Tony Humphries
One of the few DJs whose career at the hub of dance music (New York) spanned the 1970s,'80s and '90s, Tony Humphries is one of the most important names in the evolution of house. His status is especially vaunted, considering his role in the development of garage music (also known as the Jersey Sound, in honor of Humphries' work at Newark's Club Zanzibar). Though Larry Levan is considered the seminal garage DJ (his Paradise Garage club gave its name to the style), Humphries nurtured the style throughout the 1980s and '90s and was potentially Levan's equal at inspiring audiences to higher and higher flights of dancefloor bliss.
Born in Brooklyn in 1957, he began collecting records at the age of ten and joined a DJ club while at college in Manhattan. Humphries had never considered a career in music, but when his job in the editorial department of New York's Daily News was temporarily halted due to a strike early in the 1980s, he never looked back. Humphries began working at a record store and spent his extra time spinning at New York's 98.7 KISS-FM in 1981. One year later, he debuted with a residency at the Club Zanzibar in nearby Newark, New Jersey.
Though Larry Levan's DJing at the Paradise Garage gave a name to the soulful New York variant of early house music later termed garage, Humphries was just as instrumental in bringing the sound to a wide audience. Every major East Coast producer coming up in the late '80s and early '90s name-checked him with vigor, and his DJing was also influential on many second-wave British acts. The U.K. connection came in handy by the turn of the decade -- Humphries became one of several American DJs to make a name (and quite a large paycheck) on British shores. Several years later, the London super-club Ministry of Sound tapped Humphries for an exclusive deal to DJ and produce for its club/label combo, and Humphries also worked on remixing for Chaka Khan, Deee-Lite, the Sugarcubes and Janet Jackson, among others. Besides mix albums for Strictly Rhythm and Tribal UK, Humphries has recorded several of his own productions as the Tony Humphries Project.
© John Bush /TiVo
Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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fabric 04: Tony Humphries
Electronic - Released by Fabric Records on 6 May 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Housework (Original Mix)
House - Released by TR RECORDS on 4 Jul 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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The Lost Tapes: Tony Humphries Strictly Rhythm Mix
House - Released by Strictly Rhythm Records on 5 Jul 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Club Nervous - First Five Years of House Classics
Electronic - Released by Nervous Records on 20 Jul 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
fabric 04: Tony Humphries (DJ Mix)
Electronic - Released by Fabric Worldwide on 6 May 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Throw Some Hands
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 24 Jun 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Housework 2
Miscellaneous - Released by TR RECORDS on 23 Jan 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Don't You Lie (2+2=5)
Tony Humphries, Grandfather Disco
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 23 Sep 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
The People
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 12 Mar 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Wonder Why
House - Released by Music Theory Productions on 16 Sep 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Life is Changing Me (feat. Abi F Jones)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records on 10 Jul 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Flytrap '72
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 30 Nov 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Have It All
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 4 Feb 2022
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Crazy Love
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 3 May 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lights Go Out
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 31 Oct 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Hari Om Flute
Humour/Spoken Word - Released by Timeless Book on 22 Jul 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bounce with Me
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 13 Jul 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Change for Yourself
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records on 4 Aug 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gimmicks
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 823689 Records DK on 15 Dec 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
For Sure
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Evil Genius Records Ltd on 7 Sep 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo