Paul Hardcastle

• Name — Paul Hardcastle • Birth Name — Paul Louis Hardcastle • Alias — Deff Boyz • Born — 10 December 1957 • Origin — Kensington, London, England • Genre — * Synth-pop • freestyle • electronic • ambient • electro house • breakstep • smooth jazz • new age • Occupation — * Musician • producer • songwriter • radio presenter (in the U.S.) • Instrument — * Synthesizer • keyboards • piano • guitar • bass guitar • drums • percussion • programming • Years Active — 1981–present • Label — * Chrysalis • Motown • V2 • Profile • Trippin 'N' Rhythm • Associated Acts — Direct Drive, First Light, Dance Aid, Carol Kenyon, Helen Rogers, Jaki Graham • Website — paulhardcastle.com

Born in Kensington, London, England, on 10 December 1957, Hardcastle is the son of Joyce (née Everett, 1930–1991) and Louis Hardcastle (1915–2000).

Hardcastle began his career in 1981 when he became the keyboard player for British soul band Direct Drive. In 1982, Hardcastle and lead vocalist Derek Green left the band to form a duo under the name First Light. They achieved some minor success in the UK chart, but the project was abandoned after two years and Hardcastle pursued a solo career. Hardcastle achieved some success with his early singles, including the 1984 electro-funk/freestyle/instrumental track, "Rain Forest", which along with the track "Sound Chaser", reached number two on the dance chart. "Rain Forest" also hit number five on the soul chart and number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100. Rain Forest, the album both tracks were released on, was nominated for Best R&B Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) in the 28th Annual Grammy Awards. Musician by Ernie Watts would win the award that year. Hardcastle is best known for the 1985 single "19", which went to No. 1 in the UK (for five weeks), as well as several other countries worldwide. It also reached number 15 in the U.S. Pop chart and number 1 in the U.S. Dance chart. The song received the Ivor Novello Award for Best-selling single of 1985. The follow-up single to "19" was "Just for Money", which reached No. 19 in the UK. It also charted in several other European countries. In 1986, Hardcastle released a remix to "One Wish" by Hiroshima. In the same year, Hardcastle's "The Wizard" was adopted as the theme tune for the BBC's Top of the Pops weekly chart show. The theme tune was used from 3 April 1986 to 26 September 1991. The song "Don't Waste My Time" became Hardcastle's second UK top ten in March 1986. It featured singer Carol Kenyon, a backing vocalist of Heaven 17. In late 1986, Hardcastle collaborated with the supergroup Disco Aid (later rebranded as Dance Aid in 1987) co-producing the charity single "Give Give Give". In 1989, Hardcastle resumed working on First Light, collaborating with vocalist Kevin Henry, whom he had worked with on previous recordings. Using his alias Deff Boyz, Hardcastle released the single "Swing" in 1990. It reached number 84 on the UK chart, number 27 in Germany, and number 18 in the US Dance chart. Since the 1990s, Hardcastle has recorded several synth jazz albums, alternating releases under the pseudonyms Kiss the Sky (with Jaki Graham) and the Jazzmasters, as well as under his real name.

Hardcastle married Dolores Baker in 1985. They have three children, including British DJ and saxophonist Paul Hardcastle Jr. and singer Maxine Hardcastle, who both contributed vocals to Hardcastle's Transcontinental, a 2011 collection of new music recorded with Ryan Farish. On 13 January 2026, Hardcastle announced the death of his son, Paul Hardcastle Jr., aged 35, in a road accident.

• Year — Title — Label — Peak chart positions — Certifications • UK — US — US R&B — US Jazz • 1985 — Zero One (with Universal Funk) — Bluebird/10 Records, EMI Music — — — — — — — — • Rain Forest — Profile Records — — — 63 — 30 — — • Paul Hardcastle — Chrysalis Records — 53 — — — — — — — * BPI: Silver • 1988 — No Winners — — — — — — — — • 1989 — Sound Syndicate (also known as Are You Ready...) — AJK Music, K-Tel International — — — — — — — — • 1993 — Time for Love — Fast Forward Records, JVC — — — — — — — — • 1994 — Feel the Breeze — JVC — — — — — — — — • 1996 — Look to the Future — — — — — — — — • 1996 — Star of the Story — — — — — — — — • 1997 — First Light — Connoisseur Collection — — — — — — — — • 2009 — Zer01 — Hardcastle Music — — — — — — — — • 2012 — Perceptions of Pacha VIII (remixed by Nacho Marco) — Pacha Recordings — — — — — — — — • 2012 — 19 Below Zero — Hardcastle Music, Universal Music — — — — — — — — • 2014 — Moovin & Groovin — Trippin 'N' Rythmn Records — — — — — — — 7 • "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

• Year — Title — Label — Peak chart positions • US — US R&B — US Jazz • 1994 — Hardcastle — Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 182 — 35 — 2 • 1996 — Hardcastle II — — — — — 7 • 2002 — Hardcastle III — Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — — — — — 9 • 2005 — Hardcastle 4 — — — — — 2 • 2008 — Hardcastle 5 — Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 176 — — — 5 • 2011 — Hardcastle VI — — — — — 4 • 2013 — Hardcastle VII — — — — — 3 • 2018 — Hardcastle VIII — — — — — 6 • 2020 — Hardcastle IX — — — — — 17 • 2022 — Hardcastle X — — — — — 14 • "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

