BEING A CHILD OF THE 70's I GREW UP LISTENING TO MY MUMS LARGE COLLECTION OF SOUL,FUNK & DISCO,WITH A SMALL DOSE OF SKA & ROCK STEADY THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE. WHICH STILL TO THIS DAY HAS BEEN A MASSIVE INSPIRATION AND INFLUENCE ON MY LOVE FOR MUSIC.PERSONALLY AS FAR AS MY OWN EXPERIENCE OF MUSIC GOES I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THE NEXT BIG INFLUENCE ON ME WAS THE EARLY 80'S SOUND OF (STREET SOUNDS) ELECTRO & HIP HOP WHICH WAS TOTALLY MIND BLOWING AT THE TIME AND THE MAIN REASON I STARTED BUYING
RECORDS ON A WEEKLY BASIS WHICH HAS CONTINUED TO THE PRESENT DAY. (NEVER MISSED A WEEK)AS INSPIRATIONAL AND INFLUENTIAL ON ME AS THE EARLY DAYS OF ELECTRO & HIP HOP WERE NOTHING COULD HAVE PREPARED ME FOR THE IMPACT ACID HOUSE & TECHNO WOULD HAVE ON MY LOVE FOR MUSIC.THE LATE 80'S IS WHEN MY MUSIC BUYING SWITCHED FROM MAINLY HIP HOP AND BEGAN TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE NEW SOUND OF ACID HOUSE & TECHNO.IN PARTICULAR 1989 WAS THE YEAR WHEN EVERYTHING REALLY BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE.THIS WAS AS LIFE CHANGING A YEAR AS I CAN REMEMBER AS THIS IS WHEN THE MUSICAL JOURNEY I'M STILL ON TODAY BEGAN. 1989 IS THE YEAR I STARTED DJ'ING,FINISHED SCHOOL,STARTED ART COLLEGE AND GOT MY FIRST GLIMPSE INTO THE WORLD OF DRUG FUELED ILLEGAL RAVES & WAREHOUSE PARTIES. (Ahh! THE CONVOYS)LIVING OUTSIDE LONDON I BEGAN LISTENING TO THE ONLY PIRATE STATION I COULD PICK UP (CENTREFORCE FM 88.3) WHICH WAS TOTALLY INSPIRING MUSICALLY WITH THE LIKES OF DJ RANDALL & DJ HERMIT PLAYING THE NEWLY EVOLVING SOUND OF
ACID HOUSE & DETROIT TECHNO.FROM 1989 MY EARLY YEARS IN THE SCENE WERE SPENT RAVING AND PERFECTING MY DJ SKILLS ON LOCAL PIRATE STATIONS AND AT VARIOUS LOCAL CLUBS & BARS.
BY NOW THE MUSIC WAS PROGRESSING INTO THE EARLY EMERGENCE OF THE U.K HARDCORE/BREAKBEAT SOUND (THE START OF DRUM & BASS)MY FIRST DJ RESIDENCY OF NOTE WAS IN 1991 AT A LOCAL CLUB WITH GROOVERIDER & LTJ BUKEM BEING THE MOST NOTABLE GUESTS.THIS WAS FOLLOWED IN 1992 WITH BOOKINGS AND ANOTHER RESIDENCY AT LOCAL NIGHTS INTENSITY AND CLUB INTRASPECTIVE.FROM THE START RAVING BECAME AN EVERY WEEKEND OCCURRENCE AND DURING THESE INITIAL YEARS I ATTENDED EVENTS & VENUES SUCH AS:
SUNRISE
BACK TO THE FUTURE
BIOLOGY
ENERGY
WEEKEND WORLD
LIBERTY
