Tidy Trax, currently known as Tidy, is a record label based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1995 by Andy Pickles and Amadeus Mozart, Tidy is known for promoting a style of hard house that is both fun and high tempo. It has featured a roster of hard house and trance artists, and hosts regular live events including the Tidy Weekender. Since 2005 the Tidy label also includes Tidy Two and Untidy.
History
The Tidy Trax label was founded in 1995 by Rotherham-based Andy Pickles and Amadeus Mozart, who are also jointly known as DJ producers the Tidy Boys.[1][2] Pickles had previously worked on the Jive Bunny series of records, the financial success of which supported the foundation of the Tidy Trax label.[3][4] The label was at the forefront of the UK hard house and trance scenes in the 1990s and early 2000s, both running live events and releasing over 350 records. Tidy Trax was reported to have sold over a million records in one year.[3] From 2005 the popularity of the Tidy sound did wane, however the label had maintained a core underground fanbase and in the 2020s a resurgence in popularity has been reported.[3][5]
In 2005 Tidy Trax merged with its sister labels, Tidy Two and Untidy Trax, to form a single label called Tidy.[11] Also in 2005, the Ministry of Sound released a Euphoria compilation focused on the Tidy sound, which peaked at number 10 in the UK official compilation chart.[12] An album, featuring various artists, celebrating 20 years of the Tidy label peaked at number 11 in the UK official dance album chart in 2015.[13]
In 2021 Tidy celebrated its 25-year anniversary with its 18th live event held at the Pontins holiday park in Prestatyn.[5][7] In 2023 Tidy published a photobook, "The Cult of Tidy Volume One: 1995-2005", detailing the history of the label up to 2005.[6] The label is often credited by the dance music press of being a major innovator in the dance music scene, with its promotion of "fun" events and c. 135BPM beats.[5][6][7][14]
Tony De Vit
The Tidy Trax label regularly released the music of British DJ Tony De Vit, who is often credited as the "godfather of UK hard house". De Vit died in 1998, shortly after "the Dawn" was released by Tidy Trax, as a result of his contracting HIV. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of De Vit, in 2023 Tidy Trax released a compilation of remixes of De Vit's tunes, "TDV25 - The Remixes", by artists including Eats Everything, Nicole Moudaber, and Hannah Laing.[8][15]
Live events and the Tidy Weekender
The Tidy Weekender is a regular live event organised and hosted by the Tidy label that has a roster of dance music performances, and has featured acts such as Judge Jules, Rob Tissera, Anne Savage and Fergie.[16] The first event was held over a 3-day period in 2002, at the Pontins park in Prestatyn, which was also the venue for the 25th anniversary event in 2021.[3] The 20th anniversary of the Tidy label occurred in 2015 and was celebrated at a Tidy Weekender in Southport.[16] In 2023 Pontins closed down the holiday park in Prestatyn, which had a significant impact on the Tidy "wet and wild weekender" which was to be held there.[17] Other live events promoted by the label include the "Cult of Tidy" tour.[18]
^"Tidy Boys". UK Festivals Guide. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2024. Legendary Hard House pairing from Rotherham, individually known as Andy Pickles and Amadeus Mozart, a duo who through their work as pioneers of the biggest label in Hard Dance music, Tidy Traxx
^ abcSchaitel, Matt (27 April 2021). "Tee Up with The Tidy Boys on 25 Years of Hard House". EDM Identity. Archived from the original on 26 March 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2024. Enter 2021, a full twenty-five years after opening their book to write in. Tidy as a brand continues to morph over the years. As sub-labels combine to entertain the fans and keep the music alive the scene grows, retracts as fans get older, then welcomes a new wave into the fray
^"IS TIDY TRAX THE LABEL OF THE DECADE? VOTE NOW". Mixmag. 1 March 2017. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2024. Andy Pickles and Amadeus Mozart, AKA The Tidy Boys, created Tidy Trax in 1995. The sister/sub labels Untidy Trax and Tidy Two joined with Tidy Trax in 2005 to form TIdy, representing UK hard house and trance music.
