Anne Savage

From her origins playing lead guitar in a punk band, to playing huge illegal raves at the height of the free party movement in the early '90s, to being the first female UK DJ to play in Canada, to spearheading the rise of the hard dance scene - Anne Savage has never been one to stand still, keeping moving with the times and constantly pushing herself to evolve and grow as a DJ and producer.

15 years on from her first big break and she's looking and sounding more exciting and vital than ever before, with a more accomplished and diverse CV than most DJs could dream of.

Music has always been a big part of Anne's life, with the young Miss Savage training in classical guitar during her formative years, before showing her first signs of musical rebellion by playing lead guitar in punk band The 53rd State.

Her DJing career commenced in the unassuming town of Accrington in the North of England back in 1988, at a night called Alternative at Kerfew Klub. Before long her confidence grew and she was playing at various clubs and parties in Italy, around the birth of the rave era in 1989/1990. As the illegal rave scene peaked in the UK between 1991 and 1992, Anne was playing huge parties in Lancashire, before getting her first major stepping stone into the world of professional DJing with a residency for Angels in Burnley. Here she played alongside heavyweights of the era, such as Carl Cox and Joey "Energy Flash" Beltram, before being taken on as resident for the Leeds-based rave-up Ark, where she shared the bill with DJs like Sasha and John Digweed.

Over this period she worked at Eastern Bloc record shop in Leeds, and then as the manager of Flying Records in London. She began to produce at the same time, with her Northern Scum track "Round & Round" a major fixture in Pete Tong and Judge Jules's record boxes. As her fame spread, international bookings soon came into the picture, and she became the first ever female DJ from the UK to play in Canada, headlining huge events such as Better Days and even DJing for the British High Commission in Ottawa.

As her beats got tougher and faster and the sound of hard house began to enjoy unprecedented levels of popularity, she was taken on as a resident at the debauched Sundissential North parties, as well as being given the title of official Tidy Girl - working with the biggest label in the scene, Tidy, to produce the classic 'Real Freaks' for their "Tidy Girls EP", which went on to become the biggest selling hard house EP of all time.

Working with the likes of BK and Paul Maddox on further anthems for Tidy (like the storming "Hellraiser") and Nukleuz Records ("Instantly"), she carried on her studio activities while also mixing several highly successful mix compilations. Her Frantic Euphoria CDs have sold 100s of 1000s of copies, and have won her two Hard Dance Awards for Best Album.

She has also been ranked within the DJMag Top 100 DJs poll in 7 consecutive years, and was chosen by The Independent as one of their Top 10 UK DJs. She has also played at Glastonbury and toured Asia with her "Dumb Blonde" sets, playing a versatile range of electro, breaks and tough house, and producing alongside hotshots Coburn for some of Europe's coolest labels.

Anne's DJing has taken her to virtually every part of the globe, playing the world's most highly rated festivals and clubs, as well as playing at glamorous affairs like the Malaysian Grand Prix afterparty back in 2005. Her glamorous style and bubbly personality have also helped her to achieve success as a confident and highly-rated presenter - with her role as a tutor teaching a classically trained cellist how to DJ on the Channel4 programme "Faking It" helping the episode to receive a prestigious BAFTA Award.

Further appearances on Channel4 shows were bolstered by presenting work for the BBC, MTV Europe, MTV Dance, Rapture and Sky One, with a cameo appearance in the 2005 clubbing flick Hot Dog to boot. She has filled in for Dave Pearce on his massive Dance Anthems show on Radio 1 (listened to by over 2 million people).

2008 sees Anne continue in this blistering form, with gigs across the world including festivals in the UK and abroad. With a new management company behind her to boost her profile and launch her full thrust into the world of online marketing, this looks to be one of her best years yet.
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From her origins playing lead guitar in a punk band, to playing huge illegal raves at the height of the free party movement in the early '90s, to being the first female UK DJ to play in Canada, to spearheading the rise of the hard dance scene - Anne Savage has never been one to stand still, keeping moving with the times and constantly pushing herself to evolve and grow as a DJ and producer.

15 years on from her first big break and she's looking and sounding more exciting and vital than ever... (read more)