10 iconic DJ Harvey moments

DJ Harvey has been called many things. An icon, a DJ’s DJ, even Keith Richards of the crossfader, the superlatives are seemingly never-ending for the disco don. His penchant for tripped out mixes, dirty disco edits and incandescent smile have earned him a cultish following that fans and fellow DJs follow equally.

While his selections and standing in the history of dance music gives him appeal to those in the know, his rock star qualities make him attractive to anyone who just wants to party, which he certainly excels at.

There’s only one DJ Harvey and we’re lucky to have him. Kick back with 10 of his most iconic moments.

Growing up a punk in Cambridge as Harvey Bassett, the youngster found his way into the band Ersatz, getting a taste for the rock 'n’ roll life style early. Hanging out with 18 and 19-year-olds when he was only 14 meant stories of being sneaked vodka by older ladies was the norm. Having been played by the late, great John Peel on the radio, Bassett decided the band lifestyle wasn’t for him, declaring in later interviews that being in a band “was like having four girlfriends”. Plus it was depressing seeing the amount of records they hadn’t sold.

A trip to New York and experiencing burgeoning hip-hop culture followed. Harvey realised that with turntables, he could provide the party all by himself and history was made.

With an ethos of putting the crew before the DJ, Tonka Sound System was a party collective that could only have existed in the inhibition-free electro-funk era. The wild parties spanned the southeast of England back in the 90s, existing now in the memories of reminiscent party people and archived rave footage. The crew also gave birth to Felix Dickinson's career. Harvey told The Quietus that these parties helped form his style of selection: "I’d been hanging out in Groove Records in Soho and I’d hear the latest Jazzy Jeff record and the latest Adonis record and my brain was going, ‘Can I mix these two together’ and I thought, ‘You probably can’, and I probably did!"

Never one to err on the side of prudishness, Bassett and co-founders Gerry Rooney and Simon Lovejoy started their label Black Cock in the mid-90s when disco was a dirty word. The imprint took on the mantle of disco re-edits made famous by the likes of Larry Levan, and despite only releasing a handful of records over a five-year stint, they are now considered classics, reflected in their online retail price. Classics like Made In The USA’s ‘Never Let You Go’ and oddities such as Dick Hyman’s cover of James Brown’s ‘Give It Up Or Turn It Loose’ both got the re-edit treatment, no easy feat when working with 6 megabytes of storage on their Atari Mega 4.

DJ Harvey was a much-respected DJ before he left for the US in 2001 having come up through the TONKA parties and landing a residency at Ministry Of Sound. But his American sojourn really added that mystery that is indicative of any rock star character. Having purchased tickets at all-time low prices following the 9/11 attacks, Harvey skipped town, set up shop in California and ended up staying for a decade because of visa issues. Thankfully he used that time wisely, setting fire to a stagnant West Coast dance music scene with some legendary parties.

Ever the performer, DJ Harvey is one of the most enigmatic selectors on the circuit and his 2010 performance at Meredith Music Festival in Australia is one of his most iconic moments ever. Like something out of a Black Sabbath dressing room, Harvey ended his set with a floaty disco number and a good old fashioned destruction spree. Seemingly annoyed about something, Harvey proceeded to smash his laptop, vinyl decks and anything else expensive in sight. Nothing was left but the table everything was sitting on and he stormed off stage only to come back on, take a bow, then leave again. Spare a moment for the people cleaning up after him, but at the same time you wouldn't see Ozzy Osbourne cleaning up the TV he'd just thrown out of the window would you?

Quick disclaimer: this was never actually confirmed, BUT if it’s true (and we’re really, really hoping it is) then it definitely makes a claim for Harvey’s most iconic moment. Started while lapping up the California waves, Bassett’s bi-annual Sarcastic Disco parties were the stuff of legend, galvanising a pretty dry LA scene with all night parties in disused warehouse on the fringe of the city. They brought his musical oddities and rarities to the foreground in marathon sets that could only be attended if you were invited. The fact they were hardly advertised didn't stop them becoming so popular that rumours of Beyonce being turned away wouldn't have suprised party regulars.

Bad. Fuckin'. Ass.

Cast your minds back to the trippy tale of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, a classic, albeit creepy childhood movie. ‘Pure Imagination’ is the standout song that casts many minds back to their younger years. So when Gene Wilder’s haunting vocals played out during a Harvey Boiler Room set back in 2015, it was an inspired, if not little bit weird, choice of opener.

Back in 2014, Harvey was the chosen recipient of DJ Awards ‘Outstanding Contribution Award’. Awarded for his industry influence within EDM and his extensive body of work, he took to Facebook afterwards to thank his fans, claiming: “This ones for you lot out there to remind you to follow your wildest dreams.”

Let’s be clear, this was not the most headsy list. Tiesto, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, Kaskade, David Guetta, Diplo and Skrillex populate the top 10 and while they’re clearly popular individuals who can DJ, it offers a pretty narrow view of dance music. Fair play though, Rolling Stone aren’t an electronic music magazine. But if there’s one DJ out there who fits into the rock n’ roll ethos that Rolling Stone once championed, it’s DJ Harvey. We’re glad they picked up on that.