ITHURTZ

Rob Davy has been making and playing music full-time since the late 1990s. He initially made his name as one half of Mutiny, the house music act who bestrode the world, and latterly its been his Myomi and ITHURTZ projects that have caught the imagination. 

Caught up in the electronic music revolution of the 1990s, Rob teamed up with pal Dylan Barnes and began making music together. Self-taught, they quickly discovered that they had a certain synergy together and teamed up as Mutiny, initially putting music out on their own Sunflower Records before signing to major label juggernaut Virgin Records. 

There were a lot of breakthrough house cuts released around Millennium time in the UK. It was the early days of Defected Records, Basement Jaxx were riding high, Hed Kandi comps were everywhere, and Mutiny’s jaunty house cut ‘Secrets’ punctuated the pop charts after ruling in the clubs for months. Sassy shuffler ‘The Virus’ followed it into the top 50. Their ‘In The Now’ album cemented their position as one of the UK’s premier house music acts, and when Virgin started pressurising them to sound a certain way they moved allegiances to an independent label, where they could have more control over their own careers.

Darren Emerson had just left Underworld and set up his own label, Underwater. Mutiny were one of its first signings, and their next output went through this exciting new imprint, named DJ Mag’s label of the year in 2003. They mixed one of the first Underwater comps and landed a residency in Ibiza for the first time, which would begin a life-long love affair with the island.

They release the ‘Yada Yada’ album on Underwater, and this saw them spread their influence right around the globe and they landed DJ residencies in Asia, Australia and various spots in South America. Womb in Tokyo became one of their favourite places to play, and they’d return to play in Japan for many years after first touching down there. 

Releases on labels such as Josh Wink’s Ovum, Southern Fried and Ministry Of Sound would follow, as well as remixes for the likes of Fatboy Slim, Ernest Saint Laurent and Chicken Lips, as the duo settled into the newly formed 21st century international touring circuit for DJ acts with a certain heft and gravitas. “We DJed in some of the world’s best clubs, including having our own night at the Mecca of music that is Womb in Tokyo, a particular highlight for me,” says Rob, “but then there are so many — from boat parties in Miami to crazy nights in Ibiza, where we were residents for many years.”

Latterly, Rob Davy has been producing music under his own name. He made the ‘House Strings’ solo album with a 40-piece orchestra, and has started up the alias ITHURTZ for club tracks to keep feeding into the scene. “With ITHURTZ there’s no rules,” he says, excitedly, “just to write and see where it goes.” He’s begun to release ITHURTZ singles and remixes via Irvine Welsh’s thriving Jack Said What label, and is currently relishing the lack of any sort of restrictions on his musical output. “ITHURTZ has no particular genre or concept connected to it,” Rob says, “so it can encompass hip-hop beats, cinematic vibes, or more club bangers. With all this experience under my belt, I’m still hungry for more.”