House music isn’t a genre that’s necessarily popularly associated with the United States - for one reason or another, it’s often seen as a much more European sound - but whilst Armand van Helden’s Dutch roots certainly provide him with a name that carried plenty of credibility in that respect, he’s actually one of America’s premier DJs, emerging from Boston in the early nineties. He had a slew of chart hits throughout that decade, including ‘Cha Cha’ in 1996, but he didn’t really break through on the record front until 1998, with his seminal 2 Future 4 U becoming a key release in the genre’s history. Today, he continues to be revered, and has continued to find ways to sneak into the mainstream; along with A-Trak, he forms part of the duo Duck Sauce, who went to number three in 2010 in the UK with the novelty hit ‘Barbra Streisand’. His live sets, too, remain at the forefront of the house genre; referencing a career that’s now been ongoing for almost twenty-five years, he mixes classics of the style with new cuts and inventive remixes to ensure that he’s still a staple of the clubs in both the UK and overseas.
I've seen Redlight at clubs and festivals across the UK and have never been disappointed.
From more underground, house-heavy club sets where he plays to loyal fans, to festival-friendly performances where he wins over a new crowd with his chart hits, he's one of my favorite live DJ's.
Redlight, real name Hugh Pescod, is a Bristolian DJ/producer at the top of his game. Currently signed to Chase and Status' MTA Records while running his own Lobster Boy label, he is most known for his 2010 collaboration with Ms Dynamite, 'What You Talkin' About' before 'Lost In Your Love' reached number five in the UK chart back in 2012.
With some DJ's and producers struggling to create an engaging live performance for their audience with just turntables to work with, Redlight, with the help of MC Dread never fails to entertain.
Taking the crowd on a journey through house, hip-hop and club-chart crossovers, it's a real mixed bag. From experience, crowd favorites are 'Get Money', with its flashy vocals from Wu-Tang Clan legend Raekwon who raps "dressing-fly-bitches-looking-im-in-a-coupe-ferrari" and the new pitch-shifted, infectious nineties throwback '9TS', ticking off "Moschino jeans" and "versace shades" on its way.
Wherever and whenever he plays, Redlight knows exactly what the crowd wants!