Dave Pearce

David Alistair Pearce (born 14 June 1963) is an English dance DJ, EDM producer and broadcaster, who has performed across the United Kingdom and the world.

He previously presented Dance Anthems on BBC Radio 1 for ten years.

He is renowned for playing a key role both as a performer and behind the scenes in the development of English dance and club culture.

He is from Esher in Surrey.

He attended Esher County Grammar School on Weston Green Road in Thames Ditton.

Pearce's career began under the pseudonym Dave Adams at Radio Jackie 227, Britain's largest land-based pirate station.

He also set up his own FM pirate station, DDP Radio, in Claygate, Surrey, together with Paul Kent (Eugene Perera), Graham Stuart (Graham Copland) and Steve Collins (Stephen Benzikie).

Dave played his first international DJ job aged 17 playing at Studio 29 in Mumbai, India.

On his return to Britain, Pearce started on BBC Radio London, presenting Thursday Night Funk Fantasy from 13 September 1984.

He presented some shows from New York which were simulcast on WBLS in New York.

The show featured new imports from America and the latest club tracks in the United Kingdom.

Some months later Pearce created the BBC's first hip hop show A Fresh Start to the Week airing Monday nights.

Pearce introduced a number of early hip hop events in the UK including The Raising Hell Tour with Run-D.M.C. and Beastie Boys at the Hammersmith Odeon, Mantronix at Town and Country Club and Afrika Bambaataa at Wag Club.

He staged his own events including T La Rock, Derek B and Cookie Crew at Camden Palace and most famously introduced Public Enemy on stage at their landmark 1987 Def Jam Tour.

Public Enemy used Pearce's introduction on their acclaimed album It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back.

He created a national hip hop phone line for UK rappers with a weekly MC battle called Hip Hop Connection.

This subsequently became the UK's first hip hop magazine.

He became manager of UK rapper Overlord X and was executive producer of Streetsounds Hip Hop 20, the first album to merge American hip hop with UK artists.

Following the murder of DJ Scott La Rock, Pearce was approached by New York's B-Boy Records to remix KRS-One & Scott La Rock's South Bronx which was featured on a tribute album to raise funds for Scott La Rock's family.

In 1988, BBC Radio London became GLR Greater London Radio where Pearce started a nightly show focused on a mixture of club music including the emerging house scene, acid house and rap.

House pioneers Frankie Knuckles and Tony Humphries had their first UK radio interviews on Pearce's shows.

Also at this time Pearce became A&R director of Urban Records (Polydor) signing the UK's biggest selling acid house album Urban Acid.

Also this year Pearce played himself in an episode of the BBC drama South of the Border.

In 1990, Pearce became part of the original line up of Kiss 100 FM hosting the drivetime show.

He also performed at live events including Brixton Academy with artists including Ten City and Soul II Soul.

He then co-promoted a series of raves at the London Astoria.

He also had a weekly rave at Jazz in Purley, South London and became resident at House of Windsor.

Pearce set up an underground rave label, Reachin Records, signing artists including Urban Hype and Boneshakers.

Pearce took over the Kiss 100 breakfast show from Craig Charles and co-presented The Dangerous Breakfast Show with Sarah HB.

He presented live shows from Detroit, New York and Chicago.

The show was immortalised in a limited edition Marvel comic.

Pearce became the music reviewer on ITV's Video View.

In 2000, Pearce created a new record label in partnership with BMG – NuLife Recordings which scored a string of top 40 hits including a number one with Rui da Silva's "Touch Me" (2001), a number 2 with Truesteppers, Victoria Beckham & Dane Bowers' "Out of Your Mind" (2000) and a number 3 with Ian Van Dahl's "Castles in the Sky" (2001).

Pearce had 10 consecutive top 10 dance compilations and a number of gold albums including Transcendental Euphoria, Very Best of Dave Pearce Dance Anthems and Dave Pearce Trance Anthems.

In 2001, he appeared in the midnight slot at the Millennium Dome in London playing to 45,000 people at Ministry of Sound's party.

Also in 2001, Pearce wrote and presented The Dance Years, a weekly clubbing TV show on ITV, and he guest hosted MTV's Dancefloor Chart.

He became dance music correspondent to The Sun newspaper writing Dance Bizarre, then moved to his own weekly page in The Daily Star.

In 2001, Pearce was honoured with a coveted British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for his work on the soundtrack to the Richard Parry film South West 9.

After leaving BMG, he signed to Ministry of Sound and hosted trance nights and released a new brand called Delirium.

Pearce joined BBC Radio 1 in April 1995, and stayed there until 1 August 2008.