April 7, 2020
Stickman Records
Paul Jacobs pka 'PJ' produced what is now known as a Canadian classic "Happy Days". Happy Days is a filtered house sampled track that contains portions of song "Tee`s Happy" by Northend featuring Michelle Wallace. In the late 90's Toronto boasted one of the most vibrant dance scenes alongside New York and Montreal. With the sort of racial, ethnic and gender mix to support numerous sub-scenes, Toronto clubbers had their pick of anything from disco, house and techno all the way to hip-hop, bangra and salsa. PJ became an important part of Stickman Records Paul a university student at the time who was deejaying and producing records under his initials P.J., had released a gaggle of jazzy deep house tracks on Canadian labels like Jinxx and Stickman. In 1996 with French house and disco starting to filter in from across Europe, he created 'Happy Days', that would put the city on the global map and all it took were a few samples spliced from a disco single by Northend's / Tee`s Happy, a 1981 hit which reached #9 on Billboard's Club Play Singles chart at the time. Released on Stickman Records' sub label 'Aquarius', 'Happy Days' was the perfect dance record, filling floors the world over and getting repress after repress along with numerous remixes too. PJ would go on to release scores of tracks under various aliases like Paul Sirkis, Afrodesiac and Soulgrabber, including a follow-up hit entitled 'Spanish Fly'. (Edited words of Michael Panontin)