From the North of England to dance floors across the globe, Josh Butler has made serious headway with his high caliber House sound.
The talented Northerner has become one of House music’s most revered rising talents over the last couple of years, boasting a plethora of acclaimed releases on prestigious labels (Noir, Cajual, Avotre, MTA, MadTech, DFTD), gigs at some of the world’s best clubs and events including Warehouse Project Manchester, Mint Club Leeds, Toffler Rotterdam, Chibuku Liverpool, Arches Glasgow, a residency at Sankeys Ibiza, and a plethora of key festival plays throughout Europe.
Several industry awards Later (DJ Mag Award 2014 and Beatport Award 2014) and frequent support from key industry players such as Joris Voorn, Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Kerri Chandler, Steve Lawler, Heidi and Noir all to his name, Josh continues to rise through the ranks of House music.
At the dawn of 2013, there was no intention of a global explosion behind Josh’s stripped back debut for Chase and Status’ renowned MTA imprint called ‘Got A Feeling’. In foresight, the track invariably proved to be Josh’s breakout into the industry’s field of vision, racking remix duties from Ben Pearce, long-term friend and collaborator Bontan and Pleasurekraft along the way. ‘Got A Feeling’ not only struck a chord with key industry players but also went on to become one of Beatport’s biggest selling tracks that year, later earning the talented northerner a coveted Beatport Award to boot. The industry perked an ear, Pete Tong gave his seal of approval on the BBC airwaves and was subsequently invited to do the Afterhours Mix for his show.
Josh’s new found recognition naturally led to a multitude of labels showing interest in his work. One of which was Kerri Chandler’s highly respected MadTech imprint, who at the start of 2014 released the acclaimed ‘No Frills’ EP to great effect and kept Josh’s charge towards setting a new precedent in underground House music well and truly on track.
Not one to rest on his laurels, the North of England’s worst kept secret soon followed up with a series of well received EP releases on Hector Couto’s Roush, Green Velvet’s illustrious Cajual Records and Noir Music to firmly establish himself as a prolific young talent. This led to Josh being nominated and winning DJ Mag’s coveted Best of British award for ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ (seeing off competition from the likes of Dense and Pika, Leon Vynehall and Marquis Hawkes) to end what had already been a monumental year on a well-deserved high.
With two successful years under his belt, Josh continued his positive momentum into 2015 by announcing a special back2back tour with Bontan.
Accompanying the tour, the duo released their second collaborate single entitled ‘Live My Life’ (the follow-up to ‘We Found A Place’ on MTA). This time, Vula from Basement Jaxx fame stepped up to provide the stunning vocal line and the track was met by great acclaim, scoring massive BBC Radio 1 support once again from the likes of Pete Tong, Annie Mac, Danny Howard and Toddla T.
Additionally, whilst Butler & Bontan were midway through their tour, the multi Grammy award-winning music legend Nile Rodgers came across the their music and was so impressed he asked them to warm-up for him and CHIC during their UK tour.
Collaborate projects aside, Josh’s main focus is still very much on his solo career and being tirelessly dedicated to keeping the quality music coming. 2015 saw many release highlights such as EP and remix offerings on respected labels such as Steve Lawler’s VIVa music, Santé’s Avotre and Noir Music. In addition, another career landmark arose when the legendary Fatboy Slim asked the talented northerner to remix ‘Love Life’ (featuring Macy Gray) for the 15th anniversary re-release of ‘Halfway Between the Gutter and Stars’.
Outside the studio, Josh’s gigs diary is well and truly flourishing with his worldwide appeal growing by the month. His undiluted brand of House music and ‘less is more’ approach has seem him tour all four corners of the globe. 2016 has been another successful year, boasting highlights such as Josh’s second Summer-long Ibiza residency at Sankeys, multiple festival plays and continued touring in the USA.
One of Josh’s biggest steps in 2016 was the creation of his own label Origins Rcrds. This launched with his Heroes of House series. Volume 1 saw Josh collaborate with legend Marshall Jefferson and man of the moment Santé. Continuing the tradition, Josh recently released Volume 2 with collaborations from Todd Terry and Darius Syrossian. Keep your eyes peeled for Volume 3 in 2017, where Josh will one more collaborate with a Heroes of the genre!
With a whirlwind couple of years behind him and many accolades and personal goals already achieved, Josh Butler is all about building that positive momentum towards new and compelling heights. He’s got global ventures on the mind and a pledge to keep dance music in the hands of those who truly savor the art over its mainstream properties. Proving that familiarity can still be fresh and ability is in the control of its beholder, Josh Butler is proving himself as a force to be reckoned with.
