Chris ‘CJ’ Mackintosh has DJing in his blood. Born in Paris but raised in London, he was running parties with his older brother aged just 15. The Mackintosh sibling’s soundsystem mixed jazz, funk, soul, disco and early hip-hop with exuberant aplomb, a cult enterprise south of the Thames whose rapid expansion would ultimately propel CJ to guest appearances at Flim Flam – the influential night run by Coldcut’s Jonathan Moore. Not without some friendly pressure though. CJ’s official biography picks up: “There was a guy scratching, and I knew I could do better. I hassled Jonathan for about a month until he offered me a half-hour slot. So I got Einstein, a rapper-MC, and we started doing sets there. Eventually I started getting paid. Money wasn’t the object though, it was just doing what I wanted to do.”
That pure passion shone through even more brightly in 1987, when CJ scooped the UK DMC Mix Championship title. It was a decisive moment, unbridled creativity and enthusiasm paving the way for genuine career prospects and all the security and stability that entails. Indeed, the remix commissions came flying in. And an invitation from fellow DJ Dave Dorrell to join frontier fusionists Nasty Rox Inc., one of the first bands to attempt mixing ‘club’ with rock. That invitation was just the start. Dorrell and CJ were soon collaborating with indie bands AR Kane and Colourbox on a one-off dance EP that upon release in September 1987 would spawn number ones in mainstream charts all over the world – the super-group was M/A/R/R/S and its lead single ‘Pump Up The Volume’.
With an exhilaratingly unique whirl of beats and samples beyond any easy industry classification of the time ‘Pump Up The Volume’ led dance music’s ballsy charge into pop-land. BBC Radio 1, unfamiliar with the fast evolving scene, playlisted M/A/R/R/S and in doing so helped turn the rules of mainstream UK chart success on their head. Others would follow – other artists, other countries. Dance music was gaining wider cultural acceptance.
With Nasty Rox Inc. CJ released album Ca$h (1988); around that came singles alongside Einstein (‘The Tables Are Turnin’’, 1987) and The Reese Project (‘So Deep’, 1993), and production duties for major label signed garage-house quartet Love Happy (including hit single ‘Message Of Love’, 1995). His remix work, however, dominated. Across the late Eighties and Nineties, CJ earned an enviable reputation for re-rubs of everyone from Eric B & Rakim and Roxanne Shanté to Janet Jackson, De La Soul, Inner City and Whitney Houston.
Prowess in the studio complimented advances in the DJ booth – CJ became stellar house resident for London’s Ministry Of Sound at the height of the club’s powers during the mid-Nineties. He also played regularly for many of Europe’s flagship dancefloors. Inevitably, perhaps, a series of striking compilations for Nervous, Mixmag, Ministry and AM:PM (Simon Dunmore’s previous label) followed. And CJ’s DJ bug has resolutely refused to go away. He continues to dazzle domestic and international crowds with his stylish, forthright blend of soulful dance sounds.
Over the past 12 months, he has sound-tracked the parties of iconic brands including Hard Times, Hacienda and Space, whilst keeping up appearances at the Ministry. This weekend, too, he plays Defected’s Glitterbox extravaganza, flanked by Late Nite Tuff Guy, Horse Meat Disco, Mr Doris and Mo Funk – CJ is the perfect accompaniment for a brave new party celebrating house and disco’s rich history, whilst looking to extend it with feel-good 21st century flair beyond any recognisable boundaries. Feeling is king.
The word is that CJ wants to return to the studio after a significant spell away. And return on his own artistic terms – writing and producing after so many years remixing others, albeit incredibly well. It’s difficult, however, when you love DJing so much – CJ’s passion for the mix has ultimately driven much of his weighty career success to date. “When you hear the right record, at the right time, in the right place, there’s no feeling like it” his official biography concludes. And, really, there’s no artist quite like CJ, one of British clubland’s true greats….
For more info on CJ Mackintosh’s Ibiza appearance (20 September) at Glitterbox visit www.glitterboxibiza.com
