As an avid clubber determined to squeeze every last drop of the rave out of each weekend, Neil Parkes regularly covered the length and width of the country visiting various House nights and numerous after-parties. Starting on a Friday and rarely finishing before a Sunday evening, it was during these prolonged weekends that Parkes passion for music developed, eventually leading him to pursue his dream and purchase his first set of decks.
However, it wasn’t until an unexpected visit to Ibiza, and the subsequent four months of manic Mondays spent at DC10 and Cocoon, that Parkes musical direction took a turn. Inspired by the Deep tech sound synonymous with Balearic terrace parties, his love of electronic music started to blossom and develop into the familiar sound he is recognised for today. Ensuing summers spent on the white isle followed but it wasn’t until returning to the UK in 2004 that his career behind the decks really started to gather pace.
Landing his first gig for Abattoir at Manchester’s Sankey’s Soap, Parkes quickly made a name for himself. As well as showcasing his undeniable talent, his gigs have enabled him to rub shoulders with some of the very DJs who’d inspired him all those years ago in Ibiza. Clive Henry, Jamie Jones, Dan Genachia, Anja Schneider, Timo Mass, Matt Tolfrey, Matthias Tanzmann and Ivan Smagghe, amongst others, make up some of the names he’s now had the pleasure to play alongside.
Not content with just spinning records however, Parkes has recently completed a course in Electronic production and now resides in London where he is putting his new found knowledge to good use as he hopes to release something of his own in the not too distant future.
His ear for music has also been recognised by Leftroom impresario Matt Tolfrey who recently assigned Parkes to run his sub-label Leftout. The label will be showcasing the up and coming talent being bred at Leftroom and hopefully unearth some stars of the future in the same vein as Mr Parkes himself.
For bookings, info and send demos to
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