Peter Slaghuis

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Peter Slaghuis | birth_date = 21 August 1961 | birth_place = The Netherlands | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1991|09|05|1961|08|21}} | genre = House | occupation = DJ, record producer, remixer | years_active = 1980-1991 | past_member_of = Video Kids }}

'''Peter Slaghuis''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈpeːtər ˈslɑxɦœys}}; 21 August 1961 – 5 September 1991)<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums" /> was a Dutch DJ, record producer and remixer, whose work was mostly released under the name '''Hithouse''' (a literal translation of his last name — ''slag'', a hit, a beat; and ''huis'', house).

==Early years== Slaghuis was born in Rijswijk, Netherlands on 21 August 1961 to Helen (born in Malang, Indonesia) and Charles Slaghuis.<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums"/><ref name="Birth">{{cite web|last=Slaghuis|first=Helen|title=Voorstellen|url=http://www.helen-online.nl/voorstellen.htm|website=helen-online.net|access-date=25 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070903151841/http://www.helen-online.nl/voorstellen.htm|archive-date=3 September 2007}}</ref> As a child, he was unlucky, as he was always ill and would be in hospital. Fortunately, he got better when he turned 10, and grew into a healthy boy. Charles gave him and his sister Dana (born in 1961) their first cassette recorder. This led to Peter's love for music, while Dana was not interested.<ref name="Childhood">{{cite web|last=Slaghuis|first=Helen|title=Kinder-Jaren|url=http://www.peterslaghuis.com/Kinderjaren.htm|website=peterslaghuis.com|access-date=8 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520201252/http://www.peterslaghuis.com/Kinderjaren.htm|archive-date=20 May 2007}}</ref>

==Career== ===Remixer=== After graduating from school, Slaghuis began working as a DJ in a local club in The Hague in his teens in 1979. One day, he heard an illegal bootleg American megamix, which inspired him to try and copy the style. He was already mixing in the club while at home he was experimenting with the cassette recorder's pause button's editing technique. Using this he created his first remix, a 3/4-hour long remix of "Dancing Queen" by ABBA.<ref name="DMC Interview">{{cite web|last1=Battista|first1=Nicola|last2=Sanders|first2=Peter|last3=Anderson|first3=Steve|title=World's-Best Producer and DMC Interview (MixMag Jan. 1989): The Peter Slaghuis Story!|url=http://www.peterslaghuis.com/Worldbestproducer.htm|website=peterslaghuis.com|access-date=8 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070520201257/http://www.peterslaghuis.com/Worldbestproducer.htm|archive-date=20 May 2007}}</ref>

Slaghuis made a name for himself as a remixer in the 1980s, producing popular remixes of various hits. In his home studio at his parents' house, he made music by taking samples from obscure records and pieces of music, mixing them together into his own self-produced tracks. He secured connections with the "Disco Breaks" bootleg label and started creating megamixes and remixes for them. Some of the earlier mixes were actually created on cassette, including the rare "Dutch Mix" of "Lay All Your Love on Me" by ABBA. As more equipment piled into his studio at his parents' home, he became more certain of his future. He was always playing his mixes in clubs with great reactions from the crowds, being one of the first DJs to do so, along with Ben Liebrand.<ref name="DMC Interview"/> He worked extensively with Erik van Vliet and Michiel van der Kuy from 1982 onwards, producing remixes for their Euro disco/Italo disco projects Sisley Ferré (with vocals by Jody Pijper) in 1987-1990 and Laserdance ("Megamix Vol. 1") in 1988.<ref name="Michiel Interview">{{cite web|title=Interview with Michiel van der Kuy|url=http://www.spacesynth.net/Interview/MichielVanDerKuy|date=22 May 1999|publisher=Spacesynth.net|access-date=20 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002035708/http://www.spacesynth.net/Interview/MichielVanDerKuy|archive-date=2 October 2011}}</ref> With his fame, Slaghuis managed to get a place as a DJ at the BlueTiek-in in Rotterdam in 1985. He bought his own Akai S900 sampler, being one of the first people to have one.<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Slaghuis 1">{{cite news|title=DJ en producer Peter Slaghuis|url=https://digitup.nl/bluetiek-in/dj-en-producer-peter-slaghuis/|date=7 September 2020|publisher=DIG IT UP|access-date=8 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241225104537/https://digitup.nl/bluetiek-in/dj-en-producer-peter-slaghuis/|archive-date=25 December 2024}}</ref><ref name="Slaghuis 2">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRdcOeTHp0o|title=DIG IT UP interview Dick Beekman|date=13 November 2020|publisher=YouTube|access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref>