WORLD PARTY
RAGE
RAINDANCE
WORLD DANCE
THE CRAZY CLUB @ LIMELIGHT
THE ASTORIA
THE BREAKFAST CLUB @ BUSBY'S
ESP DREAMSCAPE
ORANGE @ CAMDEN PALACE
THE ROCKET & THE HIPPODROME
VOODOO MAGIC @ EQUINOX
AWOL @ THE PARADISE CLUB
TELEPATHY (MARSHGATE LANE)
THE PARK
RAPIDO
PERCEPTION
CRYPTONITE
DESIRE(2000AD)
VISION
THE PIRATE CLUB
GENESIS
BERWICK MANOR
ROLLER EXPRESS
EQUINOX @ MILWAUKEES
SPEED
THE GRID
INNERSENSE @ LAZERDROME
ROAST
UTOPIA LIFE
AMNESIA HOUSE
LABYRYNTH
DANCE WITH FEELING
INTRASPECTIVE
THE WAG
STERNS
SPIRIT
LOVELITE PARTIES
THE FITNESS CENTRE
METALHEADZ @ THE BLUE NOTE
LEISURE LOUNGE
ELEVATION
LOGICAL PROGRESSION
THUNDER & JOY
JUNGLE FEVER
EXODUS
THE FANTASTIC IBIZA
HAVEN STABLESPLUS MANY MORE OVER THE YEARS THAT I'VE SADLY FORGOTTEN.CHECKOUT SOME OF THE RANDOM FLYERS & MEMBERSHIP CARDS I COLLECTED IN THE SLIDESHOW BELOW.
FROM EARLY ON AND CONTINUING INTO THE MID 90'S I WAS STILL PLAYING AT A FEW LOCAL CLUBS & BARS AND GUESTING ON A COUPLE OF LOCAL PIRATE STATIONS. DURING THESE EARLY YEARS MY WEEKLY RECORD BUYING OBSESSION WOULD MAINLY BE FOCUSED ON TRIPS TO: SOUL SENSE (LUTON)/HORACE @ CAMDEN TUNES/DEREK & TONY
@ RED RECORDS/NICKY & RAY @ BLACKMARKET/BLUE BIRD (SOHO)/ZOOM (CAMDEN)
AND VARIOUS OTHER LONDON SHOPS.ALSO DUE TO MY EVER INCREASING HUNT FOR VINYL I SEEMED UNABLE TO PHYSICALLY WALK PAST ANY RECORD SHOP WITHOUT POPPING IN TO SEE IF THEY HAD ANYTHING NEW IN OR SOMETHING THAT I MIGHT HAVE MISSED.IN MY HOME TOWN DURING THE SUMMER OF 1994 AND CONTINUING INTO 1995,
I STARTED TO PROMOTE A COUPLE OF NIGHTS: (HAPPY HOUR & THE REAL DEAL)
THE TWO MAIN GUESTS WERE DJ SWAN.E & TAYLA.ALSO IN 1995 I STARTED PLAYING FOR ONE NATION @ THE RHYTHM STATION (ALDERSHOT) AND IN THE SAME YEAR TO HELP SATISFY MY EVER INCREASING WEEKLY NEED FOR TUNES AND TO SOMEWHAT EASE MY SPENDING I BECAME THE MANAGER/DRUM & BASS BUYER OF THE NEWLY OPENED RECORD SHOP IN MY AREA (BOXER RECORDS).THIS GAVE ME A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO FURTHER SUPPORT AND PUSH MY CHOSEN GENRE OF CHOICE (DRUM & BASS).IT ALSO MEANT THAT RATHER THAN EASE MY WEEKLY SPENDING AS I HAD HOPED IT IN FACT DOUBLED IT AS I NOW HAD A LOT MORE TIME AND RESOURCES TO SOURCE NEW MUSIC. SINCE MY EARLY YEARS OF BUYING RECORDS I'VE ALWAYS BROUGHT A LOT OF DIFFERENT STYLES: SOUL/FUNK/DISCO/ELECTRO/HIP HOP/HOUSE/GARAGE/
