909rewind Vol. 2… Carl Cox

Welcome to 909rewind, a new series from 909originals that delves into the early careers of some of dance music’s biggest names, uncovering hidden gems and familiar classics from the archives.

We dive into an artist’s back catalogue to uncover rare singles, EPs, albums, remixes and more… the tracks that helped shape their sound and set them on the path to legendary status.

Following on from our look at Sven Väth’s early career last week, our next candidate is a house, techno and old school legend, whose name is synonymous with getting the party started… Carl Cox.

Remarkably, Cox has been DJing for forty years, operating a ‘mobile disco’ as a teenager, before becoming captivated by the emerging house music sound from Chicago in the mid-80s.

Building a reputation as the first ‘three-deck maestro’, the late 80s and early 90s saw Cox play seminal venues such as the Eclipse, Shelley’s Laserdome, Heaven and The Haçienda; as well as countless Dreamscape, Amnesia and Fantazia raves, developing a harder-edged sound to match the hardcore beats of the time.

He made his production debut in 1991 on Paul Oakenfold’s Perfecto label, with I Want You (Forever), a classic rave anthem (sadly not on Spotify, but which can be viewed by clicking here), as well as a myriad of remixes for artists as diverse as Swiss synth popsters Yello and French techno luminary Laurent Garnier.

Covering the period 1991 to 1996, our playlist concentrates mostly on Cox’s remix work, as he surfs a myriad of musical boundaries, all the time with one goal in mind… to make people dance. Keep up the good work Carl!