His big break as a remixer came in 1986 with the Vocal/Long "Dutch Mix" of "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz. Injection Disco Dance Label asked him to produce the remix of the song. Slaghuis hated the song and initially did not want to remix it, but eventually decided to produce the remix, making it in an hour.<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Slaghuis 3">{{cite book|last=Tukker|first=Ronald|title=Rotterdam in the House|url=https://www.kokboekencentrum.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/9789402134407_fragm.pdf|year=2015|pages=7–10|language=nl|access-date=2023-10-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010210144/https://www.kokboekencentrum.nl/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/9789402134407_fragm.pdf|archive-date=2023-10-10}}</ref><ref name="Nu Shooz">{{cite news|last=Singer|first=Matthew|title='How Two "Jazz Hippies" (and a Dutch DJ) Made Portland's Biggest Song Ever'|url=https://www.nushoozmusic.com/news/2016/3/4/nu-shoozs-i-cant-wait-turns-30|date=March 4, 2016|publisher=Nu Shooz Music|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Historiek">{{cite news|last=Verkroost|first=Rogier|title=Remixer Peter Slaghuis maakte in 1986 een wereldhit én een dure beginnersfout|url=https://historiek.net/peter-slaghuis-nu-shooz-i-cant-wait/178910/|date=23 November 2025|publisher=Historiek|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref> He added a synthesizer melody over the top,<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Nu Shooz"/> as well as some vocal samples (including one from "Loveride" by Nuance), sound effects and a sample of "Into the Groove" by Madonna.<ref name="Choons">{{cite web|last=Puzo|first=Nicholas|title=Peter Slaghuis in Nu Shooz|url=https://www.facebook.com/choonspod/posts/the-involvement-of-peter-slaghuis-in-nu-shoozs-international-breakthrough-with-i/351473777152785/|date=18 July 2022|publisher=Facebook|access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref><ref name="Let Play">{{cite book|last=Vass|first=Steven|title=Let The Music Play: How R&B Fell In Love With 80s Synths|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rHjqEAAAQBAJ&dq=peter+slaghuis&pg=RA3-PT238|date=8 October 2023|page=438|publisher=Velocity Press|isbn=9781913231491|access-date=8 August 2024}}</ref><ref name="Historiek"/> Injection loved the remix and offered Slaghuis royalties, and as he did not rate the track, he took 500 guilders.<ref name="DMC Interview"/> He realised his mistake and became disappointed about losing a large amount of money, sitting at his kitchen table and crying.<ref name="Historiek"/> Atlantic Records would later invite him to work in their studio in New York City, where he was allowed to remix other Nu Shooz songs for their album, ''Poolside'', only one of which was used.<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Slaghuis 3"/><ref name="Let Play"/><ref name="Historiek"/> Slaghuis sent mixes to Ferry Maat's ''Soulshow''. He also worked for the Disco Mix Club for some time, producing mixes of songs such as "La Isla Bonita" and "True Blue" by Madonna, "Respectable" by Mel and Kim, "Rock the Night" by Europe, and even "I Can't Wait" by Nu Shooz, for which he was paid decently. His first mix for the Disco Mix Club, "Slag It Off", was put onto vinyl. Later that year, Slaghuis remixed "Just Buggin' (Nothing Serious)" by Whistle and "How To Win Your Love" by Spencer Jones, and produced the "Evelyn Thomas Megamix". He was asked by Maat to make an annual mix for ''Soulshow'', which he created more as a contrast rather than competition to Ben Liebrand's similar year mix for Radio Veronica. In 1988, he and Eddy Ouwens remixed "Downtown" by Petula Clark as "Downtown '88", which reached its No. 10 peak on the UK Singles Chart on 24 December 1988.<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Slaghuis 1"/><ref name="Slaghuis 3"/>

