C.J. Mackintosh has long been one of the most high-profile DJs on the British club scene, from an early career as one of Europe's best hip-hop mixers and a mainstream introduction via the one-shot wonder "Pump Up the Volume" (by
M/A/R/R/S) through to his residency spinning house/garage sets at the London super-club Ministry of Sound. Born in Paris though he grew up in London,
Mackintosh was introduced to DJing by his brother (both had been buying records from an early age). The pair set up their own sound system (as a part-time gig aside from running a car-parts export firm) and began throwing parties with the booming sound of rare-groove and early Sugar Hill hip-hop.
Mackintosh's first residency, at a joint named the Flim Flam Club, helped him secure duties creating megamixes at Serious Records. In 1987,
Mackintosh won the English wing of the prestigious DMC World Mixing Championships and joined the Nasty Rox, Inc. production team formed by another noted British DJ,
Dave Dorrell. (
Mackintosh replaced
Nellee Hooper, later of
Massive Attack and
Soul II Soul.)
That same year,
Ivo Watts-Russell, the head of the respected independent rock label 4AD, assembled a studio group (including members of 4AD acts
Colourbox and
AR Kane) to create a hip-hop/acid-house crossover track. Looking to hire the top DJs available for scratching duties,
Watts-Russell made the natural choice of champion mixer
Mackintosh and the Nasty Rox, Inc. team. The resulting single, titled "Pump Up the Volume" and shipped out as by the group
M/A/R/R/S, became a club sensation; it reached the Top Ten in Britain in 1987 and ascended to the Top 20 in America one year later.
Though
M/A/R/R/S never released another record,
Mackintosh's reputation allowed him a quick transition into the world of remixes; with
Dorrell, he worked on productions for
C&C Music Factory,
Barbara Tucker,
Coldcut,
Inner City, and
Public Image Limited. His early hip-hop influences allowed him success with more midtempo R&B jams as well, on remixes for
Whitney Houston,
Janet Jackson,
Sounds of Blackness,
Sly & Robbie,
De La Soul,
Guru's Jazzmatazz and
D-Mob.
When
Mackintosh began mixing at the Ministry of Sound, probably the best-known nightclub in Britain, the selections were all house and garage. He released several mix albums, either alone or allied with other top DJ talents (such as
Farley & Heller and
Todd Terry) and his
Love Happy project hit the charts with the 1995 anthem "Message of Love." A highly publicized feud with Ministry of Sound caused
Mackintosh to abruptly resign his residency in 1996, though he continued to DJ around the world. Mix CDs such as Trust the DJ: CJ01 (2003) and Nervous House 20 (2011) would also appear through the years.
–
John Bush, Rovi