Each year, the King’s Birthday Honours List recognises those who have made longstanding contributions to specific fields, including the arts, science, and medicine.

This year’s list has arrived, and included is legendary British house and techno DJ Carl Cox, who has been awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for his enduring impact on the world of dance music culture.

Elsewhere, Judge Jules – another veteran British dance DJ – has been named Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). In terms of ranking, OBE ranks higher than MBE.

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“To receive this honour for doing something that has brought me so much joy is truly humbling,” Cox says in a statement obtained by Mixmag.

“Music has been my life for as long as I can remember and I’ve been fortunate to do what I love and to connect with so many amazing people through the power of music. This recognition is not mine alone – it belongs to everyone who has been part of the journey.”

He goes on: “To the fans who have supported me throughout the years, the artists who have inspired and collaborated with me, the promoters, crews and teams working tirelessly behind the scenes, my family, friends and the wider electronic music community: thank you!”

Elsewhere, in the rock world, Black Sabbath guitarist and heavy metal pioneer Tony Iommi has also been awarded an MBE. “What an unbelievable honour to receive an MBE!” he writes on Instagram.

Last year, MusicTech caught up with Carl Cox to find out why he’d decided to go all-in on live electronic sets.

“I didn’t want to come out of COVID and just continue to DJ,” he said. “I [like to] dive into the machines, swim around in all their components, and find out all these wonderful things that can come out of them that turn a corner on people’s expectations.”

He added: “If you stick most DJs in front of [a live setup], they’ll just walk away. I feel there’s laziness to that, because when you go in the studio to record, you use these machines. You use a drum machine. You use synths. You use keyboards. So why don’t you do what we’re doing in the studio, and then create that live?”

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