John Course is an Australian DJ, record producer, and music industry executive. He is best known as the co-founder of Vicious Recordings (formerly Vicious Vinyl), a label credited with launching the international careers of Madison Avenue, Dirty South, and Peking Duk. Course is a central figure in the history of Australian dance music, having sold over one million compilation albums through the Ministry of Sound Australia brand.
Course first rose to prominence in the late 1980s as a resident DJ at Melbourne's **Chevron** nightclub, where he headlined influential nights such as "Sanction" and "Insanity." During this period, he won the Victorian state titles for the DMC World DJ Championships in both 1988 and 1989. In 1993, Course was featured in the inaugural DJ Mag Top 100 DJs poll, an alphabetical listing of the world's most influential selectors at the time.
In 1990, Course co-founded Vicious Vinyl (now Vicious Recordings) alongside Andy Van and Colin Daniels. Serving as the label group's General Manager, Course oversaw the A&R and commercial strategy for the label's sub-imprint, Vicious Grooves. In this capacity, he played a central role in the development of Madison Avenue, whose debut single "Don't Call Me Baby" (1999) became a global success, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart. Under his management, the label group also signed early works by future international stars, most notably Swedish producer Avicii.
Course has maintained a significant presence in Australian media for over three decades:
Course has released music under his own name, as well as several collaborative projects and underground aliases.
Course's impact on the Australian music industry is evidenced by his early technical achievements and his later success as an A&R and label executive.