Black History Month: jOHNNYDANGEROUs aka FOREMOST POETS

Foremost Poets aka jOHNNYDANGEROUs

John Holiday pka Foremost Poets aka jOHNNYDANGEROUs was born in Philadelphia in 1970 and raised in Newark, NJ. He was a Jazz Band & Drum Major in Arts High School & the Barringer High School Band during the ‘80s. He began his career Djing at Club America in 1989 alongside DJ Camacho, Messy Marv, Kerri Chandler and other New Jersey greats. Johnny is one of the unsung heroes of the Deep House Music sound. As a DJ, producer, and vocalist, the triple threat’s style is described as being a blend of future funk and spoken word. His first single “Reasons To Be Dismal” was released on Nu Groove/SBK Records in 1990 and well received by a regional club audience. However his follow up in 1992 is what solidified Johnny as a mainstay in dance music. “Problem 13 (I Beat That Bitch With A Bat)” was a sharp critique of America’s shortcomings with an infectious early nineties house groove that kept bodies jacking around the US. 

In 1998, Johnny Dangerous launched a series of back to back 12” releases with the crossover tune, “Moonraker”. The Sound-Men On Wax recording can be heard to this day in big room clubs and festival stages worldwide. The same year he followed up with the bassline driven groove, “At War With The Devil” (Nite Grooves), “The Spy-Chiatrist”, “Facing The Impossible”, and “Grave Lifter”. He continued dropping records in the year 2000 at a steady pace with “Moon Raker (Phase II)”, “Pressin On”, and “Space Traffic”. In 2002, he signed with UK label, Junior London and put out a club favorite, “Open Season” followed by “Funk Nebula” and “Minimal Funk” b/w “Definition Of House”. Throughout the 2000s, Johnny kept the 12”s coming and in 2006 released “Besides Myself” on Soul Groove Records. The track was also licensed for BBE’s “Beats & Pieces Volume 3” compilation.*

Throughout the late 2000s into the 2010s, Foremost Poets created dozens of white label edits as tools for DJs in addition to various remixes, and collaborations including two with the icon, Louie Vega (MAW). “New York City” and “London Roots” became club anthems and brought the powerhouse team to many clubs and stages around the globe. In 2012 Johnny released the full length album “Planet Asia” which also contained the two club hits in addition to the single “I’ll Be Your Maker”. Johnny’s remix of Kerri Chandler’s “Bar A Thym” is a classic example of his ability to take any song and rework it into a brand new record. His skill in the studio, on the stage, and in the DJ booth is unparalleled. Surely one of house music’s heroes to be unsung so longer.

DISCOGRAPHY

*The compilation gives credit to DJ Shaheer as the artist due to it originally appearing on “DJ Shaheer Williams Presents: The Lost Tracks EP. Vol. 1”