James Hyman
| James Hyman | |
|---|---|
 James Hyman |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 18 April 1970 |
| Origin | United Kingdom |
| Genres | Dance Music Bastard Pop |
| Occupations | DJ, Music Supervisor, Music Video Director, Radio and TV Presenter |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Website | Official site |
James Hyman (born 18 April 1970) is a DJ, Radio & TV presenter, music supervisor and MD of JLH, a creative media–marketing company.
Hyman put aside his place at the University of Manchester (where he was to study Latin) in order to work in the Press office of the, then new, company MTV, despite his parents' misgivings (partly because of his father's glimpse of the music industry through his cousin Brian Epstein).[1]
At MTV, Hyman studied "Film & Media" at London Guildhall University, graduating in 1992 with 1st class Honors.
Contents |
[edit] TV work
Worked at MTV (1988 to 2000), as a Press Officer then as Producer/Director, focusing on Acid House and subsequent Dance/Club/Rave culture. His MTV shows, including Party Zone featured over 500 interviews with the likes of The Prodigy, Goldie, Moby, David Holmes, The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Paul Oakenfold, and Aphex Twin, many unknown at time of interview.
Co-presented MTV's "Up For It" and fronted a spin-off from MTV's Bytesize programme, providing daily reports on Internet news & web sites.[2]
In 1992 with Coldcut produced a TV Megamix[3] for Canal+'s weekly pop-culture show, which pre-empted his MTV Megamix format and shows that began broadcasting on MTV Europe in 1998.[4][5]
In the late 90s / early 00s, presented new media & web-based pop-culture shows on Channel 4, Channel 5, produced for BBC's Play UK and produced / presented Headf**k plus a documentary about The Prisoner for the Sci-Fi Channel.
As a pop culture commentator (described as a "pop culturalist" by the BBC) has appeared on BBC News 24,[6] BBC Three and Nuts TV's weekly music reviewer.[7]
In December 2009 produced a 2-hour Hot Mix - The Noughties for Channel 4 and associated Box Television stations.
[edit] Radio & DJing
Presented radio shows for Atlantic 252 and on Xfm London was producer / presenter of The Rinse & co-presenter / producer of the The Remix.
Like his MTV shows, The Rinse featured in-depth interviews & music from key players at key moments in their careers, including Ice T, Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Mike Skinner, Dizzee Rascal, Russell Simmons and Nas.[8]
The music played on The Rinse focused on dance music with Hyman also monitoring other emerging music trends such as Bastard pop.
The Remix focused on mash-up remixes and, according to The Guardian, "led the craze" which caused some controversy when a cease and desist order was issued for playing "A Stroke of Genius" by The Freelance Hellraiser.[9]
The Xfm shows led to the release of a number of albums:
- The Remix and The Remix 2 (Virgin/EMI)
- Covered (Sony BMG)
- 8 mix CDs - Many themed: Pulp Mixin' reworked the work of Quentin Tarantino, Licence To Ill, a James Bond one, featured in The Daily Telegraph's top 5 CDs of 2004 [10]
September 2007, Hyman left Xfm to concentrate on his music supervision company JLH and other broadcast projects.[11]
A one-hour documentary about Paul Anka and his song "My Way" was produced by Hyman and Nick Minter as part of BBC Radio 2's series, "Song Stories", first broadcast 23 February 2011.[12] on BBC Radio 2.
DJ's at clubs (nationally and internationally), events such as film premieres (like The Royal Tenenbaums [13] and Suzie Gold,[14]), festivals (including Glastonbury), corporate functions (BMW and The Carphone Warehouse) and celebrity parties (Will Smith, Madonna, Britney Spears and Eminem).
[edit] Voice-overs
voice-overs for adverts include:
- Hit40uk
- Toyota
- Q TV
- BT
- Daily Star
- The British Army
- McDonald's "Oriental Menu"[15]
- PlayStation.[16]
[edit] Music supervision
Through JLH Music, Hyman provided music supervision for:
Adverts including:
- Johnnie Walker ("Dogfight" campaign), with Fernando Alonso [17]
- T-Mobile, using Röyksopp's "So Easy".[18]
- Levi's ("Twisted" campaign), using Pepe Deluxé's "Before You Leave".[19]
- Morrisons, using "Shine", the first time Take That had allowed their music on an advert.[20]
- Orange, using Born Ruffians "Hummingbird".
