GAVIN HARDKISS
(Hawke/Six Degrees/Sunburn) - SF [house/eclectic house]

Gavin Hardkiss has been producing records and Djing for the past 10 years. He has created music that has come to define the trends and styles of the day. A diverse DJ with equal aptitude in spinning house, tribal or breaks, he has come to be indelibly linked with a mystical form of electronic dance music that globally represents San Francisco.

As one-third of the famed Hardkiss trio (with "brothers" Scott and Robbie Hardkiss), Gavin helped to
create and encourage a spirited, psychedelic approach to music and life with genre-defying songs and DJ sets. The Hardkiss label released various singles by the likes of Hawke, God Within, Rabbit-in-the-Moon and Symbiosis and one stunning compilation, Delusions of Grandeur, in the mid-'90s and serves as a veritable blueprint for its successors, one that continues to be referenced and admired by artists and fans throughout the world.

Of the three Hardkiss brothers, it is Gavin who has stuck closest to home in San Francisco, where he recently signed a recording deal for his band Hawke with Six Degrees Records. The album Heatstroke was released to critical claim. The San Francisco Chronicle noted that the album was full of "sunsoaked optimism, a dance album to brighten a winter of discontent."

Discerning UK dance magazine Muzik called the Hawke debut album Namaquadisco "Mind-humpingly awesome." They elaborated that, "[Namaquadisco] achieves the magic trick of sounding like all the best bits of your favorite records while simultaneously being so individual." The San Francisco Chronicle called Namaquadisco "An essential, emotional journey through club styles." Heatstroke has a similar affinity for funk and genre defiance executed with a heightened sense of a globally groove-conscious society. Its world-wise rhythms and melodic ideas make it a natural fit for Hawke's new home at Six Degrees. The album's 12" single "Party People ("We're Gonna Change the World)," features the spirited vocal talents of one Sir Adamsmasher, and champions a spirit of uniting to create positive difference and peace. On July 4, 2001, "IndepenDance Day," advance copies of the single were disseminated to 20 DJs around the States to spin in a simultaneous message of peace and positivity. In this time of strife in the world this is a simple yet powerful idea that caught the imagination of DJs such as Doc Martin and Danny Howells and resulted in tens of thousands of dancefloor revelers across the country hearing the song's message that day. The 12" single, rich with infectious guitar groove and an insistent beat, has been remixed by mates Rabbit-in-the-Moon, MODA, Red Moon, Lovesky Q-Burns + Huggy, the Freeloaders and Robbie Hardkiss.

Hardkiss also performs A&R duties for the Sunburn label where he releases music my like-minded
producers. Check out www.sunburn.org

Gavin Hardkiss is a welcome anomaly in the electronic dance music world. One of his most distinguishing traits is his fierce determination to create music that is durable and lasting. His efforts are focused towards creating classic music that can be enjoyed for generations.