===Video Kids=== In 1984, Slaghuis was asked to join the Euro disco project Video Kids, which released songs such as "Woodpeckers from Space", which became a number 1 hit in Spain and Norway, and "Do the Rap". He was featured in the videos for both songs alongside Bianca Bonelli and Tico Tac, the group's cartoon mascot. They released two albums, ''The Invasion of the Spacepeckers'' in 1984 and ''On Satellite'' in 1985. The songs were written and produced by Catapult musicians Aart Mol, Cees Bergman (who provided the vocals that Slaghuis lip-synced to), Elmer Veerhoff, Erwin van Prehn and Geertjan Hessing (under the aliases "Adams & Fleisner" and "Tony Acardi"), and recorded at Cat Music.<ref name="Interview">{{cite news|last=Maslovsky|first=Daniel|title=Сеанс массового диско-разоблачения|url=https://www.zvuki.ru/R/P/32886/|date=22 April 2014|publisher=Звуки.Ру|language=ru|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="VideoKids News 1">{{cite news|author=Bravo staff|title="Video Kids" und die Außerirdischen ("Video Kids" and the Aliens)|url=https://vk.com/club9746550?z=photo-9746550_457239036%2Fwall-9746550_478|date=1985|publisher=Bravo|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="VideoKids News 2">{{cite news|author=Bravo staff|title=Die Video Kids und ihr Weltraum-Specht (The Video Kids and their Space Woodpecker)|url=https://vk.com/club9746550?z=photo-9746550_457239035%2Fwall-9746550_478|date=1985|publisher=Bravo|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="RapReviews">{{cite news|last=Jost|first=Matt|title=Early Sightings of Rap in 1980s Pop – The Netherlands & Belgium (Part 1)|url=https://www.rapreviews.com/2022/01/early-sightings-of-rap-in-1980s-pop-the-netherlands-belgium-part-1/|date=11 January 2022|publisher=RapReviews|access-date=23 September 2024}}</ref> Slaghuis had previously done remixes for Cat Music's other projects, such as the "Special European Edit" of "After The Rainbow" by Joanne Daniëls (along with Emile Noorhoek) and "Steppin' Out" by Digital Emotion,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/192422-Joanne-Dani%C3%ABls-After-The-Rainbow|title=Joanne Daniëls – After The Rainbow (1984, Vinyl)|publisher=Discogs|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/183894-Digital-Emotion-Outside-In-The-Dark|title=Digital Emotion – Outside In The Dark (1985, Vinyl)|publisher=Discogs|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> and would later use "Woodpeckers from Space" in the seventh instalment in "Disco Breaks".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/1035858-Various-Disco-Breaks-7|title=Peter Slaghuis – Disco Breaks 7 (1984, Vinyl)|date=1984|publisher=Discogs|access-date=2 November 2023}}</ref> A cover version of "Woodpeckers from Space" was made by the South African group Café Society in 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/2197955-Caf%C3%A9-Society-Woodpeckers-From-Space|title=Café Society – Woodpeckers From Space (1985, Vinyl)|publisher=Discogs|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> Even though Video Kids provided him with a lot of experience in the entertainment industry,<ref name="Kettingzaag">{{cite news|author=debramster|title=Eindelijk is daar het verdiende monument voor Peter Slaghuis|url=https://dekettingzaag.nl/dekettingzaag.nl/eindelijk-is-daar-het-verdiende-monument-voor-peter-slaghuis/|date=24 December 2025|publisher=De Kettingzaag|access-date=24 December 2025}}</ref> Slaghuis expressed disapproval of the project, considering it a sidestep in his career.<ref name="Slaghuis 1"/> He left the project that year, and was replaced with René Portegies.<ref name="VideoKids News 3">{{cite news|author=ANP staff|title=Exportprijs|url=https://vk.com/club9746550?z=photo-9746550_457239041%2Falbum-9746550_93087895%2Frev|date=1985|publisher=Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau|access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="M&M">{{cite book|last=Bakker|first=Machgiel|title=Music & Media Volume 3 - No.16|chapter=DUTCH BROADCASTING SYSTEM: UNIQUE FOR ITS COMPLEXITY: Mounting Pressure On Government To Introduce Commercial TV|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/80s/1986/M&M-1986-04-26.pdf#page=28|date=26 April 1986|publisher=EMR Publications|page=8|language=en|access-date=13 March 2025}}</ref>

