David Haberfeld (born 1969, in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

) is an Australian electronic dance music producer, performer, DJ and educator. Best known for his productions and live performances as Honeysmack, he is a proponent of

acid house Acid house (also simply known as just "acid") is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesiz ...

and

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often ch ...

music styles.

Career

During his studies at the

Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

(RMIT) in media arts, Haberfeld began experimenting with electronic dance music. Soon he was collaborating with electronic composer Phillip Samartzis under the name Hysterical Systems. Their 5-track EP was released in 1993/94 by UK dance label Kickin' Records. In 1994, Haberfeld started his first independent record label, Smelly Records. Initial releases included his Pura project, a hard-acid outfit called Cynosure (with Phillip Samartzis), PIN (with Voiteck Andersen), Graham Mono (with Adam Raisbeck and Scott Anderson). The first full-length release was the Smelly Records Compilation CD in 1996.David Mothersole (16 September 1996). "Smelly Records compilation review". ''

Muzik ''Muzik'' was a British dance music magazine published by IPC Media from June 1995 to August 2003. ''Muzik'' was created by two former ''Melody Maker'' journalists, Push and Ben Turner. Push was the editor of ''Muzik'' from its launch until he ...

'' magazine (UK), p. 121 As Honeysmack, he released his first full length artist album, ''Honeysmack Live'' (1997), a collection of live recordings taken from performances at underground clubs in Australia such as

Club Filter Melbourne Club Filter, based upstairs at the Lounge bar and nightclub at 243 Swanston Street in the heart of Melbourne, holds the record as the city's (and also Australia's) longest-running techno music night, having run every Wednesday night from 1992 to 2 ...

. Along with his performances as a live electronic dance music artist during the mid 1990s, Haberfeld gained respect with rock audiences with his punk approach and attitude as Honeysmack. Intersecting the genres of rock and dance, he soon become a fixture at popular Australian rock events and festivals, including Big Day Out, Falls Festival, Meredith Music Festival and to a large extent at dance music festivals and events. In 1999, Honeysmack's song "Walk On Acid"—which sampled the melody from

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

's " Walk On By"—became a popular hit. The song was a nominee for the Best Dance Artist Release at the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing th ...

ARIA Music Awards of 1999 The 13th Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (generally known as the ARIA Music Awards or simply The ARIAS) was held on 12 October 1999 at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. Hosted by Paul McDermott and Bob Downe, and present ...

. The video (directed by Philip Brophy) accompanying the single was the source of some controversy after being withdrawn due to legal action brought on by the

Coca Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups, ...

, which objected to one of their vending machines appearing behind a scantily dressed dancer. "Walk on Acid" featured on Honeysmack's studio album ''Flick Bubble'' in 1999. "Walk On Acid" was listed in The 100 Greatest Australian Dance Tracks Of All Time in 2015. In 2002, it was announced that he would perform as a

supporting act A opening act, also known as a warm-up act, support act, or supporting act, is an entertainment act (musical, comedic, or otherwise), that performs at a concert before the featured act, or "headliner". Rarely, an opening act may perform again a ...

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

' Australian tour to promote her album '' Britney'' and the film ''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

''. Haberfeld combines the musical influences of

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, early hip-hop, electro,

kraut rock Krautrock (also called , German for ) is a broad genre of experimental rock that developed in West Germany in the late 1960s and early 1970s among artists who blended elements of psychedelic rock, avant-garde composition, and electronic music, ...

and

synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

. He studied under Philip Brophy at

RMIT RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

; they have since collaborated on various projects, including the Brophy-produced Honeysmack album ''Rock'' in 2002. As an example of contemporary Australian electronic music, Haberfeld's work was exhibited at the

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) is a modern and contemporary art museum located in San Francisco, California. A nonprofit organization, SFMOMA holds an internationally recognized collection of modern and contemporary art, and was ...

in September of the same year. He has collaborated with a diverse range of artists encompassing different styles, including performing in a quartet with Jacq Gawler (

Coco's Lunch Coco's Lunch is an ''a cappella'' musical group based in Melbourne, Australia. The group was founded in 1994 by vocalists and multi-instrumentalists Lisa Young (voice, percussion) and Sue Johnson (voice, percussion), with Nicola Eveleigh (voice ...

), Anthony Schulz ( Zulya and the Children of the Underground) and Adam Starr
Frock
. Haberfeld produce
Frock
s last album, "One Room One Day" in 2016. He and Antonio Celestino formed the DJ duo Acid Jacks in 2004. Acid Jacks were ranked in the top 50 DJs in Australia by popular vote in 2007 and 2008. The pair presented a different twist on the electro and

fidget house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 130 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including Benny Benassi, Skrillex, Steve Aoki ...

genres. As part of Acid Jacks, Haberfeld and Celestino founded the record label Idiot House. In 2009, Haberfeld parted ways with Acid Jacks and Idiot House to return to his productions as Honeysmack. Haberfeld formed a new

and

label, Hand Made Acid, in 2010. David Haberfeld holds a Master of Arts in Media Arts from

, a Postgraduate Diploma in Music Technology from

La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora. The university was established in 1964, becoming the third university in the state of Victoria an ...

and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Media Arts from RMIT. He completed a PhD in music composition at

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

in 2021 titled
Bacharach, Britney and Acid Techno Bangers: The Evolving Compositional Practice of Honeysmack
. He was a lecturer in the Bachelor of Music (Interactive Composition) at The

University of Melbourne Faculty of VCA and MCM The Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (formerly known as the Faculty of the Victorian College of the Arts and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music) is a faculty of the University of Melbourne, in Victoria, Australia. It is located near the Melbourn ...

. between 2016-2019.

Discography

Albums

* ''Hysterical Systems'' – Kickin Records, 1994 * ''PIN'' – Smelly Records, 1995 * ''Honeysmack Live'' – Smelly Records, 1997 * ''Flick Bubble'' (also known as ''Fuck Bubble'') – Smelly Records/DanceNet MDS, 1999 * ''Awake Since 78'' – xylophone jones Records, 2006 * ''Mookie'' – Trouble & Bass Recordings, 2007 * ''Brainss!'' – Idiot House Records, 2008 * ''Pump It Up'' – Idiot House Records, 2008 * ''Post Acid'' – Awesome Soundwave 2020

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions of ...

. They commenced in 1987. Honeysmack was nominated for one award.ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

, "Walk on Acid" ,

ARIA Award for Best Dance Release The ARIA Music Award for Best Dance Release, is an award presented at the annual ARIA Music Awards, which recognises "the many achievements of Aussie artists across all music genres", since 1987. It is handed out by the Australian Recording Indus ...

, , -

References

External links

Personal website

Honeysmack website

David Haberfeld
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Honeysmack
at

AllRovi RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publi ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haberfeld Australian electronic musicians Acid house musicians Australian dance musicians Australian record producers Australian house musicians Musicians from Melbourne Australian DJs 1969 births Living people Electronic dance music DJs