John Cranmer (aka Pathic) first began DJing way back in 1992. Although he was brought up in London, he initially cut his teeth on the free party circuit in Cambridgeshire. In 1995 he moved back to London to study at University and over the next few years became increasingly involved in the capital’s underground scene. As a big fan of Detroit pioneers such as Derrick May and Juan Atkins and as someone who got an early taste for electro from listening to hip hop as a kid, John quickly tapped into the new breed of cutting edge electronic music which was being produced in the mid '90s - Music which some lazy journalists dubbed IDM at the time.
These discoveries were thanks in no small part to the regulars at IQ Records, situated right in the centre of Soho. Within the four walls of the now sadly defunct record store, John met people who shared the same DIY attitude as folks he’d met during his free party days. Alliances and friendships were quickly forged as DJs on both sides of the counter helped familiarise John with music from the likes of LA Synthesis, John Tejada, Plaid, Stasis, Insync, Larry Heard and Carl Finlow. Artists who, in their own little way, would each influence the early studio efforts which came forth after the purchase of a computer, sampler and a couple of synths.
Through a mutual friend, John got to know IQ’s manager, Andy Jaggers (ADJ). In the summer of 1997, the same friend provided them both with the opportunity to DJ in America with the Outside Recordings crew. During their stay, drawn together by similar tastes, both the Americans and the Brits vowed to maintain an artistic link across the Atlantic and collaborate to push forward the music they felt passionate about. When Andy and John returned from the States, they too decided to work together and started DJing at the same underground parties across the capital. As the friendship developed, the two started putting the various bits of equipment they owned together and began to collaborate on their own material.
By the end of 1999, the electro and electronica scenes had started to stagnate somewhat. Annoyed by the lack of quality electronic music coming out of London, compared to the wealth of material a few years earlier, John and Andy set about forming a record label with which to release their own music. In 2000 they released the very first EP on Pyramid Transmissions, which sold out within weeks and earned high praise from aficionados of the electro scene such as Andy Weatherall. Spurred on by their success, the pair decided to pursue the endeavour and release more music produced by themselves, their American buddies and other like minded artists who found an affinity with the label. Despite being a labour of love for the most part and having suffered more than their fair share of setbacks, Andy and John have continued to get what they consider to be innovative electro and electronica into the public domain, and strive to do so for as long as possible.
Since 2003 ADJ & Pathic have taken their musical collaborations out into the live arena and have performed alongside artists such as Transparent Sound, Mr Velcro Fastener, Plaid and Silicon Scally. In a solo capacity, since 2004, John has also performed live laptop sets of his own particular style of electro. Under the Pathic moniker he’s played clubs and festivals in America, Germany, Portugal, Spain and across the UK, sharing the bill with the likes of Bitstream, Nathan Fake, Volum, Ruxpin, Random Factor, Jacen Solo, Future Beat Alliance, Clatterbox and Nktar.
