Nick Halkes
Encyclopedia
Nick Halkes is a U.K. based music industry executive known for signing and breaking multi-million selling dance act The Prodigy
. He is also a part time lecturer on the music industry to BA
and MA
students at University of Westminster
in London
.
success with the band has been their 1.3 million selling "Invaders Must Die
" on which he has a co-write on the title track, a cut which enjoyed a list rotation on BBC Radio 1
. Nick also contributed two remixes to the project, remixing "Warriors Dance" with Richard Russell as Kicks Like A Mule and remixing "Take Me To The Hospital" with Adam F as Adam F and Horx.
Nick was one of the founders of leading indie XL Recordings
,working with acts such as House of Pain, SL2 and Liquid before taking up a position as a director at EMI and launching the Positiva label, which is now home to David Guetta
and Deadmau5
. Whilst here, Nick signed MOBO award winning artist Adam F and also released a string of dance tracks by acts such as Reel 2 Real, Bucketheads, BBE and Alice Deejay
helping Positiva to sell million of artist albums and singles alike.
After Positiva, Nick joined forces with Ministry of Sound
who backed his Incentive Music start up.
Nick runs the business to this day and has been responsible for over 40 top 40 hits including multiple top 10 UK crossover tracks. The companies Art and Craft imprint is also home to many dance tracks by artists such as Delacey and Jaydee.
Nick also runs a music publishing business (with cuts from writers ranging from A-Trak, Mujava and Princess Nyah through to cuts recorded by The Prodigy, Sash! and Joey Negro) and both DJs and gets in the studio as part of Kicks Like A Mule (who achieved Top 10 UK chart success as an artist and renewed profile following the Klaxons cover of ‘The Bouncer.’)
Recent Kicks Like A Mule studio activity has included remixes on Kid Sister and Major Lazer with a single also released on U.S. indie Fool's Gold
under the revised artist name K.L.A.M. An occasional song writer, Nick recently co-wrote a track on the Kenneth Bager album that is now gold in Scandinavia plus also co-wrote a song which was recently cut by Japanese artist Maki Goto. He has also co-written with Rob Davis (co-writer of Kylie Minogue
's global smash "Can't Get You Out Of My Head") and Kelly Price who co-wrote U.S. number one 'Déjà Vu' for Beyonce.
More recently Nick has used the Horx moniker for collaborative studio activity with both Jonny L on a cut called ‘18 years’ and with Adam F and Redman on a cut called ‘Shut The Lights Off’ which was released on Breakbeat Kaos, the latter scoring a Zane Lowe ‘Hottest Record In The World’ accolade. As Horx, Nick provided support DJ services on both the Prodigy U.K. Invaders Arena tour(including 2 dates at Wembley) and multiple dates on the European leg of the bands world tour. As K.L.A.M. the date sheet has included Bestival, Ministry of Sound and Fabric plus support dates on the Zane Lowe
DJ Hero 2 Tour. Most recently Nick co-produced and co-wrote the single "Electric Boogaloo" for UK grime chart star Wiley
. Nick was a keynote speaker at the 2010 'In The City' music conference in Manchester and recently delivered 'masterclass' presentations at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, the Bristol Institute of Modern Music and the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Nick has also contributed writing to the book Catch The Beat, which documents late '80s/early '90s underground club culture.
Nick also currently oversees the careers of rising stars Caspa
, and Zinc, Adam F
and the acts She Is Danger and Engine-Earz Experiment.
The Prodigy
The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music group formed by Liam Howlett in 1990 in Braintree, Essex. Along with Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, and other acts, The Prodigy have been credited as pioneers of the big beat genre, which achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s and 2000s...
. He is also a part time lecturer on the music industry to BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
and MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
students at University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Career
Nick's most major A&RA&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
success with the band has been their 1.3 million selling "Invaders Must Die
Invaders Must Die
Invaders Must Die is the fifth studio album by English electronica group The Prodigy. The album was released on 18 February 2009 on the band's new label Take Me to the Hospital, and was distributed by Cooking Vinyl....
" on which he has a co-write on the title track, a cut which enjoyed a list rotation on BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
. Nick also contributed two remixes to the project, remixing "Warriors Dance" with Richard Russell as Kicks Like A Mule and remixing "Take Me To The Hospital" with Adam F as Adam F and Horx.
Nick was one of the founders of leading indie XL Recordings
XL Recordings
XL Recordings is a British independent record label owned by Richard Russell. It originated as a 1989 offshoot of Beggars Banquet Records.Though only releasing an average of six albums a year, XL Recordings has worked with The Prodigy, Radiohead, The White Stripes, Dizzee Rascal, M.I.A., Vampire...
