Simon Grigg - Late 1980s and 1990s

Late 1980s and 1990s

In 1986 Grigg opened the first house music nightclub in Australasia, The Asylum in Mt Eden.

A new label, Stimulant, in the mid-1980s had enormous success with UK dance artist Princess and licensed recordings from US labels.

His Def Jam collection Its The New Style was released globally.

The Auckland clubs Box and Cause Celebre, co-owned by Grigg, were important venues and focal points in the Auckland live and dance music scenes from 1988 to 1997.

In 1994 Grigg launched the record label, Huh!, releasing debuts by Nathan Haines and OMC. The latter's "How Bizarre" was a worldwide hit over 1996 and 1997, reaching number one in 15 countries. It remains the most successful record released from New Zealand, selling several million copies.

In 1999 Huh launched the first of the Nice ’n’ Urlich series, co-ordinated and co-compiled by Grigg, which went multi-platinum across three volumes.