Jon Sharkey is undoubtedly one of the most established names in the Hardcore scene. The legendary, jack of all trades has tried his hand at everything; starting in the early days of rave in ‘93 as an MC at the Rhythm Station for DJ Druid where he won countless awards for MC of the year, then moving on to production and DJing co-producing ‘Toytown’ one of the biggest anthems of the era on Essential Platinum and now in moulding the new talent of Hardcore and Freeform’s future. The like’s of K Complex, AMS and Arkitech to name just a few have evolved through Sharkey’s studio and tuition. His focus on guiding the talented bright lights and tirelessly harnessing the raw talent of upcoming production engineers in Hardcore came because he considers it to be one of the most important aspects of his job as without the future generation, there will be no future hardcore!
His highly anticipated second artist album is testament to the time and work he has invested in the artists he has worked with. His first artist album ‘Hardlife’ remains a cult classic and has a silver sales disk to herald its popularity. However, no more are the day’s of ‘Hardlife’ an album he heralds as being all about himself, now are the days of ‘The World Is Bigger Than Me’. This double CD album will feature practically all the artists that he has worked with over the years, from producers who have inspired him to talent he has honed to the fine tuned machines that they are today - just call him Yoda!
All things Freeformation have come from his twisted mind and is the source of all his power right now. His bollox to the superstar DJ party ethic has definitely taken the forefront in his working life with hours toiling away devising characters like Luke Pie Maker, Princess Lay-Me and the N.E.C. nativity! The Freeformation party concept was spawned originally as a resident’s party but has transformed into an anything goes event to show club land that Hardcore has many facets and you don’t have to take it too seriously; it is all about the party.
Kaotik is still his calling card and the label, now on its tenth release is as strong as ever and has featured stand out, upfront artists like Ephexis, Arkitech, Gammer, Darwin and AC Slater. The label’s sound comprises Hardcore in all it’s shapes and sizes at the cutting edge of the scene. It was an evolution from the Bonkers Record label which Jon felt had become stagnant and only about one sided music. Kaotik like its name and it’s owner is true to it’s values and provides music for all hardcore lovers.
He is no stranger to compilations being one of the founder DJ’s of the award winning Bonkers compilation series and now one of the main DJ’s on the Freeformation album. After his success with ‘Toytown’ James Horrocks, Resist’s front man, was keen to sign both Jon and Hixxy to mix the first Bonkers compilation. Jon also went on to mix on Bonkers 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16 and Best Of Bonkers. Bonkers is now the biggest Hardcore compilation album of all time and have gained gold and silver sales awards in the UK.
Jon is a very adaptable DJ and plays many different types of sets. From Hardcore to Hard Trance and many different types of old skool ranging from Breakbeat, Hard House to Hardcore Techno and Gabba from many different eras. The success of Jon's DJing career has been due to this diversity and knack for always standing out loud and proud from the every day trends that get rinsed. Sharkey is a true pioneer in his field and a full on party mover. You can be sure that the name on a flier is enough to generate hype, but when Jon steps up and takes control it's time for the rest to step back. As well as storming through the UK playing at any well known event including Glastonbury and Glade, Jon regularly plays at events all over the world including Enchanted Festival Australia, Nocturnal Wonderland USA, Canada and Japan.
As an MC Jon works on request and is always asked for in many genres from DJ's such as: Brisk, Marc Smith, Scott Brown, Paul Glazby, Chris Liberator, Mark E.G, M-Zone, Stu Allen and the Producer. Showing his adaptability again in this field. Never forgetting that the music on show and the party are the most important aspects. Adapting to each genre is important in this work as many clubs have many different needs for this work. Recent appearances have seen him make ravers do a giant conga and all sit down on the floor.
As the only UK Hardcore artist to try his hand at all aspects of Hardcore whether it be on the microphone, in the studio, as an engineer or as a DJ, Jon's successes in all of these fields place him as the most prolific Hardcore innovator of all time; not many can boast having tunes played on Radio One by John Peel. With this forward thinking artist album waiting in the wings alongside the exciting Kaotik project and yet more appearances and tours overseas, this is a reputation that is unlikely to falter.
www.freeformation.co.uk BROUGHT TO YOU BY KEVIN ENERGY,SHARKEY AND THE PEOPLE @ www.nuenergy.co.uk
