Music Bio

I love music.

As a kid growing up in Essex, my parents introduced me to The Beatles and The Doors and I developed an early fascination with the guitar and the classic 60s guitar heroes: Clapton, Hendrix, Page etc. Digging deeper into what influenced them, I discovered the Blues of Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy and through them, eventually, Jazz, in particular the so-called “Acid Jazz” of Mother Earth, Corduroy and Galliano. Someone suggested I should check out a DJ called Gilles Peterson who had a show on Kiss FM and suddenly my mind was blown wide open to jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, house, techno, drum ‘n’ bass… I tuned in to Kiss early to hear Joey Jay, Patrick Forge and then Dr. Bob Jones, each with their own distinctive sound.

At the same time, my A-Level music mates and I were sharing our diverse music tastes and creating mixtapes to play in between lessons, showing off our latest discoveries. It was only a short hop to buying a set of turntables and diving into DJ culture, especially as I was now playing more and more electronic and sample-based music. I learned to beatmatch and work a mixer: a new DJ was born! I was lucky enough to be schooled at some seminal London club nights, such as rubbing shoulders with Björk and Goldie at Bar Rumba with GP, James Lavelle and Ben Wilcox on the decks.

When I moved to Liverpool in 1994, I brought my decks with me and eventually found some like minded individuals and open-minded venues. Good times and lots of gigs followed: I got to support some of my biggest inspirations, like Gilles Peterson, Norman Jay and Roy Ayers, as well as pack up my tunes and play at continental club nights in Bern and Paris. I gained a spot on the excellent Samurai FM and used it to feature artists I rated, enjoying the chance to meet and interview some exceptional musicians and producers like Mark de Clive Lowe, Domu, Waajeed, Zed Bias and The Heritage Orchestra

Increasingly, I was dusting off my Cubase skills, originally honed on the school’s Atari ST, and producing my own tunes. I haven’t achieved my dream of appearing on Top of the Pops, but I have had some great feedback on my music from people I admire like Laurent Garnier (“Great soul music… You can be sure that I will playlist them on the radio. Brilliant. Mille mercis. Full support from me”) and Ashley Beedle (“Very forward music and right up my street… great production”). I have been grateful for DJ and radio support for my tunes from Mr Scruff, Benji B, Kevin Beadle, Simon Harrison and Phat Phil Cooper to name just a few.

My philosophy remains the same as always. Duke Ellington said “There are only two types of music: good and bad”. I’d soften that a bit by saying: there are only two types of music: stuff you like and stuff you don’t. I’ll be bringing you stuff I like.