===Hip hop=== In 1987, Slaghuis met then-unknown rapper Extince, who told him that he had released the single "Rap Around The Clock" the previous year. Slaghuis did not like the single, but decided to work with the rapper. He produced the beat behind Extince's single "The Milkshake Rap", using the pseudonym "Mr. Donald". The single's sound was heavily influenced by Mantronix and used McDonald's' advertising music. This, however, led to legal trouble with the fast food chain, who did not appreciate their music being used without permission. The single had to be withdrawn from the market and was replaced by a "clean" version named "The Milkshake Rapremix".<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Extince 1">{{cite news|last=van der Doelen|first=Jaap|title=Rijdend door de roots van Extince: "Dit is waar mensen op hebben zitten wachten."|url=https://www.hiphopinjesmoel.com/rijdend-door-de-roots-van-extince-dit-is-waar-mensen-op-hebben-zitten-wachten/|date=4 March 2015|publisher=Hiphop In Je Smoel|access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="Extince 2">{{cite news|last=Borrenberg|first=David|title=Zien: Piepjonge Extince bij Paul de Leeuw toen hiphop nog gloednieuw was|url=https://jfk.men/news/extince-paul-de-leeuw/|date=29 October 2022|publisher=JFK|access-date=22 October 2023}}</ref> Slaghuis produced a few more singles for Extince, "The Girlie Girlie Prince" and "Black Betty", although they were not very successful. In 1989, he produced "I Can Handle It" by Mister Mixi & Skinny Scotty. The rappers had success abroad and they also released the album ''Tea House'', on which Slaghuis produced eight songs. In 1990, he produced the single "Somebody In The House Say Yeah!" with DJ Paul Elstak by rap crew The Timedrillers. He also produced the single "Unarmed and Dangerous" by M.C. Hughie Babe.

===House pioneer=== As a DJ at the BlueTiek-in, Slaghuis was one of the first to market the genre of house music in the Netherlands. The first house music that was played was the Chicago house sound, but it was not well-received by the people at the club, who did not understand that kind of music. Because of this, it was played at the end of the night so that everyone would leave early, so that when the club was empty, the crew could go home on time as well. People later began to appreciate the sound, and the club was packed until closing time. There he met DJ Paul Elstak, who worked with him and became his student as a younger DJ.<ref name="Slaghuis 1"/><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fss0AVisU0I&t=528s|title=30 Years of Dutch Dance #1: Pioneering|date=3 February 2025|publisher=YouTube|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref> Elstak previously did not know Slaghuis due to his dislike of "Woodpeckers from Space".<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A2PkH-6_y0&t=662s|title=DJ PAUL ELSTAK Story YouTube - Podcast Can you Feel It - The Dutch History of House #010|date=18 December 2019|publisher=YouTube|access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref> In December 1986, Slaghuis produced and released his first house track for the Disco Mix Club, "Samplification". In 1988, he composed, arranged and produced the single "House Control", going under the pseudonym "El Farid" and working with Eric van Vliet. With the arrival of house music in Europe, he took up the pseudonym "Hithouse" (a literal translation of his last name) and began using his sampling techniques in this field. He produced and released a remix of "The Second Time Around" by Shalamar and a new version of "Samplification" named "Samplification (Part 2)" under the pseudonym "Wise Guys", both of which sold in their millions. At this point he decided that it was time to move into an apartment of his own, to house his rapidly-building studio.<ref name="DMC Interview"/>

