True House Stories® Youtube & Spotify Video Podcast
TRUE HOUSE STORIES W/ CHAD JACKSON
Chad Jackson interviewed by Lenny Fontana for True House Stories # 073
Part 1
Chad Jackson sits with Lenny Fontana and discusses in this episode how he started his life in the music with piano lessons. He also was dancing a lot at all the big events in the northern scene. He begins his music career as a record collector and following the dj’s. He befriends Manchester DJ Greg Wilson and the rest is history.
Part 2
Chad Jackson in this part talks about his start with his new professional DJ work in the clubs. He begins in the northern part of the UK and is given the chance to take over from DJ Greg Wilson. As he explains it the baton was passed on to him and he is focused on making his Radio show an incredible listening experience on Radio Piccadilly Manchester.
In 1986 he decided to sign himself into the DMC World Competition which landed him second place for that year. In 1987 he is asked to come back but the winner from 1986 decides he does not want to partake in the competition and then Chad is decorated as winner. Since now he is the winner officially this gives him a huge chance to travel the world bringing him to New York City and meeting the heads of Def Jam and all the people in the musical community.
He even finds his way to production and remixing with “Hear The Drummer Get Wicked” and works toward the University tour and becomes a lecturer on production and remixing. Today he works at all the festivals around the UK and the world.
Chad Jackson YouTube Video Part 1
Chad Jackson YouTube Video Part 2
Biography Chad Jackson
To witness Chad Jackson in action is an eclectic, atmospheric and intellectual journey into sound to uplift the spirits and move the soul. He is a dance music pioneer and icon of the scene, who has inspired many of his contemporaries with his DJ mixing and production skills to become a revered maverick in electronic music.
Chad has been a DJ, music producer and educator since the mid 1980s, having bagged the crown of Technics/DMC World DJ Mixing Champion in 1987. Resident DJ at the now legendary Hacienda club in Manchester – to a worldwide smash hit in 1990 with ‘Hear The Drummer Get Wicked’, he has gained worldwide industry respect and recognition and was recently honoured with a DJ Legend award by DMC.
Chad has been a champion of contemporary music with his journey through many different genres throughout the years, always pushing the boundaries forward – from his beginnings in Northern Soul, Jazz- Funk and early Electronic Music, through to Acid House, Hip Hop and Breakbeat, and all picked from one of the largest private music collections in the world.
Originally from St Helens, Chad held a residency at Manchester’s groundbreaking Haçienda club during its heyday, being one of the architects of the newly emerging House Music scene, alongside fellow legends including Mike Pickering and Graeme Park. Chad quickly became a key global influence in the popularization of the art of DJ mixing and remixing.
While at the Hacienda he started producing remixes exclusively for use on the legendary DMC DJ-only vinyl collections, showcasing his eclectic tastes from notable artists such as Grace Jones, Kraftwerk, The Beastie Boys, De la Soul, Public Enemy, Deelite, Mantronix, Norman Cook’s Beats International and some bloke called Prince!
Chad was one of the first British DJs to start mixing and exploring turntablism in the early 1980s. By the mid 80s a flyer with his name on it would guarantee queues outside clubs like Manchester’s iconic Legend club and Wigan Pier, which he took over from his great friend and early mentor Greg Wilson. Along with Greg, he was one of the first to champion the newly emerged Electro Funk sound from the likes of Newcleus, Midnight Star and Man Parrish, and was an early exponent of the newly emerging Hip Hop sound.
Chad’s regular live broadcast sessions and end of year ‘Best Of…’ mixes on Piccadilly/Key 103 radio had the North-West of England hovering their fingers over the tape-deck record button. These original cassettes are highly prized today, with fans inundating Chad’s website for copies of these infamous mixes.
1987 was a seminal year for Chad when he took the roof off the Royal Albert Hall in London with his skilful and entertaining DJ mixing performance at the Technics/DMC World DJ Mixing competition, where he quite rightly secured his place as one of the legendary World Champions. The world really opened up for him after winning the championship when he undertook a whirlwind 2 year world tour headlining clubs in New York, Russia, Japan, Brazil and even the closing party of the Cannes Film Festival!
By 1990 Chad’s focus had returned to studio production, remixing and re-edits. His first solo work followed and Chad Jackson’s ’Hear The Drummer Get Wicked’ went straight to the top of charts around the world. It is now considered a 90’s classic. Click here to listen.
Three decades on and there is no sign of Chad slowing down – music flows through his veins more than ever and this is evidenced by his many current gigs, radio shows and various productions for release. Chad has graced the decks at a range of events, such as Festival No6, Secret Garden Party, Hacienda, Bluedot Festival, Moovin Festival and Highest Point Festival. He is currently promoting his ‘Journey Through My Record Collection’ imprint, with a regular radio show on Music Box Radio and various pop up events at selected venues around the country.
As well as showcasing his enigmatic DJ skills, Chad is also in the final stages of completing various new studio productions of unreleased material, and songs and mixes from his extensive back catalogue.
All these experiences have inspired him to give something back to the emerging music community by becoming an industry educator and mentor. Chad has chaired panels at events like the Brighton Music Conference, and has taught Music Production and DJ Skills to an array of new talent as a senior lecturer at various education establishments and universities such as Ministry of Sound DJ Academy, ACM in Guildford and Point Blank in London. Many of his graduates have gone on to become major talents within the music industry.
The end of the last decade saw Chad starring in a Christmas nativity video playing Joseph, alongside Marshall Jefferson as God! His final gig of 2019 was The Hacienda New Years Eve Residents party in Manchester….a solid bed on which to build in the new decade 2020.
‘For me – music is the life force of human expression and creative power, and a physical realization of love’.