DJ-Kicks (styled DJ-KiCKS on all cover artwork) is a series of DJ mix albums, mixed by various artists for the independent record label !K7 Records.[1]
DJ-Kicks started out in 1993 as a compilation of electronic DJ-style mixes in the techno or house genres, with the then-novel twist of being targeted to a home listening audience.[2] Soon afterwards, both the choice of compilers and the genres included were expanded: In addition to DJs, more and more producers (like Terranova), remixers (like Kruder & Dorfmeister), bands (like the Stereo MCs) and musicians (like Nicolette) compiled DJ-Kicks albums. The actual music began to vary wildly as well, ranging from Trüby Trio's downbeat jazz sound to Kemistry & Storm's aggressive drum and bass. Still, all contributions remain broadly within the electronic music genre.
The first DJ-Kicks release was C.J. Bolland's in 1995, and the series is still regularly expanded. As of October 2022, there are 78 releases in the series, with a release rate of about three new entries each year. 2016 and 2018 were particularly busy with five new mixes in each year, more than any other year so far. Some of the DJ-Kicks mixes are very popular and counted among the regular albums of the compiler, most notably the one by Kruder & Dorfmeister. The entries by Erlend Øye, Four Tet, James Holden, John Talabot, DJ Koze and Moodymann have also received particular acclaim. The DJ-Kicks series has been called "the most important DJ-mix series ever" by Mixmag. The 26th release was a special celebratory (and unmixed) "best of" compilation, . It consisted of original tracks by the DJs who had mixed the earlier albums in the series.
| Number | Album | Artist | Released | Catalogue Number | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C.J. Bolland | 4 September 1995 | !K7038 | ||
| 2 | Carl Craig | 25 March 1996 | !K7042 | ||
| 3 | Claude Young | 3 June 1996 | !K7045 | ||
| 4 | Kruder & Dorfmeister | 19 August 1996 | !K7046 | ||
| 5 | Stacey Pullen | 14 October 1996 | !K7049 | ||
| 6 | Nicolette | 10 March 1997 | !K7054 | ||
| 7 | Rockers Hi-Fi | 19 May 1997 | !K7056 | ||
| 8 | DJ Cam | 18 November 1997 | !K7060 | ||
| 9 | Terranova | 19 January 1998 | !K7064 | ||
| 10 | Smith & Mighty | 9 March 1998 | !K7065 | ||
| 11 | Andrea Parker | 31 August 1998 | !K7071 | ||
| 12 | Kemistry & Storm | 25 January 1999 | !K7074 | ||
| 13 | Thievery Corporation | 10 May 1999 | !K7076 | ||
| 14 | Kid Loco | 18 October 1999 | !K7081 | ||
| 15 | Stereo MCs | 27 March 2000 | !K7082 | ||
| 16 | Nightmares on Wax | 2 October 2000 | !K7093 | ||
| 17 | Trüby Trio | 27 August 2001 | !K7104 | ||
| 18 | Vikter Duplaix | 28 January 2002 | !K7115 | ||
| 19 | Playgroup | 1 July 2002 | !K7127 | ||
| 20 | Tiga | 1 December 2002 | !K7142 | ||
| 21 | Chicken Lips | 3 November 2003 | !K7155 | ||
| 22 | Erlend Øye | 19 April 2004 | !K7161 | ||
| 23 | Daddy G (of Massive Attack) | 25 October 2004 | !K7170 | ||
| 24 | The Glimmers | 11 April 2005 | !K7178 | ||
| 25 | Annie | 17 October 2005 | !K7190 | ||
| — | unmixed DJ-Kicks artist compilation | 27 February 2006 | !K7200 | ||
| 26 | Four Tet | 26 June 2006 | !K7203 | ||
| 27 | Henrik Schwarz | 16 October 2006 | !K7207 | ||
| 28 | Hot Chip | 21 May 2007 | !K7213 | ||
| 29 | Booka Shade | 22 October 2007 | !K7222 | ||
| 30 | Chromeo | 28 September 2009 | !K7247 | ||
| 31 | Juan Maclean | April 2010 | !K7255 | ||
| 32 | James Holden | 25 May 2010 | !K7261 | ||
| 33 | Kode9 | 22 June 2010 | !K7262 | ||
| 34 | Apparat | 25 October 2010 | !K7270 | ||
| 35 | Wolf + Lamb, Soul Clap | 15 March 2011 | !K7283 | ||
| 36 | Motor City Drum Ensemble | July 2011 | !K7285 | ||
| 37 | Scuba | 17 October 2011 | !K7291 | ||
| 38 | Gold Panda | 7 November 2011 | !K7292 | ||
| — | DJ-Kicks: The Exclusives Vol. II | unmixed DJ-Kicks artist compilation | 5 March 2012 | !K7300 | |
| 39 | Photek | 26 March 2012 | !K7293 | ||
| 40 | Maya Jane Coles | 16 April 2012 | !K7295 | ||
| 41 | Digitalism | 16 April 2012 | !K7298 | ||
| 42 | Hercules and Love Affair | 26 October 2012 | !K7301 | ||
| 43 | Maceo Plex | 29 April 2013 | !K7306 | ||
| 44 | DJ-Kicks: John Talabot | John Talabot | 8 November 2013 | !K7312 | |
| 45 | Breach | 15 November 2013 | !K7314 | ||
| 46 | Brandt Brauer Frick | 21 February 2014 | !K7311 | ||
| 47 | Will Saul | 16 June 2014 | !K7316 | ||
| 48 | Nina Kraviz | January 2015 | !K7315 | ||
| 49 | Actress | May 2015 | !K7319 | ||
| 50 | DJ Koze | June 2015 | !K7325 | ||
| 51 | Seth Troxler | October 2015 | !K7324 | ||
| 52 | Moodymann | February 2016 | !K7327 | ||
| 53 | Dâm-Funk | 27 May 2016 | !K7332 | ||
| 54 | Jackmaster | 8 July 2016 | !K7335 | ||
| 55 | Marcel Dettmann | 14 October 2016 | !K7340 | ||
| 56 | Daniel Avery | 11 November 2016 | !K7342 | ||
| 57 | Matthew Dear | 27 January 2017 | !K7346 | ||
| 58 | Michael Mayer | 16 May 2017 | !K7348 | ||
| — | DJ-Kicks: The Exclusives Vol. III | unmixed DJ-Kicks artist compilation | 2 June 2017 | !K7357 | |
| 59 | DJ Tennis | 14 July 2017 | !K7338 | ||
| 60 | Lone | 29 September 2017 | !K7353 | ||
| 61 | Kerri Chandler | 20 October 2017 | !K7358 | ||
| 62 | Deetron | 9 March 2018 | !K7359 | ||
| 63 | Forest Swords | 18 May 2018 | !K7365 | ||
| 64 | DJ Seinfeld | 13 July 2018 | !K7370 | ||
| 65 | Mount Kimbie | 28 September 2018 | !K7364 | ||
| 66 | Robert Hood | 16 November 2018 | !K7376 | ||
| 67 | Leon Vynehall | 1 February 2019 | !K7377 | ||
| 68 | Laurel Halo | 27 March 2019 | !K7375 | ||
| 69 | Peggy Gou | 28 June 2019 | !K7382 | ||
| 70 | Kamaal Williams | 8 November 2019 | !K7388 | ||
| 71 | Mr. Scruff | 27 March 2020 | !K7387 | ||
| 72 | Avalon Emerson | 18 September 2020 | !K7395 | ||
| 73 | Special Request | 19 March 2021 | !K7394 | ||
| 74 | Jayda G | 14 May 2021 | !K7402 | ||
| 75 | Disclosure | 15 October 2021 | !K7398 | ||
| 76 | Jessy Lanza | 19 November 2021 | !K7407 | ||
| 77 | Cinthie | 1 April 2022 | !K7412 | ||
| 78 | DJ-Kicks: Theo Parrish | Theo Parrish | 28 October 2022 | K7414 | |
| 79 | DJ-Kicks: Elkka | Elkka | 26 April 2023 | K7424 | |
| — | unmixed DJ-Kicks artist compilation | 8 August 2023 | K7435 | ||
| 80 | HAAi | 10 November 2023 | K7419 | ||
| 81 | DJ BORING | 12 July 2024 | K7441 |