In November 1988, Slaghuis scored a hit with his best known work, "Jack to the Sound of the Underground". The idea for the single came from remixing "Pink Cadillac" by Natalie Cole for the Disco Mix Club. Slaghuis loved the bassline but disliked the drums, so he just changed the percussion using a Roland TR-909 drum machine, and added some samples and another four basslines using Akai samplers. The single used a lot of samples for which Slaghuis had to pay royalties over, such as "Doctorin' the House" by Coldcut and Yazz, "Music" by Montreal Sound, "Jack to the Sound" by Fast Eddie and "You're No Good for Me" by Kelly Charles.<ref name="MUVI">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRYN-8tyuhk|title=MUVI: Best of '88 - Peter Slaghuis/Hithouse Interview und Musikclip|date=1988|publisher=YouTube|access-date=10 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Pink Cadillac">{{cite news|last=Liebrand|first=Ben|title=Ben Liebrand "In The Mix"|url=https://www.liebrand.com/inthemix/20040305.html|date=5 March 2004|publisher=Ben Liebrand|access-date=1 February 2024}}</ref> It entered the UK Singles Chart on 5 November 1988<ref name="UK Charts 1">{{cite web|title=JACK TO THE SOUND OF THE UNDERGROUND – HITHOUSE|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/hithouse-jack-to-the-sound-of-the-underground/|website=Official Charts Company|access-date=8 August 2024}}</ref> and reached No. 14 on 3 December 1988<ref name="British Hit Singles & Albums">{{cite book|first=David|last=Roberts|year=2006|title= British Hit Singles & Albums|edition=19th|publisher= Guinness World Records Limited|location= London|isbn=1-904994-10-5|page=254}}</ref> and number 57 in Australia,<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=139}}</ref> and became a hit in almost every country in Europe, except in Slaghuis' own country, the Netherlands, where it only reached the No. 22 position of the charts.<ref name="DutchChart1">{{cite web|title=Hithouse – Jack To The Sound Of The Underground|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Hithouse&titel=Jack+To+The+Sound+Of+The+Underground&cat=s|website=Dutch Charts|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="Dutch Top 1">{{cite web|title=Hithouse – Jack To The Sound Of The Underground|url=https://www.top40.nl/hithouse/hithouse-jack-to-the-sound-of-the-underground-3862|website=Dutch Top 40|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref> The song's music video was directed and edited by Slaghuis himself at Creators International, with art direction by Cello Hoekstra, and also featured Paul Elstak, Marianne from The Hague (the person lip-syncing to the Kelly Charles sample), Slaghuis' girlfriend Helen Willemse, and other BlueTiek-in employees.<ref name="DMC Interview"/><ref name="Director's Cut">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1txjuQJdGY4|title=Hithouse - Jack to the Sound of the Underground Director's Cut 1987|date=20 August 2007|publisher=YouTube|quote=This video was directed by Creators International. The name of the woman in the video is Marianne. She is from The Hague in Holland. I was the art director.|postscript=Cello Hoekstra was the art director for the music video.|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> It was shot in a gas factory in the Netherlands.<ref name="DMC Interview"/> The synthesizer that Slaghuis plays in the video was a Casio SK-1. The BlueTiek-in would close down shortly after the single's success.<ref name="BlueTiek">{{cite news|title=Het ontstaan van discotheek BlueTiek-In|url=https://digitup.nl/bluetiek-in/het-ontstaan-van-discotheek-bluetiek-in/|date=4 September 2020|publisher=DIG IT UP|access-date=8 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250426022757/https://digitup.nl/bluetiek-in/het-ontstaan-van-discotheek-bluetiek-in/|archive-date=26 April 2025}}</ref><ref name="Kettingzaag"/> In 1989, "Jack to the Sound of the Underground" would later be used as the theme song for the radio and television versions of the BBC comedy show ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience''.<ref name="UK Charts 2">{{cite book|title=Chart Watch UK - Hits of 1988|isbn=9780463270998|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H9eTDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT227|quote="Jack to the Sound of the Underground" would live long in public consciousness after being appropriated as the theme song for comedy quartet ''The Mary Whitehouse Experience'', initially for their Friday night Radio One shows but remaining their signature tune when the shows transitioned to television in the early 1990s.|postscript="Jack to the Sound of the Underground" was used as the theme song for The Mary Whitehouse Experience.|access-date=8 October 2023|last1=Masterton|first1=James|date=8 October 2023}}</ref> Slaghuis released "Move Your Feet to the Rhythm of the Beat", which was very successful as well in April that year. The song shared the same musical formula as its predecessor: catchy Hi-NRG loops mixed with a collection of samples, though it lacked the catchy hook lines present in the first release. It only reached No. 69 on the UK Singles Chart on 19 August 1989.<ref name="Slaghuis 1"/><ref name="UK Charts 3">{{cite web|title=MOVE YOUR FEET TO THE RHYTHM OF THE BEAT – HITHOUSE|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/hithouse-move-your-feet-to-the-rhythm-of-the-beat/|website=Official Charts Company|access-date=8 August 2024}}</ref> In the Netherlands, it reached the No. 28 position of the charts.<ref name="DutchChart2">{{cite web|title=Hithouse – Move Your Feet To The Rhythm Of The Beat|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Hithouse&titel=Move+Your+Feet+To+The+Rhythm+Of+The+Beat&cat=s|website=Dutch Charts|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="Dutch Top 2">{{cite web|title=Hithouse – Move Your Feet To The Rhythm Of The Beat|url=https://www.top40.nl/hithouse/hithouse-move-your-feet-to-the-rhythm-of-the-beat-10595|website=Dutch Top 40|access-date=14 March 2025}}</ref> Slaghuis also released the album ''Hithouse'', which contained every style of music including acid, Latin, Hi-NRG, house and hip hop. One of the tracks, called "Everybody (Got To Get Some)", was a Todd Terry-type acid track, with vocals by Crystal P.<ref name="DMC Interview"/> Using the money that he earned from both singles, he bought a farmhouse in Appeltern, which also housed his new studio.<ref name="Slaghuis 1"/>

