Second-wave Chicago house impresario
Felix Da Housecat entered the elite via his recordings (as
himself, Thee Maddkatt Courtship, Aphrohead, Sharkimaxx) as
well as his ownership of Radikal Fear Records, one of the
premiere Chicago labels of the 1990s. An introduction to Chicago
legend DJ Pierre during the mid-'80s gave the 15-year-old
Felix Stallings, Jr. the kickstart he wanted, and with some
help from Pierre, he produced his first single "Phantasy
Girl" in 1987.
His parents discouraged his growing
club lifestyle, however, and after high-school graduation
Stallings left the scene entirely to attend Alabama State
College. Over the course of a few years, he lost all interest
in house music, though his girlfriend got him back into it.
After calling DJ Pierre (who had moved to New York's Strictly
Rhythm label), Felix began mixing and producing again. By
1992, he had a hit with the single "Thee Dawn" on
Guerilla Records. His popularity soared in Europe, and the
following year's "By Dawn's Early Light" and "Thee
Industry Made Me Do It" cemented his reputation.
Not long after Stallings formed Radikal Fear Records, the
label became one of the top house imprints in the world, thanks
to releases from Mike Dunn, DJ Sneak, and Armando as well
as Felix himself. During 1995, he released his debut full-length
Alone in the Dark (as Thee Maddkatt Courtship) on Deep Distraxion.
Hot on its heels came the label collection Radikal Fear: The
Chicago All Stars and a Housecat DJ album titled Clashbackk
Compilation Mix. Another production LP, Metropolis Present
Day Thee Album, followed in 1998. One year later, Stallings
appeared extra busy; in addition to his first album as Aphrohead,
he also released another Maddkatt Courtship LP, the highly
praised I Know Elektrikboy. 2001 saw the release of Kittenz
and Thee Glitz, a highly praised LP that helped him gain mainstream
exposure through articles in glossy magazines across the globe
-- not to mention remix work for the likes of Madonna and
Kylie Minogue. The proper follow-up, Devin Dazzle and the
Neon Fever, didn't arrive until well over two years later,
but Stallings put together a pair of mix albums (2002's Excursions
and 2003's A Bugged Out Mix) during the intervening years.
~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Artist's Web Links
Felix Da Housecat @ The Loft
in Barcelona 2008
Felix Da Housecat @ Tomorrowland
2009
| US & Funky House Compilations
:: Felix Da Housecat