Submitted By: trocknroll

Genre: House

Date of Set: Jul 28th, 2007

Filesize: 110.01 MB

Total Downloads: 0

As well as the most recent addition to the 6MS collective, I’m also the youngest, taking that title away from Dick. Despite this handicap against the wealth of experience that already exists within 6MS, I’ve been collecting music for over 20 years, and DJ-ing for almost as long. My background goes back to my upbringing as a South London lad. My mum proved a big influence with her record collection, tasting the delights of Earth Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye as a youngster. As well as enjoying Soul music as a youngster, I was also inspired by a friend whose records included ELO, Pink Floyd, Blondie, Thin Lizzy and Kraftwerk. Whilst John, Dave and the others were out partying hard in the late 70’s, I was working my way out of primary school!!

As a teenager during the early 80’s, I was introduced to the popular pirate radio stations of the time (Solar, JFM, Invicta). I also discovered Electro Funk through a breakdancing display at a school assembly back in 1983 (big up the Forest Hill massive!). This opened my eyes (and ears) to a new world, and from there the musical bug really took hold and has been relentless ever since.

In 1986, I started to broaden my horizons and developed a love for Soul and Disco, investing in my first pair of decks and a mixer. As the 1980’s moved on, I also became immersed in Funk, Rare Groove, early House and Boogie. The mid to late 80’s in London was a real musical education for me.

Over the coming years, I DJ’ed at various gigs in & around London and even had a residency at South Bank Polytechnic Students Union from 1990-1991 with my friend Shan. On top of this I produced a regular flow of mix-tapes to friends and colleagues which did the rounds in South London. These showcased his eclectic taste in music, as well as his creative mixing skills. If any of you out there have one of these tapes, you’ll know how good (and dodgy) they are!!

In 1997, after a theft at home which took away all of my equipment, I decided to let the DJing take a back seat. In July 1999 having been asked to DJ for a friend’s 30th Birthday, I realised that the passion that I had discovered as a teenager was still there. The years following this saw me carry on where I had left off, with various DJ-ing duties. In 2001, I set up Love And Happiness (LAH) with my old friend Shan, whom I had known since the 80’s and had DJ’ed with before at South Bank Poly. Over the coming years we held several very successful (and enjoyable) parties in London, mixing up a selection of Disco, Soul, House, Funk and anything else in between!

In 2003, whilst busy with LAH, I made contact with John & Dave through the wonders of the world wide web, and soon realised that we shared a love of Disco and other great music. Since then we have spent many an evening drinking mugs of tea, gushing over the virtues of Bunny Sigler and smoking too many fags! As well as acting as a guest presenter for their 6MS radio show on Worldwide FM, I even managed to present my own Love And Happiness show, before WWFM closed down late in 2004.

In 2005, with the relaunch of the new weekly 6MS radio show on Starpoint Radio, I was asked to join the band of merry men that is Six Million Steps. For me, it was a great honour to join a collective that I had shared so much enjoyable time with. John, Dave, Alan, Dick and Ian now have someone youth in the side!!

My varied and eclectic taste will mean I will play anything from Carole King to King Britt, from Leroy Burgess to Boz Scaggs, from The Clash to MFSB. However, my main love of Disco is the one constant in my playlists, and I can be regularly seen salivating over long lists of Disco 12”s on eBay.

Submitted By: trocknroll

Genre: House

Date of Set: Jul 28th, 2007

Filesize: 110.01 MB

Total Downloads: 0

I first tasted the 'art' of DJ-ing/music in the mid-70's at a my mate Keith's house, who's older brother was a mobile DJ. I suppose I discovered black music proper while looking through his beer crates of 7-inchers and we found it highly amusing to play Judge Dread, James Brown, Fatback Band, George McRae, KC and The Sunshine Band etc out of the bedroom window, through a fairly loud PA system, to those silly enough to be walking by. I then progressed on to going to the usual school and youth club discos, and annoying the DJ's to play stuff like The Ohio Players and War, rather than the usual Slade, Sweet and Gary Glitter. Although pocket money enabled me to buy 7-inch singles, I had to get myself a Saturday job in order to finance a newly acquired addiction. My first pay packet lasted all of about five minutes (that's all it took to get from Allsaves to Ajax Records in Welling High Street to buy Donald Byrd's 'Places and Spaces' - what an album to start on !)

By 1975/6, aged 15/16, the DJ-ing bug bit. Another mate, Andy, had a brother who was a technical wizard with electronics and worked at the BBC, who not only built us our first DJ console but also had the pickings of the Beeb's record library. So we had the equipment and we were starting to amass vinyl too. Our first gig was at Andy's cousins flat in Lee Green, playing to a much older and sophisticated crowd, who were frequenting clubs such as the Lacy Lady and the Goldmine. They were into funk/soul and disco, but it was also at the time when Swing was pretty much in vogue too (I recall that Chris Hill was very influential in the resurgence of Glenn Miller et al). We were pretty much steered in terms of what to play that night by Andy's brother, but what a baptism. The grounding was followed by the usual gigs at mates' birthday parties, then playing at the Queens Silver Jubilee celebrations street party on a rainy day in Welling.

All throughout this period my musical 'shaping' came mainly from two radio DJ's; Robbie Vincent on Radio London and Greg Edwards on Capital Radio, and a young guy called Jeff Young who was DJ-ing regularly on a Friday night at Bexley United Football Club. Once starting out into the world of work clubbing just had to be done with regular visits to the Global Village, Crackers, 100 club, Royalty, Best Disco in Town @ the Lyceum, Flicks in Dartford and the list goes on. The tunes of the night had to purchased from the West End's vinyl emporiums such as Groove Records in Greek Street, Contempo records in Hanway Street, and the Lighting Shop in Petticoat Lane (plus more which I can't recall now !)

Despite getting married in the 80's, I continued to buy records and DJ occasionally, but it wasn't until the 90's came around that the DJ-ing bug bit once more with a vengeance. House music was becoming more soulful as technology improved, and was sounding less clinky/clanky as more live instrumentation was being used. DJ-ing with JJ at a variety of underground parties led to meeting with promoters and forming friendships with others with similar interests. This led to playing at the Ministry of Sound, and having residencies at Katabatic in Shoreditch, and the Saint in Soho, together with regular Back to the 70's nights with the legendary Chris Hill and the 'original' mastermixer Froggy. I can now be found currently mixing up the old with the new weekly at The Creek in Greenwich and Croydon. In 2001 I was fortunate to play at Bora Bora Beach Bar and China Whites in Ibiza. What an experience for an 'old bloke'!

I currently have a fortnightly show on WorldWide FM with DJ partner and fellow founder of Six Million Steps JJ. Log onto www.wwfm.co.uk for some leftfield funky/soulful gems on the 6 Millions Steps Show every other Saturday from 10.00am to Mid-day.

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