Joy Orbison

Peter O’Grady, better known as Joy Orbison or Joy O, emerged from the UK’s late-2000s dance underground with “Hyph Mngo,” a debut single released by Hotflush Recordings in September 2009. The track brought him underground success and was later voted number one in Fact Magazine’s tracks of 2009 list, while Resident Advisor placed it at number 23 in its top 100 tracks of the 2000s.

Born on 27 September 1986 and raised in Croydon, O’Grady was introduced to jungle and UK garage by his uncle, the jungle DJ and producer Ray Keith. He began DJing at 13, then moved into production in his twenties, initially making eight-bar grime loops with Fruity Loops. His music brings together house, dubstep, UK funky, UK garage and old-school jungle, drawing on a wide range of reference points that he has cited, including J Dilla, My Bloody Valentine, Josef K and the Beach Boys.

After “Hyph Mngo,” O’Grady released “Brkln Clln” through Doldrums, the label he ran with Impey, and followed it in 2010 with “The Shrew Would Have Cushioned the Blow” on Aus Music. He later co-founded Hinge Finger with artist Will Bankhead. Alongside his solo work, he is known for collaborations with Boddika, and has also recorded under the names Peter O’Grady, Sul and Sin Falta.

O’Grady’s DJ work has included residencies at the London night Just For You and Manchester’s meandyou party. In 2020, he appeared as himself as the host of Still Slippin’ Los Santos, an in-game radio station in Grand Theft Auto Online. The station, presented as a pirate broadcast, features experimental electronic music alongside UK hip-hop, grime and dancehall.