BORN
Yeovil, 1978

FAMILY
‘They’re really cool about me being in music. My parents are in the arts and they’ve followed a similar kind of path to me so are really supportive. They come to my gigs and can relate to what I do. My parents are theatre directors and playwrights so I was exposed to lots of musicals and different aspects of The Arts at home since I was a little kid. They’re cool and really backed me having a career in music. My mum is very clued-up on new music and dance music; she knows what’s good. I’ve always been in an environment around performance and entertainment. I’ve got one brother who is doing shoe design at fashion college but he’s really into music as well. He DJs and is involved in that side of things so our parents have really rubbed off their creative influence on both of us.’

MUSICAL ROOTS
‘I’ve always been into music. I started off quite young and at school I hung around with people who were into their music. I listened to mostly hip hop and rave back then; lots of commercial hip hop and underground UK stuff. Back then the Bristol hip hop was really underground and I loved that. Somerset has quite a skate scene and the nearest city, Bristol, is a proper skateboard city. There was lots of hip hop, hardcore and rave . I was really into the scratching, hands-on aspects of hip hop, which led to endless nights of staying in scratching all night. A total mix of both has kind of led me to where I am now. We used to go to Bristol and Bath to listen to jungle and breaks in the clubs and at free parties. I’m proud of the rave, I absolutely loved it. The breaks, rave and hip hop have all led me to the sound I have now. In 1996 I set up and ran a recording studio with four of my mates (who are now Cybin). We were all DJing at free parties around Somerset so we got the money together between us to do it. We were all dying to get into production and that was how we went about it.’

FIRST PROJECTS
‘After school I trained as a sound engineer. I got to work with a lot of underground bands and dance acts producing and recording. It was all part of the training. Getting hands-on experience was really good. It helps you to analyse music and how it’s put together. I do appreciate fantastic production but I also like great tunes. I was DJing seriously the whole time, playing hip hop and breakbeat. When I moved to London I started to promote. It was a hip hop and breaks night called Ransom at The Islington Bar. We had people like Skitz and the Plumps playing there and that’s when I got acquainted with the people on the London breaks scene. A lot of them now play with me at FABRICLIVE.’

LABELS & PRODUCTION
‘Aside from all the stuff at college and with friends when I was younger, I’m starting to do more stuff now. I’m working quite closely with Emcee, the drum n bass label, as I’ve known those guys for years.’

DJING
‘I’ve pretty much come from nowhere to be a FABRICLIVE resident DJ. From things in Somerset to my London club it’s been a really fast progression to getting here. I’ve gone from bars and parties to playing in the main room on a great system like Fabric’s. After my Ransom night finished I was asked to play at the breaks night Passenger at Form in Soho, because they’d heard me DJ at Ransom. I really liked the party vibe at Passenger and it was a great crowd. It really gave me confidence in my skills and the sets I was playing. I was resident there until it finished in October 2002. From being heard there by Steve Blonde (Head of Promotions, Fabric) I was asked to play at FABRICLIVE on a one-off basis. They must have liked what they heard because I was asked back for a few more gigs before being offered a residency. To be resident at FABRICLIVE was and is an amazing opportunity for someone like me who was so unknown. The other residents are really well established artists so it’s great to be considered amongst them. It’s good to know that what I’m doing is really liked by people, that really enjoy my sound.’

FABRIC
‘FABRICLIVE is a great platform for me because it’s so up-front. It’s amazing for me to play here because of the crowd, the reaction and the system. To be able to take my sound into an arena like FABRICLIVE is incredible. I’m around the most up-front artists in breaks, hip hop and drum n bass all the time. To be surrounded by such talent is a great feeling. It’s great to be associated as a DJ at this level. I bring things to the night that maybe they don’t get from the more established DJs. I’ve got an up front street sound that no-one else really does. It’s good to know that I’m bringing in a different sound and vibe to the club. I love Room 3 because it’s so tight and people are always up for having a good time. The other rooms are bigger and a lot more intense; it’s more specified the direction you go in. Room 3 is always the most fun.’