• Year — Title — Label — US Jazz • 1993 — The Jazzmasters — Fast Forward Records, Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 16 • 1995 — The Jazzmasters II — Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — — • 1999 — The Jazzmasters III — Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 5 • 2004 — The Jazzmasters 4 — — • 2006 — Jazzmasters V — — • 2010 — Jazzmasters VI — Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — — • 2014 — Jazzmasters VII — 1 • "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

• Year — Title — Label — US Jazz • 2012 — The Chill Lounge, Volume 1 — Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 12 • 2013 — The Chill Lounge, Volume 2 — 10 • 2015 — The Chill Lounge, Volume 3 — 11

• Year — Album — Label • 1991 — Kiss the Sky — JVC, Motown Records • 1994 — Millennium Skyway (also known as Kiss the Sky II) — Hardcastle Records, JVC

• Year — Album — Label • 2011 — Transcontinental (six-song EP) — Rytone Entertainment

• Year — Title — Label — US Jazz • 1993 — The Definitive Paul Hardcastle — Connoisseur Collection — — • 1996 — The Very Best (The Gold Collection) — EMI Music — — • 1997 — P.H. (Paul Hardcastle Works) — JVC — — • 1997 — Cover to Cover: A Musical Autobiography — Hardcastle Records, JVC, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 12 • 2000 — Jazzmasters: The Greatest Hits — Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 5 • 2003 — The Very Best of Paul Hardcastle 1983–2003 — Jazz FM Records — — • 2004 — Jazzmasters: The Smooth Cuts — Hardcastle Records, Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 17 • 2009 — Paul Hardcastle: The Collection — Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 8 • 2011 — Desire: The Ultimate Seductive Album — Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — 6 • 2013 — Electrofied 80s: Essential Paul Hardcastle — Music Club Deluxe (division of Demon Records) — — • 2015 — 19: The 30th Anniversary Mixes — Nusic Sounds, Caroline International — — • 2016 — The History of Paul Hardcastle 1984–2016 — Trippin 'N' Rhythm Records — — • 2023 — Nineteen and Beyond: 1984–1988 — Chrysalis Records — — • "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

List of singles, with selected chart positions • Title — Year — Peak chart positions — Certifications — Album • UK — US — US Dance — US Jazz — US R&B — IRE — SWI — NOR — GER — NLD — SWE — ATR — ITL — FR — AUS — NZ • "You're the One for Me / Daybreak / A.M." — 1984 — 41 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Definitive Paul Hardcastle • "Guilty" — 53 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Eat Your Heart Out" — 59 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Rain Forest • "King Tut" — — — — — 10 — — — 32 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Rain Forest" — 1985 — 41 — 57 — 2 — — — 5 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "19" — 1 — 15 — 1 — — — 8 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 1 — 15 — 10 — 1 — * BPI: Gold — Paul Hardcastle • "19 (German Version)" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 17 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Just for Money" — 19 — — — — — — — — — 15 — 27 — — — 31 — — — — — — — — — — — — | — — — • "Don't Waste My Time" — 1986 — 8 — — — 31 — — — 65 — 15 — 9 — — — 15 — 12 — — — — — — — — — 66 — 20 • "Foolin' Yourself" — 51 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The Definitive Paul Hardcastle • "The Wizard" — 15 — — — — — — — — — 10 — — — — — 51 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Walk in the Night" — 1988 — 54 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — No Winners • "40 Years" — 53 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Are You Ready" — 1989 — 90 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Sound Syndicate • "Galaxy of Love" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Serene" — 2005 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle IV • "Marimba" — 2008 — — — — — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle V • "Lucky Star" — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "The Circle" — 2009 — — — — — — — 8 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle VI • "Rain Forest" / "What's Going On" — 2011 — — — — — — — 16 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Easy Come, Easy Go" — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "No Stress (At All)" — 2013 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle VII • "Easy Street" — — — — — — — 2 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Unlimited Love, Pt. 1" — 2014 — — — — — — — 7 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Moovin & Groovin • "Rhythm of Life" — 2015 — — — — — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Jazzmasters VII • "Echoes Rising" — 2016 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — The History of Paul Hardcastle • "Cut Loose" — 2018 — — — — — — — 3 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle VIII • "Amber Skies" — — — — — — — 5 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Happy Go Lucky" — 2019 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Dancing Galaxies" — 2020 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Latitude" — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle IX • "Welcome to the Beach" — 2021 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Tropicool" — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Wavelength" — 2022 — — — — — — — 1 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hardcastle X • "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

This is a list of several unreleased tracks that were made by Paul Hardcastle that were originally intended to have been used to promote the Lego Bionicle toyline in 2001. These tracks were originally meant to have been included with the Bionicle Power Pack CD package that was later released in the same year. • Title — Year — Album — Label • Bionic Age (also referred to as the Bionicle Age) — 2001 — Extreme Global Hardcore — Warner Chappell Music (division of Warner Music Group) • Killing Machines (also known as the original full version of The Bionicle Music track that was cut following the final release of the CD & later uses in commercials for the toyline) — 2001 — Extreme Global Hardcore — Warner Chappell Music (division of Warner Music Group)

Paul Hardcastle is recorded as composer, songwriter, musician and record producer.