Felix da Housecat

Felix da Housecat (born Felix Stallings in Chicago, Illinois) is a House music DJ and record producer. Felix is commonly regarded as a member of the second wave of Chicago house. He entered the dance music elite not only via his recordings (under a number of aliases, including Thee Maddkatt Courtship, Aphrohead and Sharkimaxx), but also for his ownership of Radikal Fear Records, one of the premiere Chicago labels of the 1990s.

Life

Beginnings

Living in Chicago, a young Stallings was perfectly located to develop a keen interest in the emergent House music scene, which found its hub in Chicago. A chance introduction to House pioneer DJ Pierre in the mid-80s gave 15-year-old Stallings his break, and under the patronage and guidance of Pierre, he released his first single, "Phantasy Girl," in 1987.

1990+

However, Stallings' parents disapproved of his growing interest in the club scene, and discouraged the development of his talent. After graduating from high school, he left Chicago and music entirely to attend Alabama State College. After losing interest in House for a few years, Felix decided to rejoin the business. With the help of DJ Pierre, he began producing and mixing again. By 1992, he had a hit with the single "Thee Dawn" on Guerilla Records. He became particularly popular in Europe, and the following year's "By Dawn's Early Light" and "Thee Industry Made Me Do It" cemented his reputation.

One of the defining moments of the 90's for Felix was his single, "In The Dark We Live (Thee Lite)" under his psuedonym, Aphrohead. Originally released on the UK label, Bush, "In The Dark We Live" was licensed by New York-based label, Emotive Records and released in the U.S. The Dave Clarke remix of "In The Dark We Live" was championed by NY legend Junior Vasquez at the infamous after-hours nightclub, Sound Factory. Emotive Records commissiond Vasquez to remix it for its U.S. release.

Shortly afterwards Stallings formed Radikal Fear Records, and it was not long before the label became one of the foremost House labels in the world, releasing cuts from Mike Dunn, DJ Sneak, and Armando as well as Felix himself and many others. During 1995, he released his debut full-length Alone in the Dark (as Thee Maddkatt Courtship) on Deep Distraxion, followed by Radikal Fear compilation, The Chicago All Stars and a mix album entitled Clashbackk Compilation Mix. Another LP, Metropolis Present Day? Thee Album, followed in 1998.

2000+

Stallings continued releasing records at a prolific rate; the next year brought his first album as Aphrohead and a second as Maddkatt Courtship, the highly praised I Know Elektrikboy. 2001 saw the release of Kittenz and Thee Glitz, a critically-acclaimed LP that gained Felix mainstream exposure and worldwide coverage in dance music and fashion circles, and has often been mentioned as one of the pioneering releases of the electroclash movement. The ensuing fame brought Felix widespread popularity and remix work for superstars like Madonna and Kylie Minogue. The proper follow-up, Devin Dazzle and the Neon Fever, didn't arrive until 2004, but Stallings released a pair of mix albums, 2002's Excursions and 2003's A Bugged Out Mix, in between.

Felix is currently working on his seventh solo studio effort, and is rumoured to be using big-name guest vocalists including Radiohead's Thom Yorke. He also been hired as Sean Combs's exclusive producer for his upcoming dance album. Felix replaces Timo Maas as chief producer for the yet-unnamed album. In May of 2005, the first collobration between the two was released, entitled "Jack U."

His song "Rocket Ride" was featured in the game Need For Speed Underground 2, and "Silver Screen Shower Scene" was used in both Midnight Club 2 and the snowboarding game SSX 3. "Everyone is Someone in LA" was featured in Tony Hawk's American Wasteland.

Discography

Albums

Metropolis Present Day? Thee Album! (1995)
Clashbackk Compilation Mix (1997)
Transmissions, Vol. 2 (1997)
Kittenz and Thee Glitz (2001)
Excursions (2002)
Rocketmann! (2002)
A Bugged Out Mix (2003)
Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever (2004)
The Mansion Soundtrack (2005)

Singles and EPs

"Footsteps of Rage" (1995)
"Smak Dat Ass" (1996)
"Dirty Mother" (1997)
"Silver Screen" (2002)
"Madame Hollywood" (2002)
"Madame Hollywood Remixes" (2002)
"Silver Screen Shower Scene" (Written by Tommie Sunshine)(2003)
"Cyberwhore" (2003)
"Rocket Ride" (Written by Tommie Sunshine)(2004)
"Ready 2 Wear" (2004)
"Watching Cars Go By" (2004)

Remixes

Toxic (Felix Da Housecat's Club Mix) (2004)

External links