Gary Haisman

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Gary Haisman was an English singer and a well-known figure of the London acid house scene. He was born on 29 January 1958 and died on 28 November 2018. Before he could be heard on a record, he worked as a club promoter and was a striking face and dancer in the London clubs. He organised nights such as Raid at various clubs, including Shoom, and by the end of the 1980s was one of the best-known names of the acid house scene. He was also the PR manager of Spectrum, London's first acid house club, and was part of the editorial team of the fanzine Boys Own, together with Terry Farley and Andrew Weatherall.

Music and breakthrough

His musical contribution was the double single We Call It Acieed and Trance Dance. It was the first of four consecutive number 1 hits for D Mob on Billboard's US dance chart in 1989 and appeared on the album A Little Bit of This, a Little Bit of That. Haisman is also the originator of the expression It's all gone Pete Tong, which later inspired the title of a dance music film and was adopted by Pete Tong himself at his nights in Ibiza.

Influence

Haisman lived in Spain for years, developed a deep vein thrombosis there and came close to death. Later he returned to the United Kingdom and renewed contact with people from the acid house scene. His name shows that acid house was not just a sound but also a community of club makers and dancers.

Listening