Steve Proctor

Steve Proctor’s involvement with music began about 1972 when he bought his first record. It was “Son of my Father” by Chicory Tip and was in fact the start of Steve’s fascination with synthesisers
Steve Proctor’s professional involvement with music began in 1980, when he took a job as the resident DJ at a “Roxy/Bowie” night in Liverpool . This was after spending the previous four years as a regular at Erics, Brady’s and various other alternative music clubs. Over the next five years, he established himself on the New Romantic/Futurist scene, as one of the most successful and high profile DJs in the country, with a reputation for breaking a number of bands that went on to huge pop stardom including Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox and ABC. During that time he branched out into management and live gig promotion. It was during this time that he auditioned to be a presenter of “The Tube” and brought Frankie Goes To Hollywood to the attention of the programme. Steve facilitated the filming of Frankie at the State ballroom where he was the resident DJ on the hugely successful Thursday night. Steve was known to play everything from The Cramps to early House. It was a true forerunner to what became the Balearic/House music scene. The State was also where Steve promoted such acts as New Order, Big Audio Dynamite, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Howard Devoto and Divine
In January 1987, Steve moved to London to work for Polydor Records. He set up a label called “Urban” and had immediate success with the re-release of a number of Rare Groove classics such as Maceo and the Macks “Cross The Tracks”, The Jackson Sisters “I Believe in Miracles”, and Bobby Byrd “I Know You Got Soul”. He also managed a British Rap artist, Derek B, and the original Soul to Soul vocalist, Rose Windross. Steve left Polydor in the summer of 1987 to concentrate on his DJing. He is widely credited with being one of the small number of DJs who started the Balearic/ Acid House Scene, the effects and influence of which are still felt twenty years on. Steve worked at Shoom with Danny Rampling, Boys Own parties with Andy Wetherall and Terry Farley, The Hacienda with Mike Pickering and numerous parties with Paul Oakenfold. As well as being the resident DJ at Love at the Wag, where Dave Dorrell was his warm up, he headlined the first two legendary Sunrise parties. Steve was a featured guest DJ right across the UK , playing at Most Excellent, Back to Basics, Slam, Golden and Quadrant Park amongst numerous others, as well as running two very successful clubs in London , Promised Land and Better Days. The guests who played at Better Days reads like a who’s who of DJs and Includes most of the DJs mentioned above as well as John Kelly, Justin Robertson, John Digweed, Jon Dasilva and Kelvin Andrews
Steve very quickly started to make records to feed the scene and has released music under the names, Technodelia, Precinct 13, Better Days and The Better Days Project. He has over 50 remixes to his credit, including The Mock Turtles “Can You Dig It ?” Soho “Hippychick”, China Crisis “African and White”, Pete Wylie, The Railway Children, JBC, BoysWonder, C-Force, Neutron 9000, YBU, Candyland and many more. He also had a label called Better Days, which released tracks by himself and other artists including C-Force, Museka, The Disco Universe Orchestra, Marshall Hain, Mahalia, and 2 Fabiola. Most of the releases included mixes Steve did.
Steve retired from the music business in 2000, when his son was diagnosed with Autism, in order to concentrate on looking after him. Steve has, however, continued to DJ, and has been resident at a bar in Shoreditch (The Drunken Monkey) in London for the past 3 years, as well as playing at Faith, The Egg, and other club nights and old school house nights in Liverpool and London . He still has a genuine love and excitement for playing music to move people.
Steve’s passion for, and experience in music spans three and a half decades and a number of significant musical movements