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Roger McKenzie (musician)

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Roger McKenzie
Also known asWildchild, DJ Wildchild
Born(1971-07-22)22 July 1971
Southampton, England
Died25 November 1995(1995-11-25) (aged 24)
GenresElectronic, house
Occupation(s)DJ, musician
Years active1988–1995
LabelsVarious

Roger McKenzie (22 July 1971 – 25 November 1995),[1] also known under his production aliases of Wildchild or DJ Wildchild, was an English musician and DJ.[2]

Biography

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Born in Southampton, England,[3] he released many singles on labels such as Hi Life Recordings, Ultra Records and Polydor.[2] The tracks "Jump to My Beat", "Renegade Master" (famously sampling "One for the Trouble" by A.D.O.R.) and the subsequent "Renegade Master '98" were his most successful. Fatboy Slim's 1998 Old Skool Mix is perhaps the most famous version of "Renegade Master". "Renegade Master" was Wildchild's first hit single in 1995,[2] peaking at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart,[1] but was surpassed by the success of Fatboy Slim's remix "Renegade Master '98", which peaked at No. 3 in 1998.[1]

Just before his death at the age of 24 from an undiagnosed heart condition,[4] McKenzie formed his own record label, Dark & Black.[2] On 6 April 1996, his girlfriend Donna Snell gave birth to their son, Noir. His record label founded the Wildchild Music Foundation in his memory.[2]

Charting singles

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Year Title UK
[1]
Label
10 April 1995 "Legends of the Dark Black Pt 2" † 34 Hi-Life Records
9 October 1995 "Renegade Master" † 11 Hi-Life Records
11 November 1996 "Jump to My Beat" 30 Hi-Life Records
5 January 1998 "Renegade Master '98" 3 Hi-Life Records
13 April 1998 "Bad Boy" ‡ 38 Polydor Records
  • † These tracks were identical, despite their different titles
  • ‡ Wildchild featuring Jamalski

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 602. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Dance Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 368. ISBN 0-7535-0252-6.
  3. ^ "Wildchild discography". Portland, OR: Zink Media, Inc. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010. Retrieved 12 February 2012. In the early 90s, Roger "Wildchild" McKenzie (born 1971 in Southampton, England) was acclaimed producer of the heavy sample-loaded "Wildtrax" series released through Loaded Records.
  4. ^ "The Dead Rock Stars Club 1994 - 1995". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
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