New photobook tells the story of legendary hard house label Tidy Trax

A new photobook telling the story of legendary UK hard house label Tidy Trax has been released.

The Cult of Tidy Volume One: 1995-2005 is available to buy now through the label's official website, giving a fittingly colourful insight into the first decade of the brand's legacy. 

Inspired from the sounds of London's underground queer clubbing scene at the time, and wider rave culture, founders Amadeus Mozart and Andy Pickles, who would become known as The Tidy Boys by the turn of the Millennium, were instrumental in pushing a take on dance music categorised by heavy four-four beats running at around 135BPM, an unapologetic sense of fun, and — increasingly — the now iconic hoover sound.

360 pages packed with archive photos, imagery and in-depth storytelling reveal how the pair started running an imprint from the back streets of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, before expanding to a high street record store, and then events. Following the first release — 'U Found Out', dropped by Mozart and Pickles under their Handbaggers moniker, the label has provided a home to some of the biggest names in the scene, including Lisa Lashes, Anne Savage, Andy Farley, Tony De Vit, Rob Tissera, and many more. 

Copies of the book are currently on sale, with a second volume coming in the pipeline. The Tidy Trax festival, Tidyland Weekender, returns this summer, running Friday 7th - Monday 10th July 2023 at Pontins, Southport, UK. 

To mark the 25th anniversary of Tidy Trax in 2021, DJ Mag took a deep dive into the institution's past and present. You can revisit the feature here.