Second-wave Chicago house impresario
Felix da Housecat entered the elite via his recordings (as himself,
Thee Maddkatt Courtship,
Aphrohead,
Sharkimaxx) as well as his ownership of Radikal Fear Records, one of the premiere Chicago labels of the 1990s. An introduction to Chicago legend
DJ Pierre during the mid-'80s gave the 15-year-old
Felix Stallings, Jr. the kickstart he wanted, and with some help from
Pierre, he produced his first single "Phantasy Girl" in 1987.
His parents discouraged his growing club lifestyle, however, and after high school graduation
Stallings left the scene entirely to attend Alabama State College. Over the course of a few years, he lost all interest in house music, though his girlfriend got him back into it. After calling
DJ Pierre (who had moved to New York's Strictly Rhythm label),
Felix began mixing and producing again. By 1992, he had a hit with the single "Thee Dawn" on Guerilla Records. His popularity soared in Europe, and the following year's "By Dawn's Early Light" and "Thee Industry Made Me Do It" cemented his reputation.
Not long after
Stallings formed Radikal Fear Records, the label became one of the top house imprints in the world, thanks to releases from
Mike Dunn,
DJ Sneak, and
Armando, as well as
Felix himself. During 1995, he released his debut full-length
Alone in the Dark (as
Thee Maddkatt Courtship) on Deep Distraxion. Hot on its heels came the label collection
Radikal Fear: The Chicago All Stars and a
Housecat DJ album titled
Clashbackk Compilation Mix. Another production LP,
Metropolis Present Day? Thee Album, followed in 1998. One year later,
Stallings appeared extra busy; in addition to his first album as
Aphrohead, he also released another
Maddkatt Courtship LP, the highly praised
I Know Elektrikboy. 2001 saw the release of
Kittenz and Thee Glitz, a breakthrough LP that helped him gain mainstream exposure through articles in glossy magazines across the globe -- not to mention remix work for the likes of
Madonna and
Kylie Minogue. The proper follow-up,
Devin Dazzle & the Neon Fever, didn't arrive until well over two years later, but
Stallings put together a pair of mix albums (2002's
Excursions and 2003's
A Bugged Out Mix) during the intervening years. After collaborating with the likes of
Thom Yorke and
Sean Combs,
Stallings released
Virgo Blaktro & the Movie Disco in 2007.
He Was King, a 2009 album, wasn't much different -- stylistically, at least -- from its immediate predecessors, trading in danceable synth pop with a heavy
Dirty Mind/
Controversy-era
Prince influence. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide