About hellpass

Hellpass Records launched in 2000 on the back of the first release, 'Burner' being included on Dave Seaman's Awakenings album on Renaissance. The Petit Papillon EP was the latest and 16th release in 2015.

 An infectious, sleazy 303 acid house bassline; jacking Chicago house beats; the pure euphoria of rave; the evolving, epic soundscapes of progressive; and the heads-down driving grooves of techno. Andy Byrne is a man who reconstructs the influences from dance music's golden era into something innovative and compelling. Part vintage synth aficionado, part dance music deconstructer, he is blessed with an analytical mind and an encyclopedic knowledge of the legacy of electronic music. His vast collection of vinyl is a testament to over two decades in the industry during which he has DJ'd alongside some of the best in the business and become a highly regarded producer.

Byrne's journey traces back to the Second Summer of Love in 1988, where a borrowed Belgian house mix would be the catalyst for his voyage into music production. Armed with a £35 hardware 'plugin' sampler for his Amiga, he began recreating the explosive embryonic strains of dance music he was hearing all around him, pressing his first record to vinyl back in 1992. He would quickly become magnetised to Manchester’s hive of energy and could be found regularly frequenting the record shops Eastern Bloc, Manchester Underground, Vinyl Exchange and Beat Street. Here he would soak himself in the epic proto-progressive sounds emerging on the North West scene by day and descend into the notorious Manchester club scene by nightfall. 

This dizzying period of white labels, promos and vinyl hunting would be hugely influential as he went on to forge a successful career releasing progressive house under his Hellpass moniker and as part of the Kobyashi project.  As part of the latter, he would find himself coming to the attention of progressive big hitters such as John Digweed, Dave Seaman and Chris Fortier. The track ‘Release’ would sell over ten thousand copies and feature on Digweed’s Sydney Global Underground mix. With his reputation growing he earned Radio 1 airplay and international gigs alongside iconic DJs like Lee Burridge, Carl Cox and DJ Tiesto, not to mention a coveted spot on the roster of legendary progressive imprint Renaissance Records.  The period culminated in him watching Sasha drop three of his productions in one of his legendary sets and a sought-after slot supporting Chicane on tour. However, as digital distribution took over Byrne took a back-seat role in the industry, disheartened by the commercial developments which seemed to divest the scene of its magic.

After his hiatus, new inspiration came in the form of one-time DJ partner Nick Almond, who invited Byrne along to the secret location parties he was running in the North West. Fruitful interactions followed as the events became the perfect location to showcase the new live sets Byrne had been secretly working on in his analog laboratory of a home studio. Having thoroughly road-tested his material, Byrne now returns to connect with new labels and new audiences across the globe. With his music donned by the late great Dom Phillips as 'clinical synth pyrotechnics,' we feel that sums up the incendiary dynamics and wild visceral energy with which Hellpass marks his return to the dancefloor.