Arch-provocateur DJ Hell (or simply Hell) is one of the most revered and influential figures in the history of electronic music. Active in club culture since the late '70s, he has participated in and/or helped cultivate the development of underground dance movements ranging from house and techno to electroclash. He is perhaps known foremost as a DJ, given that he has held residencies at numerous high-profile venues and, during the '90s and 2000s, routinely placed second in polls conducted by German magazines Groove and Spex. Hell's DJ mixes, starting with 1995's X-Mix-5 (Wildstyle), include volumes for and . A few years before his commercial mix debut, Hell started to make a name for himself as a producer with tracks such as "My Definition of House Music" and the full-length Geteert & Gefedert. His lengthy discography is additionally highlighted by projects like 1998's Munich Machine and 2003's NY Muscle, followed by 2009's Teufelswerk, 2017's Zukunftsmusik, and 2020's House Music Box (Past Present No Future). Hell has filled crucial roles behind the scenes as an A&R man and/or head of revered labels such as , , and. Hell's global profile grew considerably during the mid-'90s. His first album of productions, Geteert und Gefedert ("Tarred and Feathered"), was released on in 1994, and a year later, the label issued X-Mix-5 (Wildstyle), his first commercial DJ mix. His second full-length, 1998's Munich Machine, also appeared on -- credited simply to Hell. (His stage name, as well as being a truncation of his given name, has a double meaning -- in addition to its associations in English, the German adjective hell means "bright.") The album is notable for kick-starting the electroclash movement by combining guitar rock with dance music, something that was strictly verboten at the time. Besides continuing to DJ around the world, he started the label, which released tracks by , , and , among others. Hell set up another label, , establishing it in 2020 with his soundtrack for the Henning Gronkowski film Yung and the album House Music Box (Past Present No Future), featuring references to , , and legendary Detroit radio DJ the Electrifying Mojo. The latter recording featured artwork from Jonathan Meese, with whom Hell produced the 2021 album Hab Keine Angst, Hab Keine Angst, Ich Bin Deine Angst. ~ John Bush & John D. Buchanan, Rovi