In November 1989, Slaghuis was looking for a singer for his new single, a disco song called "Take On Me". He met Rob Koning, who was very busy breaking through as a singer, and showed him a demo of the song. Koning performed the vocals, and was given a rough version of the demo, which he still has on cassette. He returned to redo one verse in the demo a week later, due to ARS Records' (Slaghuis' record company) dissatisfaction with said verse. Slaghuis and Koning decided to call the demo ''Hithouse featuring Jeremo'', since Koning was working under the name "Jeremo" at the time. Slaghuis asked Koning if he also wanted to be part of "Hithouse" during a promotional tour through Europe for the upcoming single, but Koning declined due to being in a relationship and having a full-time job at the time. Because of this, Slaghuis initially planned to have someone lip-sync the song. However, ARS Records wanted someone who would be a permanent member of the group and also had to sing on the single, which would still be a problem during live performances. As a result, the song was cancelled, much to Slaghuis and Koning's disappointment. The single would eventually be released in 1990 as "The Right Time", with vocals by Ignace Baert. Despite this, Koning would have some contacts with Slaghuis' management company Scorpio Angency afterwards, where he was under contract as a soloist, and the original demo of "Take On Me" was included in his 1999 compilation CD ''The Early Demo Recordings''.<ref name="Hithouse Interview">{{cite web|last=Beke|first=Jerry|title=Hithouse Interview door Rob Koning|url=http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/jbremix/hithouseinterview.htm|website=bjremix.nl|access-date=11 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010218070235/http://members.tripod.lycos.nl/jbremix/hithouseinterview.htm|archive-date=18 February 2001}}</ref><ref name="Take On Me 1">{{cite web|last=Koning|first=Rob|title=TAKE ON ME - 'PETER HITHOUSE' SLAGHUIS|url=https://robkoning.nl/take-on-me-peter-hithouse-slaghuis/|date=1 October 2022|publisher=Rob Koning|access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref><ref name="Take On Me 2">{{cite web|last=Koning|first=Rob|title=THE EARLY DEMO RECORDINGS|url=https://robkoning.nl/the-early-demo-recordings/|date=1999|publisher=Rob Koning|access-date=11 October 2023}}</ref> Slaghuis would later produce "Luv' Hitpack" by Luv'.<ref name="Hitpack">{{cite web|title=Official LUV' on Facebook: "The art of remix (part one): Peter "Hithouse" Slaghuis"|url=https://www.facebook.com/girlgroupLUV/posts/-the-art-of-remix-part-one-peter-slaghuis-hithousewe-want-to-put-all-remixers-who-/1705005360760512/|date=13 January 2026|publisher=Facebook|access-date=1 February 2026}}</ref>

In 1990, Slaghuis founded his own label, Hithouse Records. As the manager of Hithouse Records, he discovered young talented producers such as Ferry Corsten, Paul Elstak, Michel de Hey and Speedy J, who released some of their first records on the label. He also worked with some of them under the name "Problem House", released the singles "A Bright Day" (featuring Dave D.M.D.) and "I've Been Waiting for Your Love" (made with Réjane Magloire from Indeep), and was part of electronic dance music group Holy Noise, consisting of Elidio Gomes, Elstak, Richard van Naamen and Rob Fabrie, with vocals by MC Alee. In 1991, they released the album ''Organoised Crime'' and the single "James Brown Is Still Alive!!" (in response to "James Brown Is Dead" by L.A. Style), which reached the top 10 in the Dutch Top 40. Slaghuis also worked on an album called "Acute Sense Of Hearing".<ref name="Slaghuis 1"/><ref name="Slaghuis 3"/><ref name="Steenbergen">{{cite news|last=Steenbergen|first=Maurice|title='Heilige herrie': Paul Elstak's reis van platenzaak naar hardcore pionier|url=https://steenbergen.media/paul-elstak-interview/|date=4 February 2025|publisher=Maurice Steenbergen|access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref>

