Hi-Gate

Judge Jules, counted among the U.K.’s most popular and visible trance and hard-house DJs, assembled the Hi-Gate trio with producer Paul Masterson and vocalist Jina near the turn of the millennium. The group was promptly signed to Incentive Records, the label run by Nick “Positiva” Halkes, and slotted into the era’s thriving trance movement. Their signature combination of squeaking strings, haunting synths, and mammoth bass lines nevertheless pushed toward an unstated fusion of the Ibiza-led values familiar to their scene and the more unrestrained energy of hardcore dance.

Born Jules O’Riordan, Jules brought nearly fifteen years of club experience, early punk-rock leanings, and stints as a KISS FM pirate-radio host. Paul Masterson, frequently labeled a “knob-twiddler,” joined after Jules was given advance copies of Masterson’s production on Yomanda’s widely played club track “Synth & Strings.” Jina was added on vocals shortly afterward, and the project took its name from Jules’ North London residence. Hi-Gate moved quickly to issue their initial run of popular singles across late 1999 and 2000.