Dougal
If you'd like to add anything on this page, let us know in the messages.
Dougal (Paul Clarke) came out of the Northampton free party and warehouse scene in the early 90s. He was one of the DJs who helped push the harder, faster side of rave as it turned into hardcore.
The sound
Fast, energetic happy hardcore with big breakdowns and plenty of piano. He became known for long, pounding sets that kept the floor moving for hours.
Key nights / tracks
Regular at Helter Skelter, Dreamscape, and later the big hardcore events at the Sanctuary. Tracks and remixes under various names, plus countless tape packs from the mid-to-late 90s and early 2000s.
Essential Platinum Essential Platinum & other labels
other labels
In 1994 Dougal co-founded Essential Platinum with Hixxy. It became one of the main happy hardcore labels of the period, putting out tracks from Dougal himself, Hixxy, Force & Styles, Mickey Skeedale and others. The early releases helped define the sound that was filling the big raves at the time.
He went on to be involved with several more labels:
Launched in 1992. Dougal released material on it through the 90s.
Offshoot that followed the original Essential Platinum. More releases in the later 90s.
Another of the platinum-branded labels from the same period.
Linked to the wider Essential setup.
Launched in 2003 and ran through the late 2000s.
What happened to them
Still active in the hardcore scene. Continues to play events and release music, and remains one of the names people associate with the 90s hardcore sound.