London, UK · uk-bass · house

Joy Orbison

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Hessle-adjacent producer whose records sit precisely between garage, house, and something harder to name — 'Hyph Mngo' to now, always slightly ahead.

Joy Orbison is the recording name of Peter O'Grady, born in London in 1986. His uncle Ray Keith introduced him to jungle and UK garage early on, and he began DJing at thirteen before moving into production in his twenties, building 8-bar grime loops on Fruity Loops before settling into a sound that mixed house, disco and dubstep.

"Hyph Mngo", released on Hotflush Recordings in September 2009, combined pitched vocal fragments, garage-derived swing and rave-adjacent chords, and was named the top track of the year by Fact Magazine and one of the tracks of the decade by Resident Advisor. He followed it on his own label, Doldrums, run with his partner Impey, and on Aus Music with "The Shrew Would Have Cushioned The Blow."

O'Grady cites influences as varied as J Dilla, My Bloody Valentine, GG Allin, Josef K and the Beach Boys, and by 2012 was named among Resident Advisor's top DJs while running residencies at his own London night, Just For You, and Manchester's meandyou. He runs Hinge Finger with Will Bankhead and has recorded alongside Boddika.

His 2021 release still slipping vol. 1, issued through XL Recordings, folded family voice recordings and guest vocalists into the same restless rhythmic approach. He has also appeared as himself hosting a fictional radio station, Still Slippin' Los Santos, on Grand Theft Auto Online. As a DJ he tends to move across tempos rather than settle in one style.

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