,working with acts such as House of Pain, SL2 and Liquid before taking up a position as a director at EMI and launching the Positiva label, which is now home to David Guetta
David Guetta
Pierre David Guetta , known professionally as David Guetta , is a French house music producer and DJ. Originally a DJ at nightclubs during the 1980s and 1990s, he co-founded Gum Productions and released his first album, Just a Little More Love, in 2002. Later, he released Guetta Blaster and Pop Life...
and Deadmau5
Deadmau5
Joel Thomas Zimmerman , better known by his stage name deadmau5 , is a Canadian progressive, electro, and house producer based in Toronto...
. Whilst here, Nick signed MOBO award winning artist Adam F and also released a string of dance tracks by acts such as Reel 2 Real, Bucketheads, BBE and Alice Deejay
Alice DeeJay
Alice DeeJay was an electronic music group, who achieved success from 1999 to 2002.-Members:The group consisted of record producers Pronti , Kalmani and DJ Jurgen with Marc Lee-Smith remixing and the DJ's From Mars lead singer Judith Anna Pronk...
helping Positiva to sell million of artist albums and singles alike.
After Positiva, Nick joined forces with Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
who backed his Incentive Music start up.
Nick runs the business to this day and has been responsible for over 40 top 40 hits including multiple top 10 UK crossover tracks. The companies Art and Craft imprint is also home to many dance tracks by artists such as Delacey and Jaydee.
Nick also runs a music publishing business (with cuts from writers ranging from A-Trak, Mujava and Princess Nyah through to cuts recorded by The Prodigy, Sash! and Joey Negro) and both DJs and gets in the studio as part of Kicks Like A Mule (who achieved Top 10 UK chart success as an artist and renewed profile following the Klaxons cover of ‘The Bouncer.’)
Recent Kicks Like A Mule studio activity has included remixes on Kid Sister and Major Lazer with a single also released on U.S. indie Fool's Gold
Fool's Gold Records
Fool's Gold Records is an independent record label based in Brooklyn, New York.- History :It was founded in 2007 by DJs A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs, introducing singles from artists including Kid Cudi and Kid Sister...
under the revised artist name K.L.A.M. An occasional song writer, Nick recently co-wrote a track on the Kenneth Bager album that is now gold in Scandinavia plus also co-wrote a song which was recently cut by Japanese artist Maki Goto. He has also co-written with Rob Davis (co-writer of Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
's global smash "Can't Get You Out Of My Head") and Kelly Price who co-wrote U.S. number one 'Déjà Vu' for Beyonce.
More recently Nick has used the Horx moniker for collaborative studio activity with both Jonny L on a cut called ‘18 years’ and with Adam F and Redman on a cut called ‘Shut The Lights Off’ which was released on Breakbeat Kaos, the latter scoring a Zane Lowe ‘Hottest Record In The World’ accolade. As Horx, Nick provided support DJ services on both the Prodigy U.K. Invaders Arena tour(including 2 dates at Wembley) and multiple dates on the European leg of the bands world tour. As K.L.A.M. the date sheet has included Bestival, Ministry of Sound and Fabric plus support dates on the Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe
Zane Lowe also known as 'Zipper', is a radio DJ and television presenter. He was born in New Zealand and grew up in Auckland, where he was a presenter on the local music station Max TV, before moving to England...
DJ Hero 2 Tour. Most recently Nick co-produced and co-wrote the single "Electric Boogaloo" for UK grime chart star Wiley
Wiley (rapper)
Richard Kylea Cowie , better known by his stage name Wiley is a prolific British music producer, MC and recording artist, and rapper with roots from Trinidad...
. Nick was a keynote speaker at the 2010 'In The City' music conference in Manchester and recently delivered 'masterclass' presentations at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford, the Bristol Institute of Modern Music and the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Nick has also contributed writing to the book Catch The Beat, which documents late '80s/early '90s underground club culture.
Nick also currently oversees the careers of rising stars Caspa
Caspa
Caspa is the stage name of Gary McCann, a Dubstep music producer from West London.-Biography:McCann's creative involvement in music began after a promising basketball career was cut short by a shoulder injury...
, and Zinc, Adam F
Adam F
Adam F is an English jungle and drum and bass DJ, and film actor.-Career:An early album was the techstep effort, Metropolis/Mother Earth, released in 1997 on the Metalheadz record label. His other early successes were the tracks "F-Jam" and "Circles"...
and the acts She Is Danger and Engine-Earz Experiment.