Joy Orbison

Joy Orbison

Joy Orbison, real name Peter O’Grady, is an English DJ and producer whose early work are known as some of the best club tracks of all time. Born in Croyden, England, O’Grady started DJing at the young age of 13 after being introduced to electronic music by his uncle Ray Keith, a veteran jungle DJ. By his early 20s, the experienced DJ began producing and released his debut track “Hyph Mngo” in 2009 via Hotflush Recordings.

His debut track propelled his underground career and solidified his place as post-dubstep’s golden boy. “Hyph Mngo” is known as the most forward-thinking track of its time, achieving worldwide airplay and recognition. The track reached #23 on Resident Advisor’s Top 100 Tracks of the 2000s and was awarded the #1 Top Track of 2009 with Fact Magazine. In 2010, O’Grady was featured on NME’s New Music Tips who described his music as a “forward-thinking amalgamation of dubstep, Balearic bliss and UK garage that seems like a logical next step in dance music’s evolution.”

This was followed by “Brkln Clln,” O’Grady’s first release on his own label Doldrums, ran alongside his partner Impey. In 2012, the English artist launched a label with artist Will Bankhead called Hinge Finger. Also this year, O’Grady began two residencies, his own London-based club night ‘Just For You’ as well as Manchester’s ‘meandyou’ party. Solidifying his big year, he was ranked #19 in Resident Advisor  'Top DJs of 2012' poll.

O’Grady didn’t release anything solo between 2013 and 2017, instead focusing on his prolific partnership with Boddika, a techno artist and keeper of Zoo studio. Bodikka helped sharpen his production skills and not long later, he could be found performing on mainstages at huge festivals, such as We Out Here Festival, Dimensions Festival, NOS Primavera Sound, and III Points.

In 2021, he released his first full-length album called still slipping vol. 1, which features samples from his family members recorded throughout the pandemic.

Though he’s achieved worldwide acclaim, Joy Orbison keeps a low profile. He’s nonchalant and humble yet incredibly influential. He’s historically travel and press shy, but nowadays has performances booked around the world at festivals like Dour, Glastonbury, and Lost Village.