Hysterix

Hysterix came together after their core members crossed paths amid Tokyo’s dance music circuit, with Tony Quinn serving as a DJ at the Gold club for Yohji Yamamoto. Although they have yet to rank among DeConstruction’s best-known acts, the group has pursued recognition with relentless energy. One characteristic stunt unfolded in 1993 when a live pirate transmission hijacked terrestrial television to flash the message ‘You’ve been Hysterixed!’. Regular features in dance magazines chronicled their exploits within clubland. They squandered their recording advance on tequila during a fully funded trip to Mexico intended for a video that ultimately never appeared. On another occasion they secured a five-day excursion to Florida by posing as an entirely unrelated act. They later attached themselves to Technotronic’s Eastern European tour, insisting on payment exclusively in champagne and caviar, and they convinced Jean-Michel Jarre to grant them permission to remix his material, after which they remained at a hotel consuming Dom Perignon on his tab while neglecting to return the tape. Among further escapades they abducted their manager and booking agent, abandoning the pair bound at Skegness railway station.

Drawing equal inspiration from the foundational disco of T Connection and Earth, Wind And Fire and from late-80s house, the trio remained with their label for three full years before issuing the debut single ‘Must Be The Magic’. DeConstruction had first taken notice after hearing the ‘Talk To Me’ 12-inch, which subsequently received a widely circulated though hard-to-find Sasha remix. The group’s central lineup consists of ‘Tokyo’ Tony Quinn, Darren Black and Richard Belgrave. Their succession of female vocalists has featured former KLF singer Maxine, while from October 1993 onward the roles were filled by Sally Anne Marsh and Marie Harper. Marsh had previously joined Tom Watkins—manager of Bros, East 17 and others—in the pop act Faith Hope And Charity at the age of fourteen, appearing alongside television ‘presenter’ Danni Behr. She also contributed vocals to Xpansions’ Top 10 hit ‘Move Your Body’ in 1991 and has collaborated with Hyper Go-Go and Aerial. Harper, by contrast, had previously performed on the jazz circuit. By 1994 Hysterix appeared to be stabilizing, having supported D:Ream on their UK tour and attracting favourable coverage for the single.