Some of our top DJs are listed below. Read their profiles to find out more about them. Some have provided mixes you can listen to.
You may wish to select a particular DJ, or let us recommend one depending on your music selection.
Barry Smyth, Belfast born and bred but has been sunning himself in Leeds for the past four years. Barry has been a DJ for the past ten years and specialises in hip hop, funk, soul, jazz, nu jazz and all dem broken beats.
This is one of our younger DJ's who is cerainly not lacking any ability or experience! From Club Events to Classy Weddings and Radio Work, Ben has built up the skills and techniques to mix up some of the funkiest sets of quality music you may ever hear.
DJBJ is by no means your average cheesy mobile DJ and always gives a performance to be remembered. He is an ideal choice for 18th / 21st birthday events, being able to combine playing the latest sounds with some dancefloor classics.
Ben prides himself on smooth mixing and complete professionalism whether you want to rave to electro or enjoy a wedding with style...
Influenced by the original breaks from early Jazz, Funk and Reggae playing straight up sets or many styles across the board. Frequently travelling across the UK from his base in Leeds, Ziggy is a well-known DJ in many clubs with his talents taking him to New York several times supporting many big names. The mass cross-section of styles that Ziggy covers has enabled him to play with some greatly respected names such as David Holmes, Roots Manuva, DJ Format, DJ Food, Blackalicious, Kid Koala, Unkle, The Scratch Perverts, 4 Hero, Courtney Pine & DJ Pogo, Fatboy Slim and even Kylie Minogue. These are only a small example of the artists he's appeared with throughout his career. Ziggy has also had the chance to work with some of his old-time musical influences when he supported The Sugarhill Gang and Melle Melle.
DJ Ziggy has played with Hi-Life from its inception and his wide knowledge of music and superb technical ability has made him a favorite with clients.
In addition to promoting and DJing at the top jazz venues in Leeds, Chico has also played at the Jazz Cafe (London), the Jazz Rooms (Brighton), Rhythm Rooms (Sheffield), Jelly Jazz (Plymouth), La Belle Angele (Edinburgh) and many more.
Leeds' musical landscape would not be the same without this man and it is a great honour for myself to have him working with us on the Hi-life team.
Chico has an extensive knowledge of all styles of Latin music, both contemporary and classic and has brought many of the greats to Leeds in his capacity as a promoter.
He is also an avid Blue Note and Prestige jazz collector - basically what he doesn't know about jazz isn't worth knowing! despite many years top level DJing (his hair is a little greyer than in the picture!) he has lost non of his enthusiasm for music and the art of dance floor shaking.
Anyone who has visited any of the cooler bars in Leeds over the past few years (Norman, Milo, North Bar, Oporto, Townhouse) will probably be a fan already.
Having spent 13 years as a professional club and bar DJ, Jim has built up the skills and techniques to mix up one of the broadest collections of quality music you may ever hear.
Anyone casting their minds back to the halcyon days of Leeds clubbing of the mid 90's can't forget Its Obvious or Cushion - nights Jim was involved with.
Although not the average cheesy mobile DJ he is always willing to discuss your needs and any tunes you especially want to hear (or donÂ’t want to hear!)
Jim prides himself on smooth professionalism whether you want to cut up rugs or chill with a groovy vibe...
Dan Moore as a resident and promotor of Leeds club night Superconductor has played with some of the great names in electronic music. DJs like Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Francois K, Andrew Weatherall & Laurent Garnier are just a few of the names Dan has worked with over recent years. Anyone who has been to any of the historic nights Superconductor promoted will have witnessed Dan's extraodinary talent first hand.
Playing a party Dan is an expansive DJ, not limited soley to electronic music. Expect to hear him blend an explosive James Brown track, old skool hip hop or even the Pixies and the Clash into an eclectic mix.
Dan is now based in Edinburgh, expanding Hi-life's presence to north of the border. He is however prepared to travel south for the right party!
Check out my mix 'Back to the old school' - a cheeky mash up of old skool/disco/electro/acid house from back in the day - Frankie Bones to Joe Montana, Underground Resistance to Joe Clausell its all there! This is a reduced quality version of the original recording so i could fit more on here for you to hear - if you want a higher quality cd send email us here at hilife entertainment. Oh and there is loads more where this came from.
Read more...Disco and its original ethos has always been a major influence on his musical tastes but rest assured you won't hear hear any Abba or Village People here. What you will hear is anything from the widely known sounds of Chic & Loletta Holloway to the more underground sounds coming from the USA in the early to mid 70's. Record labels such as Philadelphia International & Salsoul to producers/djs like Larry Levan and Patrick Adams, who whilst may not be household names to many, the tracks they are responsible for certainly are.
Never one to stick to a particular sound however, Alex takes things a stage further, mixing it up with latin beats, house grooves, dancefloor jazz/funk, bumpin' soul and maybe the odd 80's classic or indie tune thrown in for good measure. Modern day artists such as Masters at Work, Jazzanova and Kenny Dixon Jr also provide more contemporary leanings to his Dj sets.
Some current party favorites;
Ernie K Doe - Here Come The Girls
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons - Beggin (remix)
Kings Of Leon - Sex On Fire
Coasters - Down In Mexico
Kanye West - Homecoming
Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way to Die
Bronski Beat - Smalltown Boy
TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me
Hactor Rivera - At The Party
The Knack - My Sharona
As founder and proprietor of Hi-Life I have played hundreds of private parties, weddings corporate events and have held several bar and club residencies up and down the country. I have run and co-owned two record shops - most recently being Soul Alley in the grand arcade in Leeds, selling to DJs, collectors and enthusiasts of all types of quality music past and present. In this capacity I have got to know the many of the top DJs in the region and feel that I am ideally suited to run this type of company, giving you the customer what you want (provided that you want good music!) I have an expansive music collection and a passion for diverse areas of music as far afield as jazz and post punk as well as more mainstream popular tastes.
My wide knowledge of music means that I can work well either playing an across the board type set, or playing a more specialist set from northern soul, funk, disco, latin, rock, 80's electro, indie to classic house and pop.
Originally hailing from one of the hotbeds of Northern Soul on the east coast of England, Darren started out as a funk DJ, mixing soul, rock, electro and hip hop into his sets. He has an excellent knowledge of music and a technical ability to match, using the latest technology to blend all styles seamlessly. Recently he has had a bar residency in Leeds and has brought the house down at several weddings and parties, playing alongside Mark Hepworth.
Telephone: 07828 688144
