists, Nick Bracegirdle, better known as Chicane.
It might seem like a slight detour from the harder sounds normally associated with the podcast, but for Paul, Chicane's music has always been part of the story. After weekends spent hammering Tony De Vit and hard house, records like Offshore provided the perfect Sunday comedown. What follows is a fascinating conversation with an artist Paul describes as one of the Balearic sound's Godfathers.
Nick takes us back to the music that shaped him, from Jean-Michel Jarre, Vangelis and Vince Clarke to Tears for Fears and Simple Minds. At the heart of it all are melody, emotion, and Chicane's unmistakable mix of sunshine and melancholy.
The pair dig deep into the story behind Offshore, including Nick's childhood summers on the Isle of Wight and his attempt to capture the strange sadness of summer coming to an end. From there, they explore the explosion of club culture in the 1990s, when underground dance records suddenly started crashing into the charts.
Brilliant stories run throughout, from Chicane originally touring with a full live band rather than DJing, to performing alongside an orchestra and working in the studio with artists including Bryan Adams, Tom Jones, Moya Brennan, Cher, and Jewel.
And then things get particularly interesting.
Nick speaks openly about the controversy surrounding Calvin Harris' Blessings and its perceived similarities to Offshore, explaining the sequence of events from his perspective and why the situation became so personal.
Thirty years into Chicane, Nick is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. He discusses his new 30 album, a packed touring schedule, his return to Australia, and why he believes AI, streaming and direct-to-fan music could radically change the industry.
This is Hard House History stretching beyond hard house and into the wider history of electronic music.
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Whether Offshore soundtracked your Sunday morning, Saltwater takes you straight back to the dancefloor, or you simply love hearing the stories behind electronic music's biggest records, this episode is essential listening.
Subscribe to Hard House History, share the episode and join us as we continue documenting the people, records and moments that built our scene.

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This week on Hardhouse History, Paul Glazby sits down with one of the most distinctive names to emerge from the UK hard trance scene, K90, aka Mark Doggett, for a journey through more than 25 years of music, clubs, live performances and an ever-evolving creative career.
K90's route into electronic music was anything but planned. A mate losing his job, a Commodore Amiga and a free music-making program eventually led to a four-track hardcore EP being signed to Kickin' Records within six months. From there came years of learning, experimenting and doing whatever work was necessary to fund the dream.
Mark takes Paul inside the evolution of the K90 sound, from his early love of electronic music and The Prodigy through acid trance and ultimately the records that would define his career.
And, of course, they talk Red Snapper.
Mark reveals the brilliant story behind one of hard trance's most enduring anthems, including how a record label mix-up meant the track we all know as Red Snapper was actually supposed to be called Genetic. Even more remarkably, it wasn't originally considered the lead track. Twenty-five years later, people are still requesting it in his sets.
The conversation also dives into K90 Live, his love for Frantic and KOKO, Daedalus Records and the career-defining Urban Anthems, featuring tracks including Deliverance, Red Snapper, Chemical Love and Breathe. Mark also drops a tantalising hint about a huge project being created for the album's 25th anniversary.
But K90's story didn't stop on the dancefloor.
Today, Mark's career also includes composing orchestral music for film and television, including work heard on the BBC and MasterChef. He explains how he moved into scoring, writing to picture, working with live musicians and why sometimes the most powerful piece of music in a film is no music at all.
From underground raves to orchestral strings, this is the story of an artist who has never stopped evolving.
This is K90. This is Hardhouse History.

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Whether you remember hearing Red Snapper the first time around or discovered K90 years later, this episode is packed with stories from one of Hard Trance's most enduring artists.
Subscribe to Hardhouse History, share the episode with your old rave crew and join Paul Glazby as we continue documenting the artists, records and stories that built the scene.

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