Scott Hardkiss, of the legendary San Francisco-based Hardkiss DJ/party/label crew, touched many as a DJ and producer. Though he left this mortal coil far too soon, his spirit lives on. Scott passed away before the completion of Hardkiss’ 1991 album, which was released last year, but Gavin and Robbie Hardkiss were able to finalize his remix of “Revolution.” Scott’s remix, along with other Hardkiss interpretations, are out this week and we’re thrilled to world premiere them.
“Scott started his remix of ‘Revolution’ and he was going to remix ‘Broken Hearts,’ which would’ve been really sweet because that song was about us and the whole journey from the beginning to now,” Robbie Hardkiss told us last year. “But obviously he didn’t get to that. When he passed, it was a horrible shock. Devastating.”
Gavin explains how the remix of “Revolution” came together after Scott’s passing.
We’re so thrilled that we held off releasing these mixes until now. We’ve been playing them at DJ gigs for a while and were waiting for the right moment to get them out to the public. Having completed a successful PledgeMusic campaign in May for the 20th anniversary of Delusions of Grandeur, we thought we’d show our gratitude to our fans by giving away for free this new release.
The song “Revolution” opens our second album 1991, and we had several remixes by the likes of Mark E and DJ Spun released on Siesta Recordings.
Now these Hardkiss Remixes feature the last recording made by Scott Hardkiss before his tragic death in 2014. Scott had been working on this remix when he passed away. We were able to download stems of Scott’s mix and execute a version that resonates with Scott’s passion, intensity and playfulness. Stephanie, Scott’s wife, gave us the thumbs up when she heard it and we sighed a sigh of relief. It’s not easy to complete someone’s creative vision and given the emotional intensity of the circumstances, we were pleased that we managed the ambitious feat.
Image of Scott Hardkiss courtesy Hardkiss