Darren Styles

Darren Styles is a pioneering British DJ who played an influential role in the commercialization of hardcore techno, first as a member of the dance duo Force & Styles and later as a chart-topping solo artist. He was born as Darren James Mew in Colchester, England, on May 23, 1975. After making his DJ debut at an Essex nightclub when he was 17 years old, Darren Styles joined the group DJ Force & The Evolution in 1993. Paul Hobbs was a member of the same group, and the two producers eventually left the lineup and launched their own project, Force & Styles, in 1995. All Over The UK, Force & Style's 1996 debut, peaked at 103 on the UK Albums Chart and spawned a handful of happy hardcore classics, including "Heart Of Gold" (which climbed to Number 4 on the UK Dance Singles Chart) and "Pretty Green Eyes" (which was later covered by Ultrabeat, whose version became a Number 2 hit in 2003). After releasing 1998 single "Feelin' Fine" under the alias "Unique," Darren Styles officially launched his solo career with 2008's Skydivin'. The double-disc album debuted at Number 4 in the UK and went gold during its first month. He also continued working with Ultrabeat, co-writing and co-producing songs like "Sure Feels Good" and the Top 40 hit "Discolights." Two years after Skydivin's release, Darren Styles returned to the upper reaches of the UK charts with his second album, Feel The Pressure, which peaked at Number 23. He later formed the record label Electric Fox with Da Tweekaz in 2018 and continued releasing popular dance hits, including the international single "Switch."