The Bonkers series was one of the leading happy hardcore compilation series in the UK. The first release was in 1996 on the record label React (now Resist). It was available on 2xCD and 2xTC formats. DJs Sharkey and Hixxy were signed by React, and they released "Bonkers", the first in a series of albums that has become the best-selling hardcore compilation series of all time. As of 11 May 2009, the series had reached its nineteenth release, titled Bonkers: The Original Hardcore.

History

The Bonkers name was based on the bar with the same name at Butlins Minehead (which has since changed to an Irish Bar). DJ Hixxy said in an interview with Vice “React wanted to sign 'Toytown', so we went up to London to meet them. I said, 'Listen, forget ‘Toytown’. You can have that, no problem. But I’ve got a bigger idea.' It totally changed the meeting. We sat and discussed [the idea for the happy hardcore compilation albums] 'Bonkers' for hours. The name came from a bar in Minehead Butlin’s that we’d played with Ramos and Supreme. I just loved the name.” Frequent contributors to the Bonkers collection include DJ Hixxy, DJ Dougal, DJ Sharkey, Neophyte and Scott Brown. In 2019, the music publication DJ Mag published a retrospective article about the Bonkers album series, highlighting how it had "ushered in a new era" even though the critical reception at the time had been varied. Bonkers has also been licensed for local release in Australia via Central Station Records. Bonkers 1-15 was also licensed to "Get over the records" in 2005 for Japanese branded releases. The Japanese edition of Bonkers vol. 1 went on sale on 26 October 2005 with a full TV advert in Japanese. "Get Over the Records" only released Bonkers 1-7 in the Japanese market and has since 2007 stopped releasing albums altogether. In June 2008, Hardcore online news site 'happyhardcore.com' announced that British dance label All Around the World (AATW) had purchased the rights to Bonkers starting from what would have been volume 18, set to be released in 2009. There had been speculation about a label change for some time, but AATW finally confirmed it. The UK Hardcore genre, which has seen a recent unprecedented rise in popularity, has already helped AATW in securing number one chart positions with its Clubland Xtreme Hardcore releases. The label also expressed their desire to expand the Bonkers brand, suggesting the use of Universal Music TV as their distributor for future releases, as they do for their successful Clubland compilations. All Around the World relaunched the Bonkers series on 11 May 2009 under the title Bonkers: The Original Hardcore, which was mixed by Hixxy, Sharkey and Chris Unknown. In 2017, Scottish rave promoters Twisted Events and Intenzifi revived the name with annual Bonkers events in Scotland (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 missed due to Government action regarding Covid-19, 2021 and 2022). In 2021, Scottish Internet Radio Station Beat 106 created the Bonkers Beats radio series alongside Hixxy, Sharkey, Dougal and Scott Brown. The show features previous Bonkers contributors. In 2022, Bonkers started touring events up and down the United Kingdom. September 2023 - Bonkers published a Mission Statement regarding is to relaunch in October as two record labels by Sharkey and Al Twisted. The main "Bonkers" which would have a multi-genre approach with all forms of Hard Rave and "Bonkers Legacy" celebrating the past.

Compilation Series overview

Bonkers

Bonkers 2: Now We're Totally Bonkers

Bonkers 3: A Journey into Madness

Bonkers 4: World Frenzy

Disc 1: Hixxy's Mix Disc 2: Sharkey's Mix Disc 3: Dougal's Mix

Bonkers 5: Anarchy in the Universe

Disc 1: Hixxy's Mix Disc 2: Sharkey's Mix Disc 3: Dougal's Mix

Bonkers 6: Wheel Crazy

Disc 1: Dougal's Mix Disc 2: Sy's Mix Disc 3: Vibes' Mix

Bonkers 7: Millennium Fever

Disc 1: Hixxy's Mix Disc 2: Dougal's Mix Disc 3: Sy's Mix

Bonkers 8: The Rezurrection

Disc 1: Hixxy's Mix Disc 2: Sharkey's Mix Disc 3: Sy's Mix

Bonkers 9: Hardcore Mutation

Disc 1: Hixxy Disc 2: Sharkey Disc 3: Scott Brown

Bonkers X

Disc 1: Hixxy Disc 2: Sharkey Disc 3: Scott Brown

Bonkers XI: Forevolution

Disc 1: Hixxy Disc 2: Sharkey Disc 3: Scott Brown

Bonkers 12: The Dirty Dozen

Bonkers 13: Hardcore Horror Show

Bonkers 14: Hardcore Strikes Back

Bonkers 15: Legends of the Core

Disc 1: Hixxy & Re-Con Disc 2: Sharkey & Marc Smith Disc 3: Scott Brown & Neophyte Disc 4: Dougal & Gammer

Bonkers 16: Maximum Hardcore Energy!

Disc 1: Hixxy & Re-Con Disc 2: Sharkey & CLSM feat Kutski Disc 3: Scott Brown & Gammer

Best of Bonkers

Disc 1: Hixxy & Re-Con Disc 2: Sharkey & Druid Disc 3: Scott Brown

Bonkers 17: Re-Booted

Disc 1: Brisk & Ham Mix Disc 2: Sharkey & Kevin Energy Mix Disc 3: Scott Brown & Marc Smith Mix

Bonkers: The Original Hardcore

Disc 1 - Mixed by DJ Sharkey Disc 2 - Mixed by Chris Unknown Disc 3 - Mixed by Hixxy