Peter Slaghuis

Born 21 August 1961 in Rijswijk, The Netherlands. Died on September 5, 1991 in car accident. Peter Slaghuis' last name, when translated into English from Dutch, would be "Hithouse". Slag means "Hit", and Huis means "House". Peter Slaghuis was a comet in the world of European dance music of the mid-to-late eighties. Based in Holland, Slaghuis became well-known in the DJ's underground for his unique mixing style. He often overdubbed several songs simultaneously and creatively used samples, thus making the "new music". Peter was a very prolific DJ: he made many mixes, including the fourteen volumes of "Disco Breaks" that were released on vinyl, and scores of unpublished work on cassette tapes. As a performer, Peter was featured together with Bianca Bonelli in the Euro disco duo Video Kids-"Woodpeckers From Space" . As a remixer, Peter continued to build his credibility by giving his magic treatment to many dance tracks, including ABBA's "Lay All Your Love On Me", Maria Vidal's "Body Rock" and especially the million-copies selling Nu Shooz "I Can't Wait (Dutch Mix)". When Chicago House Music reached Europe, Peter Slaghuis was one of the first Dutch DeeJays to adopt the new sound and to play House records in his sets at the BlueTiek-in in Rotterdam . Peter also was one of the DJ pioneers of sampling, producing several hits in 1988-89 using his innovative mixing style. His first major hit record was Hithouse "Jack To The Sound Of The Underground". (Jacking, Jackin’, or the jack is a freestyle dance move in which the dancer ripples their torso back and forth in an undulating motion. See US titles like Steve "Silk" Hurley's "Jack Your Body"). It features samples from Coldcut's "Say Kids What Time Is It", Bar-Kays' "Soul Finger", and excerpts from Fast Eddie - "Jack To The Sound Of The Underground" and Kelly Charles' "You're No Good For Me". (Kelly Charles' sample resurfaced in 1994 as the vocal hook in the major international hit: "No Good" - by The Prodigy). "Jack To The Sound Of The Underground" went to no.14 in the UK charts. Noteworthy facts: this was one of the first dance records that received an "acid" remix treatment, and it was also sampled in the Italian underground dance hit "Judicta" by Mod N.4. The sequel "Move Your Feet To The Rhythm Of The Beat" shared the same musical formula: catchy high-energy loops mixed with a collection of samples. However, it did not reach the same level of success as the first release. After releasing two singles and involvement in a series of other productions (a remix of Lynn Collins' version of the classic Isley Brothers-penned "Shout", DJ-only mixes like a DMC remix of Madonna's "La Isla Bonita" and the Holy Noise project with his DJ-friend Paul Elstak, who became later the godfather of Gabber and the owner of Rotterdam Records), Hithouse remixed a Euro House megahit by Technotronic "Pump Up The Jam (Hithouse Mix)" . Peter founded his record label Hithouse Records in 1990. Just a year later, Peter Slaghuis tragically died in a car accident. He was driving home after a DJing gig in Holland (September 5, 1991). He was only 30 years old. Despite his short life, Peter left a significant legacy in the world of electronic dance music and sampling. Peter's work as a great mixer, producer, and DJ continues to be an inspiration to many DJs in Holland and around the world. Radio Stad Den Haag ran a Special Tribute Show on air in March 2020 to recognize the genius of Peter Slaghuis/Hithouse.