The rumors of my demise have been strongly exaggerated the real Gene Farris is back🎡 BOOKINGS: https://linktr.ee/radius_artists?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=af2c0e5e-2764-4511-a222-3939a8af1b5f

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Joesmoothmusic@gmail.com

Armada Music/ Indie Art Music/ Obelisk Production Multimedia/ DJ International / Jack-It/ Trax

Joe Smooth is one of the pioneers of the style of music known today as house music. He is a self-taught musician who, from the age of 12, has been creating music that is inspiring to all that his sound has touched. In 1985 he joined the DJ International family and quickly became a central force behind everything written or produced from the visionary label. He has worked with such artists as Frankie Knuckles, Marshal Jefferson, A Guy Called Gerald, Lil Louis, D'Bora, Tyree Cooper, Fast Eddie, Fingers Inc., The Art Of Noise, Sterling Void, The Pet Shop Boys, Brian Mc knight, Atlantic Starr, The Style Council, New Order, Steve Hurley... and the List Goes On.
At the age of 16, Joe Smooth began having house parties and djing throughout Chicago's underground music scene. At 18, he opened his first night club called east Hollywood Mannequins. In 1983, Joe began dj’ing at the famous Smart Bar nightclub and created an atmosphere and mystique that still lives today. In 1985, the Limelight contracted Joe for their Chicago nightclub as musical coordinator. In 1987, he also started working for the soulful Charlie club nightclub as head DJ/musical coordinator.
In 1988, with musical production work building and traveling abroad Joe Smooth left the club scene for a short break to put his concentration fully into his productions. Joe Smooth is the writer of one of the biggest and most covered house anthems of all time "Promised Land", followed by "They Want To Be Free" recorded for CNN as the soundtrack for Nelson Mendela's release. Joe Smooth has written and released over 150 songs worldwide and can be credited with the involvement of over 10,000,000 record sales. In 1990, Joe Smooth saw a need for a serious underground house club in Chicago and opened the Warehouse nightclub, named in tribute to the legendary Warehouse nightclub of the early eighties. 1995 Joe Smooth looking for new horizons ventured to Rome to work on a label idea with producer Claudio Donato “active bass music” distributed by the now dissolved flying records network. In response to flying's failing and lack of a strong distribution network Joe Smooth returned to Chicago and began searching out new talents to develop and begin his new venture “Obelisk Productions Multimedia”. Thru the nineties til present day   Joe Smooth has done extensive work with Slang Music Group and Nu Soul. Joe's work at Slang and Nu Soul would include projects featuring Whitney Houston, Omarion, Beyonce, Joe, Donnell Jones, Destiny's Child, Sisqo, Vivian Green, Amerie, R Kelly, Janet Jackson, Kanye West, Max-a-Million, Kelly Price, Saleena Johnson, Back Street Boys, Wyclef, Prince and Madonna to name a few.

Paul Johnson is a British singer-songwriter and veteran of the UK music scene, with over 40 years’ experience across gospel, soul, and club music. Born in the UK but raised partly in 1970s New York, Johnson began his musical journey singing in school and church. A formative moment came in 1979, performing Andraé Crouch’s The Blood in his local church — never imagining it would lead to a career spanning international tours, major label releases, and collaborations with musical legends. He was heavily inspired by the soulful, contemporary gospel of Andraé Crouch & the Disciples and the Hawkins Family.

He first gained recognition singing with Paradise, one of the UK’s pioneering contemporary Black gospel bands. Influenced by artists like the Crusaders, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Herbie Hancock, Paradise fused jazz, funk, reggae and faith to groundbreaking effect. Their hit One Mind Two Hearts introduced Johnson’s smooth, expressive voice to a wider audience. He later sang with the London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC) and toured as a guest of Junior Giscombe on the influential Red Wedge tour, where he shared stages with Billy Bragg, Paul Weller, The Smiths, and The Communards.

Johnson’s talent as a vocalist and songwriter led to a deal with CBS Records in the late '80s, signed by Julian Palmer and Muff Winwood. His debut self-titled album, produced by Junior Giscombe, featured the single When Love Comes Calling. The follow-up, Personal, included Half a World Away, a favourite in Jamaica, his parents’ homeland.

Over the years, Johnson worked with Bryan Ferry, Stevie Wonder, Soul II Soul, Mica Paris, Juliet Roberts and many more. He toured extensively across the UK and Europe, performing at venues including Ronnie Scott’s and Sadler’s Wells, and appearing on various UK and European television programmes. He also featured on high-profile remixes with producer Danny D, including Salt-N-Pepa’s Shoop.

Introduced by Juliet Roberts, he joined M-People on tour, performing with Heather Small, Lynieve Austin, and Sarah Brown over a successful four-year period. Johnson also acted as a production coordinator, providing top-tier session singers for the UK and international markets.

With producer/DJ Roger Drakes (aka Dodge) and IG Culture, Johnson scored the underground club hit If We Lose Our Way. His track Better Than This was remixed by the late house music legend Frankie Knuckles, followed by a run of releases on Area Boy Music with Daz-I-Kue of Bugz In The Attic — bridging his gospel roots with polished UK soul and club culture. Though an album project with Dodge was never fully released, unreleased demos including Gotta Move On (featuring jazz trumpeter Byron Wallen) have found a second life online.

One of his proudest achievements was managing and signing soul vocalist Shaun Escoffery through his production company, to Oyster records, helping to launch a career now marked by standout tracks like Days Like These and Space Rider.

While Johnson has since stepped back from full-time performance, he reflects proudly on a dynamic and genre-spanning career: “All of my experiences in the music industry have made me who I am today.”

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