Dave Pearce

Dave Pearce is an English electronic dance music DJ whose longtime affiliation with the BBC is complemented by a deep catalog of mix albums on the Telstar TV and Ministry of Sound labels. While still a teenager, Pearce got his start as a professional DJ in 1981 on the South London pirate radio station Radio Jackie. During the mid- to late '80s, he spun a mix of house and hip-hop. In addition to his radio work, he achieved some notoriety during this era due to his appearance on the landmark Public Enemy album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1998). He had introduced Public Enemy during a concert at Hammersmith Odeon in London, and a recording of his introduction was later sampled for use on the opening track of Takes a Nation, "Countdown to Armageddon." Pearce was working for BBC Radio London at the time, and in 1990 he joined the staff of Kiss 100 prior to joining BBC Radio 1 in 1995. During his stint at BBC Radio 1, Pearce hosted the show Dance Anthems, on which he showcased a wide range of popular electronic dance music for over a decade. In 2008, he moved from BBC Radio 1 to BBC 6 Music. In addition to his radio work, Pearce released a long list of mix albums over the years, beginning with Dance Anthems on Manifesto Records in 1998. Following five Dance Anthems albums, he moved to Telstar TV and released six different Euphoria albums between 2000 and 2002. He then moved to Ministry of Sound in 2003 and released a couple different albums each year. Most notably, he mixed a 20-disc series called The Dance Years that spanned the years 1988 to 2008. ~ Jason Birchmeier, Rovi