Paul Johnson

Paul Leighton Johnson (January 11, 1971 – August 4, 2021) was an American house disc jockey and record producer. He was known for his self-taught DJ style of house music, mentoring and inspiring younger producers, and for a series of singles, including his 1999 worldwide hit single "Get Get Down".

Musical career Johnson first began DJing in Chicago in 1984 when he was 13, throwing his first party at his eighth grade graduation. His song "Get Get Down", while not a critical hit, was a commercial success, peaking within the top ten of the charts in Belgium (Wallonia), France, Greece, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The song reached number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in December 1999. In 1997, Johnson and his partner Radek started the Chicago house label Dust Traxx, and had worked with Robert Armani under the name Traxmen and with Gant Garrard as Brother 2 Brother. His 2004 track, "Follow This Beat", hit No. 8 on the US Dance chart.

Johnson's productions had a particular distinctive sound —his tracks "stood out—they were as tuneful as they were pummeling, reckless battering rams that made you want to sing along even as they bowled you over".

Paul Johnson is the first name mentioned in the Daft Punk song "Teachers", a tribute to several of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter's house music influences. The three became friends in 1995, with the French duo personally telling Johnson that he "was one of the reasons they started to make house", something Johnson described as "pretty damn touching". Johnson spoke about the difficulty of managing his chronic health conditions while being an active DJ and producer.

Discography Psycho Kong (Djax-Up-Beats, 1994) Bump Talkin (Peacefrog, 1995) Second Coming (ACV, 1996) The Other Side of Me (Relief, 1996) Feel the Music (Peacefrog, 1996) We Can Make The World Spin (Nite Life, 1998) The Groove I Have (Moody, 1999) In Motion, Vol. 3 (Distance, 1999) Mix Connection, Vol. 1 (Wagram, 2004)