John Kelly
DJ JOHN KELLY is a true legend of dance music. He is part of an elite group of DJs who are responsible for shaping the British dance scene in the late 80,s In 1988 with James Barton (owner of Cream) and together, they opened a club in Liverpool called The Underground where the DJ’ed together .
The house music scene grew rapidly and fuelled by the energy and excitement they were generating, the pair moved on to a new, bigger venue, Quadrant Park. ‘The Quad’ as it was known, had a capacity of 5,000 and stayed open until 6am; it was the UK’s first super-club and the precursor to the legendary Cream.
JohnKelly’s DJ reputation grew and word spread quickly. As the UK dance scene erupted John started his DJ touring and James Barton stayed in Liverpool to promote but still worked together even to this day
in the 90’s , ‘John Kelly’ was one of the first name on the lips of promoters at emerging new clubs including Gatecrasher, Slinky, Passion, Sundissential and Miss Moneypenny’s. Within a short period of time he earned himself residencies at the world’s greatest clubs, including Cream, Godskitchen, Ministry of Sound, Gatecrasher and in Ibiza where he held a resudencey in the the biggest club in the world, Manumission and also playing Pacha , Space, El Dinino ,Es Paradisa ,Eden , DC10 .amongst his many Radio guest spots he was also was a guest twice on the prestigious Radio 1 essential Guest mix where Pete Tong called him “A Genius in the mix” In-between residencies he was invited to play all over the planet and has made guest appearances at clubs and festivals across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Australia, South America and of course, the USA.
John is always keen to collaborate with other DJ’s and as well as playing regularly alongside the world’s top DJs, his albums, made-jointly with Seb Fontaine, Sonique , Judge Jules , Brandon Block and Jim Shaft Ryan, have sold nearly a million copies.Being awarded 2 silver disc’s for 2 of them. On the production side, he has remixed tracks for The Farm and Utah Saints, and he has even had a place in the UK top 40 singles charts with the track ‘Outrageous’ which he made with his close friend Judge Jules, under the guise of Stix & Stoned. With his own releases, including the Superstar DJs CD for Slinky, , it is easy to see why John is regarded as one of clubland’s most sought-after DJs.
Musically, John’s style reflects the diversity and influences over the now 28 years of playing clubs and his own personal journey from the very early days of dance music to the present day. His ability to read a crowd is second to none and he loves nothing more than seeing the reaction of the crowd as he lifts them to a frenzy of excitement. With a wealth of experience, and “maverick mixing”he can move instinctively and effortlessly between genres, from House, Techno,Funky House ,Tech,Trance ,Electro and back again .
John Kelly is still very much in demand and tours the UK every weekend mixing new and old with his “Classics House set’s” and this year has also played Ibiza, Dubai ,Marbella, Majorca and Hong Kong and played the emotional last ever “Cream Grand Finale”at Nation in Liverpool before it got demolished.
John also does a Cream Classics set, an old school “Quad” set 1988-1991 and a Gatecrasher trance classics set
John Kelly will always be known as a pioneer of the early house scene but nowadays he uses the latest technology to bring his own personal mix to each track he plays. What sustains him is his passion for music, his enthusiasm and his ability to turn even a small gathering into a great party. Above all, this man knows how to get a crowd moving.