==Death== On 5 September 1991, Slaghuis died in a head-on car accident involving an oncoming truck on the A2 motorway, while he was driving home from a DJ gig in Amsterdam. He was 30.<ref>{{cite news|author=Telegraaf staff|title=Peter "Hithouse" Slaghuis|url=https://www.delpher.nl/nl/kranten/view?coll=ddd&identifier=ddd:010646449:mpeg21:p006|date=7 September 1991|page=6|issue=7|newspaper=De Telegraaf|publisher=Mediahuis|access-date=10 January 2026}}</ref><ref name="In Memoriam">{{cite web|last=Slaghuis|first=Helen|title=In-Memoriam|url=http://peterslaghuis.com/Engels%20oud/inmemoriam.htm|website=peterslaghuis.com|access-date=15 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924191833/http://peterslaghuis.com/Engels%20oud/inmemoriam.htm|archive-date=24 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="DISCOMAGIA">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnLhqoPfxGI|title=ИСТОРИЯ МУЗЫКИ: VIDEO KIDS|date=27 October 2020|publisher=YouTube|access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref> A funeral service was held for him by his closest family members and friends shortly afterwards, and his ashes were spread around a local river.<ref name="Funeral">{{cite web|last=Slaghuis|first=Dana|title=Dagboek Dana: Mijn Geweldige Broer|url=http://peterslaghuis.com/dagboek%20dana.htm|website=peterslaghuis.com|access-date=5 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923105459/http://www.peterslaghuis.com/dagboek%20dana.htm|archive-date=23 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="Liebrand">{{cite web|title=Ben Liebrand on Facebook: "1985, BlueTiek-in, Rotterdam"|url=https://www.facebook.com/BenLiebrandDJ/posts/1985-bluetiek-in-rotterdamhonored-to-spin-a-night-in-the-club-where-peter-slaghu/472767837536397/|date=8 January 2022|publisher=Facebook|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref> Paul Elstak continued the Holy Noise project after Slaghuis' death. He and the other members went back into his studio to finish and release some tracks, such as "Get Down Everybody" and "James Brown Is Still Alive!!". Holy Noise was temporarily continued by Rotterdam Records, and later by ARS Productions to fulfill the obligations entered into.<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6qsHQ3gAI&t=894s|title=The story behind "Hithouse - Jack To The Sound Of The Underground" by Jerry Beke {{!}} Muzikxpress 037|date=6 August 2018|publisher=YouTube|access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWAR_hDOEO4&t=459s|title=The story behind "Holy Noise - James Brown Is Still Alive" by Rob Fabrie {{!}} Muzikxpress 116|date=22 August 2020|publisher=YouTube|access-date=6 September 2025}}</ref><ref name="Steenbergen"/> Slaghuis' mongrel dog, Husky, died seven years later in 1998.<ref name="Dog">{{cite web|title=Питер Слагиус и все что с ним связано - 11 of 34|url=https://vk.com/photo-9746550_141238360|date=19 October 2009|publisher=VK|access-date=6 August 2024}}</ref>

In an episode of ''Het Zesde Zintuig'' in 2007, his mother Helen Slaghuis believed that it was possible that her son's death occurred because someone had drugged him over a money issue. However, no evidence of this has been found. The episode also revealed that Peter was homosexual and that his nickname was "Patsie".<ref name="Zesde Zintuig">{{cite web|title=Het Zesde Zintuig|url=https://skepsis.nl/zesdezintuig-7/|publisher=Stichting Skepsis|access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnOn26bOWjQ|title=6e Zintuig - Hithouse|date=27 August 2007|publisher=YouTube|access-date=1 December 2025}}</ref>

==Legacy== Slaghuis left a significant legacy to the world of electronic dance music and sampling. His work as a mixer, producer and DJ continues to be an inspiration to many DJs in the Netherlands and around the world. The Kelly Charles sample used in "Jack to the Sound of the Underground" resurfaced in 1994, as the vocal sample in the Prodigy's major international hit, "No Good (Start the Dance)".<ref name="DMC Interview"/> In 1999, D.O.D.S. and Klubbheads did remixes of "Jack to the Sound of the Underground", released by Mo'Bizz Recordings.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/de/release/77540-DONS-Jack-To-The-Sound-Of-The-Underground|title=D.O.N.S. – Jack To The Sound Of The Underground (1999, Vinyl)|publisher=Discogs|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref>

