DAVE 'Love' LEE (GB)
With an inimitable CV and discography that includes over a thousand production credits to his name, hundreds of singles under renowned pseudonyms including Joey Negro, and three UK top 40 hits as Jakatta, Dave Lee is one of the UK’s most revered producers of disco and house music, defining each genre with a signature sound. Always looking to push the boundaries of what it means to make music. It is impossible to get 38 very active years into a couple of pages
Lee’s first role in the industry was working for Rough Trade in 1986, eventually setting up the label Republic, the first in the UK to champion the house sound of New Jersey. They released tunes like Phase II’s timeless ‘Reachin’’ and also featured some of Lee’s earliest productions and remixes, including early Brit-house classic Raven Maize’s ‘Together Forever’, one of Dave’s first pseudonyms.
His breakthrough came through with 1990’s ‘Do It Believe It’ on cool NY indie Nu Groove under his most well-known moniker Joey Negro. The follow-up ‘Do What You Feel’ on the newly minted Z Records, eventually went Top 40 pop and landed him a deal with Virgin Records. It was the start of a purple patch that saw him become one of the most in-demand remixers on the nascent UK house scene, while later in the decade he had further crossover successes with ‘Must Be The Music’ and ‘American Dream’ (respectively as Joey Negro and Jakatta).
Lee’s also a noted record collector and he’s spun his passion for vinyl into a landmark series of compilations, initially for labels like BBE (Disco Spectrum/Kings of Disco with DFP) and Strut (Disco Not Disco, Jumping), but over the past decade or so has developed Z Records into one of the most respected reissue labels with genre specific collections - Back Street Brit Funk, 90s House & Garage, GoGo Get Down, the Under the Influence series –– while still using the label as an outlet for his current productions, including his cherished live music side project, Sunburst Band
Having gone through the industry sausage factory over the years, signing for major labels, enjoying crossover hits, and all the trappings that came with it (much of it a kingsized pain in the arse), these days Lee’s USP is arguably his fierce independence. He has no manager, no A&R man, no boss. Every major decision, whether it’s to replace a hi-hat pattern or release another compilation album, is ultimately down to him. It’s how he likes it. “I don’t have a large team of people to make strategic decisions,” he explains. “I approach artists, not because of their marketability, but because I like working with them and they want to work with me. I’m pretty critical of my own music, so I like to think I know when it's below par. Also I don’t think there are many people left producing the same material as me, so when I make an album, I want to come out with my sound but at its absolute best.”
In 2020, Lee decided it was time to retire the Joey Negro moniker. “I was never that mad about it in the first place,” he says. “I was struggling to think of a name for that 1990 Nu Groove release and had a pile of records on my desk, J. Walter Negroʼs ʻShoot The Pumpʼ and ʻReach Up To Marsʼ by Pal Joey, and put the two together. In my mind, the Negro was the Spanish pronunciation of black. Somehow it stuck.” 2020 was the year of Black Lives Matter and issues of race and cultural appropriation have been hot topics and Dave, whose entire career has been defined by his love of black music, did not want to become embroiled in these issues. “I would like to make it clear, there wasnʼt enormous pressure on me to change it, I just felt it was the right thing to do.” Despite a number of notable African-American artists backing Dave, he decided it was simpler to retire it and move on to pastures new.
One of the notable highlights of Dave’s career was the Remixed with Love series. 3 albums jam packed killer re works of the classic songs from the likes of Christopher Cross, Gladys Knight,, Patrice Rushen and Earth Wind & Fire. These albums only happened because of DL’s tireless tenacity to get into the major labels vaults and utilise their back catalogue in a creative way. His updates received universal praise from DJs across the musical spectrum and still get widely played today. Dave still gets asked to remix more contemporary artists regularly with recent-ish examples being Jungle, Chromeo and The Vision
His first album under Dave Lee, was the highly revered Produced With Love II, which continued the work he started with 2017’s superb offering. Working with some of the best musicians in the industry, like Michele Chiavarini, Kaidi Tatham and Tony Remy and seasoned vocalists like Omar, Maurissa Rose and Valentine Brothers’ Billy Valentine. Standout tracks like 'Starlight' were championed across national & international radio stations.
In 2023 Lee released the critically acclaimed & his most ambitious album project to date - 'Metamorphosis' under his AC Soul Symphony moniker. Inspired by memories from the golden era of TV soundtracks alongside the orchestral disco style of Love Unlimited & MFSB . “Metamorphosis” was borne of a desire to put the strings centre stage, taking disco back to a physical place. This album was an organic writing process that saw Dave lay down his ideas digitally, before reshaping the MIDI strings into a proper arrangement and recording them live with a 20-piece orchestra at RAK Studios.
Another new album project was released in 2025 when Dave teamed up with Detroit vocalist Maurissa Rose, which contained “What About My Love”, one of the club hits of the year. Dave also released heavy hitters Raw Essence “Down Down Down” and “People of All Nations with Shawn Christopher & Black Widow.
2026 has seen Dave release two ‘Back to the Old School’ Remix EPs, focusing on his love of the Disco-Rap genre. He returned to his Soulful House roots for the ‘Garage Sound of Deepest Crouch End’ EP, both of these topped Juno vinyl sales.
What's coming up next for Dave Lee? Well, apart from continuing his busy DJ schedule his next big album project is ‘Mixed to the Maxxx’ alongside John Morales, which includes reworks of Barry White, Brand New Heavies,The Temptations, Robert Palmer and many more. The first legally released remix comp of this type in a long time.
Ladies and gentleman, may we introduce you to Dave Lee.