Simon Apex

For over two decades, Simon Apex has been hammering the UK hardcore vibes around the world, from the United States to the United Kingdom, and far beyond – leaving no milestone unturned. From releases on many of the world's most legendary labels, to playing alongside the biggest names in the scene, to creating his own store and storefront, Simon Apex has pushed it HARD! Simon Apex was only 15, and that's when the addiction to breakbeat hardcore began. Collecting every tape he could find, the native Englander was a diehard regular from the beginning. When the legendary Rhythm Station opened its doors not far from his home in 1993, Simon became an immediate regular, attending all of the legendary Fusion events. In addition to Fusion, Simon was able to witness some of the most memorable events in rave history – including the first-ever Slammin' Vinyl event – the first of its kind, Slammin' Vinyl was the only company to host an all-hardcore line-up, and would soon become one of the most legendary event organizer's in the UK's rich electronic history. ​ A few years later, Simon felt the calling to become more than just a clubber. He sold everything he owned to scrape up money for his first set of turntables. He began crafting his signature sound immediately, and soon after set off for a new environment in the United States of America. Touching down in Sacramento, California, and not one to waste any time, Simon began networking with Northern California's most key players in 1995 including Jay Vigor from Fuz-e Productions, the largest promoter around at the time. This created a beautiful relationship between the two. Simon would play many gigs alongside his new friend, and would later find himself (not surprisingly) becoming a Fuz-e resident artist. Carrying the Subsonic Underground flagship name, Simon and Jay would create huge success throughout the Bay Area, leading to hundreds of legendary events – the most notable being on December 26, 1997, when the duo would put on the first-ever all hardcore and drum 'n bass event in the area. The event would sell out in a half hour and boasted more than 700 people. Picture For five years, Simon and Jay produced stages that debuted some of the world's most renowned electronic music artists. UK hardcore became the buzz, and as more and more people asked where they could buy UK/happy hardcore music, Simon created the first USA-based hard dance online music store in mid-1998 that would be the premier go-to place for all things hardcore and hard dance. Curtailing its success, Subsonic Underground would be born – a physical store front adorning the streets of Downtown Sacramento in March of 1999. The success wouldn't end there. Subsonic Underground quickly amassed customers from well-over 3,000 miles away for their hard dance fix, and this would inspire the man to take up music production. 1998 would see Simon Apex's first track with UK pioneers Fade and Bananaman, “Destiny” hit the shelves. Within months, Destiny was being hammered on the world-wide circuit and was licensed for Hardcore Heaven Volume 4 in early 1999. The experience gained in the studio drove Simon to build his own. Simon and production partner, Ion, teamed up to build the original Stateside Studios that by the end of 1999 became SSU Recordings, the first-ever (and largest) U.S.A.-based UK Hardcore label. The first release flew off the shelves, followed by the triumphant success of SSU4, “Superman”, that sold thousands of units on vinyl, receiving licensing with Dance Speed – a Japanese dance compilation album that sold 250,000 copies. Two new labels would be formed over the next year – Mashed Up and Havinit Large. Around the same time, Simon had become good friends with DJ Lostboy, a key player in the Southern California electronica scene. They immediately collaborated as SSU Recordings artists that forged the North-South bond with connections into every corner of West Coast dance music. Simon and SSU Recordings received a multitude of licensing, including Hardcore Heaven, Ministry of Sound, Bonkers, Warner, Sony, Future Rave Anthems, Still Not Dead, Dance Speed, Hec-Tech, Decadance, Resist, Slammin' Vinyl, React, Thin N Crispy, Ravesta, Mizumo Music, Uplifting Rhythm, Can You Feel It Media, Electroshok, and more! The man who was once told, “hardcore will never thrive! You might as well make house!” was now at his apex (pun intended), with regular coverage from mainstream press, including URB, WAX, BPM, Insider, Fix, Massive, Lotus, Freebass, and MTV. Simon received a 2002 Sammie Award nomination for most successful Sacramento Electronic Musician and all the while, still had an insanely hectic DJ agenda that had him on the road every weekend – taking him to almost every state in the USA, in addition to trips out to Canada, Mexico, and Australia; and then back to the UK to play events like Raindance, Future Dance, and Adrenalin. As a DJ, Simon held residences with the largest organizations in the USA and performed at the country's largest events – Mega Buzz, Love Affair, Planet Rock, Nocturnal Wonderland, Monster Massive, Skills, and Electric Daisy Carnival – all regularly averaging an attendance of 10 to 30 thousand people with Nocturnal Wonderland becoming the largest dance music event in U.S. history in 1999, breaking the 60 thousand mark. In a downward spiraling turn of events though, 2002 saw the walls of the U.S. Rave empire come crashing down. Due to over-distorted disillusions of electronic music culture and equally-destructive mainstream coverage on such programs as Dateline 20/20, the increased pressure of decreasing sales, low attendance at events, and the legal system cracking down on promoters and events, ultimately forcing Simon to make a critical decision of closing Subsonic Underground's doors in in early 2003.​ Simon then turned his attention to music production full-time. Now with over 100 UK hardcore releases and 15 albums under his belt, he began to diversify his sound throughout the 2000s, experimenting with breakbeat, house, and trance music. Fast forward to 2014, Simon joined forces with fellow breakbeat producer and vocalist, Queen B to raise the music production bar one more time. Together, they created a diverse range of projects, including breakbeat, hip-hop, rap, funk, and chill genres. Multiple releases reached Top 10 in the U.K and U.S.A., with several claiming the top spot – including releases with Josh Chambers, Vinyl Junkie and the Kosplay dance floor slammer, “Only The Brave”, that received global dance radio play. Several remix projects were featured on Sirus FM with a Billboard 100 dance chart position in mid 2014. Party Animal was remixed by studio bosses Sanxion and Vinyl Junkie – proving to be a valid adversary in the U.K dance charts. USA based super label Ravesta signed the duo as they continue delivering slammer after slammer! Today Simon and B are back in the studio on a regular basis working on new material that is guaranteed to deliver phat, chunky beats with a diverse range of projects and some updates on a plethora of classic dance floor thumpers. If the past 25 years is anything to go by, we all look forward to hear what’s in store for the dance floor!