Hot Since 82: House Hero

British house hero Hot Since 82 is an artist who has made a huge impact on the scene as a producer, DJ, label head and more. One of the most in-demand artists at clubs and festivals around the world, his signature brand of bassy, vocal house has made him one of the biggest stars in electronic music.

Born Daley Padley in the Northern English town of Barnsley, One of four children, each with their own distinct music taste and a mother they affectionately dubbed ‘the jukebox’ because of her talent for remembering song names and chart positions, Daley’s musical education came from a very early age.

Engrossed in the UK rave scene, Daley's early influences included Orbital, The KLF and The Prodigy and he would travel to nearby Leeds city every weekend to collect EPs and white labels. By the age of 17, he was DJing in his local club, KGB every Sunday. It was here that his DJing skills developed, through winding 10-12 hour sets that would last from lunchtime to 1am, taking in all styles and subgenres of electronic music.

Originally performing under his real name, Daley got bigger gigs across the country and even in Ibiza, but he grew disillusioned with the scene and went on a two-year hiatus. Moving to Leeds in 2010 he found himself in the eye of the storm of the deep house revival and fell back in love with the scene. He began producing his own music and Hot Since 82 was born.

Two years later he would release his first official EP, Hurt You on Jaymo and Andy George’s Moda Black. Over the next year more EPs would come on Noir and Get Physical before he returned to Moda Back to drop his first studio album, Little Black Book in 2013. That same year his remix of Green Velvet’s “Bigger Than Prince” would explode onto the scene, becoming an instant dancefloor anthem and Beatport's No.1 selling record.

The following year he would launch his label, the world-renowned Knee Deep In Sound. Which would become a vital launchpad for the next generation of house producers, alongside releases from more established stars such as Cristoph, Huxley and Richie Ahmed.

In 2019 Daley released his most personal work to date, the full-length album 8-track. Inspired by a personal tragedy the introspective album represented a renewed focus on health and wellbeing, with the proceeds of the album donated to mental health charity MIND.

This was followed in 2020 by Recovery, a 14-track epic and his most ambitious works to date. Deputed to the world via a livestream from a hot air balloon, the album was a perfect blend of dancefloor-focused club tracks and radio-friendly hits and acted as a love letter to club culture and all that was lost during the pandemic. His 2023 output has been focused on big club records including “Love Me” and “Atomic Sun”.

Since first playing for ANTS in 2014, Daley has been a regular guest at ANTS events. Last year he went B2B with Andrea Oliva for BBC Radio 1’s Dance Weekend. This year, as part of ANTS 10 YEARS STRONG he will join Wade, Yousef and Francisco Allendes at Ushuaïa Ibiza.