Remembering Scott Hardkiss & the Legacy of Hardkiss Music

SF Boat Party Circa 1998

Today marks one year since the passing of Scott Hardkiss. His memory has not faded and the impact he has had on many of us is still reverberates. 

In the wake of his passing, many memorials were written, including my own, and several tribute mixes were released. As the one year anniversary approached, I was contacted by a kindred spirit on the other side of the globe who was as influenced by Hardkiss as I was, although we had never actually met in person. His name was Steve "Griffo" Griffiths aka Derek Random and he hailed form the west midlands of England but was now living in Spain. We had connected at some point online over our love of quality house music and now he was asking me if I'd like to contribute to a special edition of his radio show dedicated to Scott and the legacy of Hardkiss. I told him it would be an honor and a pleasure. 

I contributed a one hour set that was a very personal reflection on the legacy of Hardkiss and the SF house sound they helped to inspire. It was a mixture of some older, obscure tracks by members of Hardkiss, material off the new Hardkiss album, 1991, and a selection of newer material from San Francisco artists and labels, including some of my own material (as Sine Qua Non and 2 Block Radius, with my bro Schnezzy). Steve then integrated that in between two and a half hours of his own mixing, creating something truly special in the process.

When the show aired on My House Your House radio, something very cool happened. Thanks to the diligent promoting that Steve had done, an international community of family and friends (including Gavin and Robbie Hardkiss) gathered on the facebook event page to chat, comment on the music, reminisce and reconnect in real time, a true testament to the lasting legacy of Hardkiss and the family they helped build. This comment from Scott's widow, Stephanie, was particularly moving, "Thanks so much... our daughter came home from school and started dancing ... my heart lept... thanks for putting this together!". 

As we remember Scott today, here are some words that Gavin Hardkiss had posted to his facebook page: 

There are a lot of ways to lead an honorable life on Earth. You can teach kids, heal the sick, cloth the homeless, build better things or simply make other people laugh. We make music. In honor of Scott Hardkiss, who passed away 1 year ago today, fill your day with 3.5 hours of the Hardkiss sound courtesy of Derek Random and Tee Cardaci


Cheers, brother. Hardkiss forever!

Below is the show, archived on Mixcloud. If you would like to download the show, it is also available on Soundcloud.

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DEREK RANDOM AKA STEVE GRIFFO GRIFFITHS ft TEE CARDACI - SCOTT HARDKISS TRIBUTE SHOW MARCH 2014 by Derek Random / Random Bytes on Mixcloud

If you care to read what I wrote, explaining the reason for inclusion for each track I selected, you can after the break.

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