- Sainsbury's, using the song "The Bare Necessities" from Disney's The Jungle Book[20]
Video Games including:
- Race Driver: Grid, using Queens Of The Stone Age's "No One Knows (Unkle Mix)" and Leftfield "Phat Planet"
Feature films, including:
- Mean Machine (2001)
- Suzie Gold (2004) in which he also played Phillip, a TV presenter
- Kidulthood (2005)
- Revolver (2005)
- Alpha Male (2006)
- The History Boys (2006)
- Living Neon Dreams (2007)
- Daylight Robbery (2007) [21]
- In The Hands Of The Gods (2007) [22]
- RocknRolla (2008) [23]
- Three Days In Dublin (2011)
- Blitz (2011)
[edit] Pop video
Directed and/or Produced over 200 music videos, including:
- Where Love Lives by Alison Limerick (1990)
- Make It On My Own by Alison Limerick (1990)
- Pink Cashmere by Prince (1993)
- Blue Monday '95 by New Order (1995)
- C'mon Baby by Moby (1996)
- Higher State Of Consciousness by Josh Wink (1996)
- Santa Cruz by Fatboy Slim (1996)
- Plastic Dreams by Jaydee (1997)
- It's A London Thing by Scott Garcia (1997)
- Starfighter Pilot by Snow Patrol (1999)
[edit] Films
Hyman expanded his Quentin Tarantino mix tape, Pulp Mixin', to create a feature-length mash-up film, with the provisional title James Hyman/Quentin Tarantino Movie Mash-Up. It blends Tarantino's film footage with music videos, including those of the music used in the films.[24][25]
[edit] Influence
- In 1999 voted #22 in Muzik's 50 Most Powerful People in Dance Music poll.
-
So what was it that enticed Louis back into the limelight? Was it money? Was it boredom?
"It was James Hyman at MTV, " says Louis, rather bizarrely. "He said to me, 'Louis, make some fucking music'"
- Mike Skinner, of The Streets, namechecks James Hyman on "Give Me Back My Lighter" (single, released July 2003):
- His MTV Europe work is profiled in the book All Crews, which looks at drum and bass and jungle.[27]
- Hyman's championing of The Prodigy is mentioned in Martin James' Prodigy book.[28]
[edit] Notes
- ^ UPfront profile, 1996
- ^ James Hyman's Net Minute 23rd August-29th August 1999
- ^ Coldcut Megamix video
- ^ Promo magazine 1999 page 1 and page 2
- ^ Interview In-Dublin magazine #3 2003
- ^ Video clip of BBC appearance
- ^ Nuts.tv - Music Nuts
- ^ The Rinse Interviews
- ^ Phillips, Dom (February 27, 2002). "Smells like teen booty". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4363836,00.html.
- ^ 007 Mix - Best CD 0f 2004
- ^ Hyman leaves Xfm
- ^ "Network Radio BBC Week 8: Wednesday 23 February 2011". BBC Press Office. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/proginfo/radio/2011/wk8/wed.shtml#wed_radio2.
- ^ Hello! magazine
- ^ The Evening Standard magazine
- ^ McDonalds "Oriental Menu" ad
- ^ Talking Heads - The Voice Agency
- ^ Johnnie Walker - Fernando Alonso - Dogfight
- ^ DJ Magazine 12 December 2003
- ^ 'Muzik
- ^ a b Otter, Charlotte (September 26, 2011). "Sync of the week: The Bear Necessities". Music Week. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=18&storycode=1046730. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
- ^ Daylight Robbery at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ In The Hands Of The Gods at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ RocknRolla at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Gilchrist, Todd (May 6, 2009). "Tarantino Gets a Taste of His Own Post-Modern Medicine". Cinematical. http://www.cinematical.com/2009/05/06/tarantino-gets-a-taste-of-his-own-post-modern-medicine/.
- ^ Hart, Hugh (May 6, 2009). "Brit Mashes Tarantino’s Sex, Violence With Music". Underwire. Wired. http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/05/brit-mashes-tarantinos-sex-violence-with-music/.
- ^ Mixmag Update #7 1997
- ^ All Crews (by Brian Belle-Fortune, Vision Publishing, 2005, ISBN 0-9548897-0-3), pages 165-166 [1]
- ^ Prodigy (by Martin James, ISBN 1-86074-356-0) page 99
[edit] References
- James Hyman at the Internet Movie Database
- Pop Videos - Produced/Directed
- Interview with Music Supervisor James Hyman
