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Radio Network where I host my 'D3EP In The Underground' show on Wednesdays 8-10pm.
During this time, I have held my own event with a few pals bringing the likes of Ray Hurley, Chris Bass, Matt Jam Lamont, Ramsey & Fen, Martin Larner, Booker T and more to Birmingham. I've gained Residencies at NICE : Underground Garage (Rainbow Rooftop Birmingham), Summer Solstice (Birmingham) & TIEF Garage (Vienna) along with regular sets at various other events.
I've produced tracks and remixes alongside my pal Beat which have been played on a regular basis by the likes of EZ, Flava D, Rossi B & Luca and more. Always pushing UKG, new and old in any way possible since 1999.
First Record?
The first vinyl I remember buying was the original bootleg of Judy Cheeks vs Stanton Warriors - Reach & Spin for the B-Side (Dub Mix) from 97 which was signed 4 years later to the label Go Beat.
The development of UK Garage
Having to keep track of new trends in music at HTFR for so long, I have seen garage grow and change over the years through the bumpy 4x4 stages, 2-Step vocal anthems, Narrow and TNT style tracks, the breaks style era that Zinc dominated under his Jammin alias, the cheesy pop anthems like Babycakes & Sweet Like Chocolate, and even evolve into multiple new genres like Grime, Bassline, UK Funky, Dubstep etc. Right up to todays UKG where you can hear various levels of influence taken from different parts of the UKG timeline in most tracks.
I see a lot of people saying that there's been a recent revival of UKG, but to me that means UKG would had to of been classed as dead at some point, and in my opinion it has never been dead, more underground maybe. If I look back, there are no big gaps in my UKG collection from the start to 2016! The new breed of UKG producers and of course us DJs are paving the way for a healthy UKG scene in the future, that's not forgetting the veterans that are still making UKG too.
The best thing about music is the way it brings people together, not just in a rave, as in the people I have met and become good friends with just because of our love for music. So many people in my life right now are from the music scene in some way or another: DJs, producers, ravers, even listeners of my show. If it wasn't for music then I wouldn't have what I consider my extended family in the States, Austria, Germany, Ukraine, Canada, France, and more. It brings us all together, no politics just unity and that is priceless
The future?
That would be telling! One thing I will say is I'm going to try make time to get back in the studio and work on beats. Some collaborations have been lined up, I can't say more on that!