In February 2001, after contacting Slaghuis' parents and his sister Dana, Jerry Beke, who is a fan of the producer's work, came into possession of his sample library and recording equipment, which is still used today by other Dutch DJs and producers.<ref name="Hithouse News">{{cite web|last=Beke|first=Jerry|title=Hithouse News!!|url=http://members.tripodnet.nl/jbremix/news.htm|date=13 February 2002|website=bjremix.nl|access-date=12 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020213201028/http://members.tripodnet.nl/jbremix/news.htm|archive-date=13 February 2002}}</ref><ref name="Slaghuis 3"/> In 2012, he, Koen Groeneveld and Addy van der Zwan did a remix pack of "Jack to the Sound of the Underground" as a tribute to Slaghuis, released on Spinnin' Records. For his remix, Groeneveld gave it a techy touch while Van der Zwan and Beke stayed true to the housey origin of the track. Beke also wrote a chapter in the book ''Rotterdam In The House'' about the importance of Slaghuis, stating, "Peter took samples from the most obscure old records, sometimes real rubbish records. But he then took some samples, mixed them together and turned them into hits. His records largely consisted of samples, which he cleverly mixed together into one track. Peter was a sound artist. In the 1980s you had Ben Liebrand and Peter Slaghuis, who were the two master mixers, the absolute best. With Liebrand, a mix always had to sound very smooth and neat. With Peter you sometimes heard some noise or a piece of an old record at the end of a mix. Peter was looser and rawer in his sound, less polished. That appealed to a lot of people."<ref name="Slaghuis 3"/><ref name="Slaghuis 4">{{cite news|author=De Havenloods staff|title=Het verhaal van de legendarische BlueTiek-in DJ Peter Slaghuis...|url=https://www.dehavenloods.nl/nieuws/algemeen/18699/het-verhaal-van-de-legendarische-bluetiek-in-dj-peter-slaghuis-#|date=9 October 2020|publisher=De Havenloods|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> Ben Liebrand described Slaghuis as "so very creative, and such a very kind guy".<ref name="Liebrand"/>

On 5 September 2016, Michael Halve of Fantasy Radio made a music video for ''Disco Breaks 10'' to honour Slaghuis.<ref name="Fantasy Radio">{{cite news|author=Mezza|title=Homage to Peter Slaghuis|url=https://wp6.italo.nu/2016/09/05/homage-to-peter-slaghuis/|date=5 September 2016|publisher=Fantasy Radio|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> Three years later on 27 February 2019, XXL Radio Rotterdam produced a music video for Slaghuis' 1987 Yearmix for ''Soulshow''.<ref name="XXL Radio">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DKCOoMFQuI|title=Peter Hithouse Slaghuis BVD Year Mix 1987 - XXL Radio Rotterdam|date=27 February 2019|publisher=YouTube|access-date=5 November 2023}}</ref> On 23 March 2020, Radio Stad Den Haag ran a Special Tribute Show on air to recognize the producer's genius.<ref name="Radio Haag">{{cite web|title=Peter Slaghuis|url=https://www.radiostaddenhaag.com/category/peter-slaghuis/|publisher=Radio Stad Den Haag|access-date=8 October 2023}}</ref> On 28 November 2025, Uitgeverij Aspekt published the book ''Voor altijd een belofte: Een muzikale biografie van Peter Slaghuis'' ("Forever a Promise: A Musical Biography of Peter Slaghuis"), which described Slaghuis' life.<ref>{{cite web|title=Voor altijd een belofte|url=https://uitgeverijaspekt.nl/product/voor-altijd-een-belofte/|publisher=Uitgeverij Aspekt|access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref><ref name="Historiek"/><ref>{{cite news|author=De Maas en Waler staff|title=Boek over voormalig inwoner van Appeltern|url=https://www.demaasenwaler.nl/nieuws/kunst-en-cultuur/59808/boek-over-voormalig-inwoner-van-appeltern|date=7 December 2025|publisher=De Maas en Waler|access-date=10 December 2025}}</ref><ref name="Kettingzaag"/>

==Further reading== * Verkroost, Rogier (28 November 2025). ''Voor altijd een belofte: Een muzikale biografie van Peter Slaghuis'', Netherlands: Uitgeverij Aspekt B.V. {{ISBN|978-94-648-7383-2}}.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * [http://www.peterslaghuis.com Memorial website operated by his mother] ''(Dutch / English). This seems no longer active.'' * [https://web.archive.org/web/20190911134122/http://peterslaghuis.com Memorial website operated by his mother] ''(Dutch / English). The last 11 September 2019 archived version of the above site on archive.org.'' * [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Peter+Slaghuis Biography at DISCOGS.com] ''(English)''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Slaghuis, Peter}} Category:1961 births Category:1991 deaths Category:Dutch dance musicians Category:Dutch DJs Category:House DJs Category:People from Rijswijk Category:Dutch remixers Category:Road incident deaths in the Netherlands