TECHNO/BREAKBEAT/.BASICALLY WHATEVER THE STYLE IF I LIKED IT I BROUGHT IT. DURING MY YEARS AT THE SHOP THE MAJORITY OF MY MONEY WAS SPENT ON DRUM & BASS BUT MY HIP HOP/HOUSE & GARAGE COLLECTIONS DOUBLED IN SIZE.FAST FORWARD TO 1997 AND THROUGH CONTACTS MADE AT THE SHOP I BECAME ONE OF THE RESIDENTS @ FUTURE THINKIN AND HAVE PLAYED AT VARIOUS NIGHTS & VENUES FOR THEM OVER THE YEARS. (CHECKOUT THE FLYERS IN THE SLIDESHOW)MOVING INTO THE NEXT CENTURY 2001 TO BE PRECISE AND TO KEEP PUSHING
DRUM & BASS AS A SOUND AND A SCENE I BELIEVED IN I STARTED WORKING FOR
SRD DISTRIBUTION. AT SRD I WAS THE DRUM & BASS TELESALES REP FOR ALL THE BIGGEST INDEPENDENT RECORD SHOPS THROUGHOUT THE U.K.IN OCTOBER 2003 ALONGSIDE SHYLO MC I HEADLINED A NIGHT AT THE CUBE (POLAND)THEN IN 2004 I WAS REUNITED WITH AN OLD FRIEND FROM SCHOOL (INVINCIBLE)
THIS HAS BEEN A REALLY POSITIVE MOVE AS WE HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING ON A NUMBER OF TRACKS AND THE PARTNERSHIP CONTINUES TO GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH.WE HAVE A NUMBER OF FINISHED TRACKS AND MANY MORE IN THE FINAL MIXDOWN STAGE OF PRODUCTION.AND FINALLY AFTER 4 YEARS WORKING AT SRD AND SINCE LEAVING IN 2005 I AM NOW TRYING TO CONCENTRATE FULL TIME ON LEARNING PRODUCTION WITH THE HELP OF LONGTIME FRIEND AND PRODUCTION VETERAN INVINCIBLE. (LONG MAY IT CONTINUE)
I'VE NOW BEEN DJ'ING FOR 18 YEARS BASICALLY PLAYING DRUM & BASS FROM IT'S EARLIEST ORIGINS (ACID HOUSE/DETROIT TECHNO/HARDCORE/BREAKBEAT/JUNGLE) AND TO BE HONEST I CAN'T SEE THIS CHANGING ANY TIME SOON AS THE MUSIC FOR ME IS STILL AS INSPIRING AND INFLUENTIAL AS IT'S EVER BEEN." THE SEARCH FOR VINYL NEVER STOPS AND THE HUNT FOR MUSIC NEVER ENDS "
SOME OF THE NIGHTS & PROMOTERS I'VE PLAYED FOR OVER THE YEARS INCLUDE:ONE NATION
HEAT
MOVEMENT
TELEPATHY
FUTURE THINKIN
INTRASPECTIVE
BEST OF BRITISH
IMPACT
INTENSITY
GIANT STEP
ELIXIR
DESTINY
HISTORY
STRUCTURE
GROOVE CONNECTION
INTUITION
SUMMER BREEZE
LOOK TO THE FUTURE
NEW NATION
LESSONS IN LIQUID
THE FULL CIRCUMFERENCE
(CHECKOUT THE FLYERS IN THE SLIDESHOW)
CLUBS I'VE PLAYED AT OVER THE YEARS INCLUDE:
LABRYNTH
PARADISE CLUB
LEISURE LOUNGE
THE REX
MASS
THE SCALA
BAGLEYS
HAVEN STABLES
AQUARIUM
BAR RUMBA
HERBAL
HASTINGS PIER
THE DRAGON
MINISTRY OF SOUND
THE RHYTHM STATION
THE COLOSSEUM
THE RHYTHM FACTORY
CUBE(POLAND)
