As a boy, raised on a diet of Prince, UB40 and Bjork, I began to rummage through my mums CD collection in search something new to listen to. Don't get me wrong, I love Prince, but theres only so much of that horny little sex pest a young lad can handle. I came across such artists as The Specials, The Clash, The Jam, The Cure and various other 70s/80s groups begining with 'THE'. These artists, although still a staple diet of mine today, just didn't have that sound I was looking for.
By the time I was 13, I had discovered Fatboy Slim. His First Album "Better living through chemistry," was the soundtrack to my skating years, and the start of my craving for something funky. My musical tastes between 14 and 16 took a slightly faster pace with the likes of The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers and early Jungle. This was to lead onto Techno and IDM in my later years, but for now, lets get back to 17.
At 17, I discovered what I call 'proper hip-hop' By this I mean A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Nas, Public Enemy... mostly stuff from the early 90's, but it supplied the demand for that funk I mentioned earlier. I was proud of myself, even back then, for listening to rap music that clearly stood above the mainstream idiots like 50 Cent or Ja Rule. Unfortunately, with none of my friends listening to decent hip-hop, and no internet access, this was all I had to feed my hunger.
Starting work as a mechanic at 18, I befriended an ageing young rebel who claimed to have once been a DJ, but had settled down for a 9-5 job as sales administrator. He seemed to know alot about music from all sorts of crazy genres i'd never heard of, so with an empty stomache constantly calling out for musical nurishment, I began to linger in his office door way, waiting to stumble upon that ONE sound I knew was out there. That sound was Mr Scruff. Cheeky audio goodness that sneaks in from no-where. It was instantly recognisable, because i'd heard alot of his tunes on TV adverts and radio jingles, yet it felt so new and... funky. Obviously (for those in-the-know at least) Mr Scruff pointed me in the direction of Ninjatune records and a whole hoard quality music.
It was time for the ageing young rebel to pass the batton, and I quite happily obliged. I bought my first pair of turntables from him for the bargain price of 150 notes, and began my adventure as a trainee scratcher, influenced by such geniuses as Q-Bert, Jazzy Jeff and Cut Chemist.
I do however have a secret passion for Aphex Twin. I think he's the most talented composer of our generation. He has a gift of combining the most harsh, fierce, twisted beats with almost a pop sensibility in his melodies and synth. If I could, THAT would be the type of music i'd be playing and producing. Problem is, i'm far too busy drinking tea to get my head around that kind of intelligence...
