Halliwell grew up in
Wigan, England. He learnt the DJ trade as a "bedroom" DJ, then coming onto the scene with not only "flawless" mixing skills but also the reported scratching ability of a
turntablist. His first residency in Ibiza started in 2001 at Judgement Sundays. He also went on to have a residency at
Cream in the
Amnesia club. Halliwell rose to prominence mainly due to his "lightning-wristed deck trickery" and an ability to make "the dance floor erupt". In January 2002 the music magazine
Mixmag featured a cover CD mixed by Halliwell. The album,
Bosh!, had Halliwell's high energy and "scratchtastic" approach and featured tracks by artists such as
Marco V,
Signum and
Tony De Vit. In 2015 Mixmag reported it had achieved the rare level of popularity sufficient to justify a sequel. Halliwell has been featured several times in the
DJ Mag annual top 100 DJ ranking, including being voted into the top 20 for 4 years running.
Mixmag magazine also rated him at #9 in its world top DJ poll in 2009. He has also performed DJ mixes on seven occasions for the
Pete Tong Essential Mix show, including a live set from
Creamfields in 2011. In 2008 Halliwell released a mix album,
Fire It Up, named after the club night he started. It was considered "too hard for some", but did showcase his talent. In 2011 he recorded the cover CD for the August issue of DJ Mag. That same year he started the record label FIUR, and also moved into production with his debut single, "Neon". This was reported as a significant move as, until this point, DJing rather than production had been his "No.1 passion". In 2012 Halliwell released the album
Toolroom Knights under
Mark Knight's Toolroom record label. The album charted at number 28 in the UK Dance Album chart and received positive critical reception with journalist Gregory Paratore stating "it's filled with hip-hop style cuts and scratches, showing exactly why Halliwell is able to thrill fans around the world with his quick mix style". Halliwell hosts and presents a regular
podcast and radio show called
Fire It Up. The 100th anniversary of the show was celebrated in June 2011 at a live event at the
Sankeys club in Manchester. As of February 2024 the show has listeners worldwide. ==Discography==