Swag - Klub K4 - Ljubljana SI - Feb 2006

Biography of Swag

I'm 34, male, and live in Sheffield in the north of England (once famous for Steel and Electronic Pop). I now play other people's records for a living, and make a few of my own. Once upon a time I studied English, with a view to becoming a teacher. I also studied - at great length - LSD, music and the art of the compilation tape (not neccesarily at the same time). Eventually, music and LSD convinced me teaching was for elderly men, with beards, and an unusual passion for corduroy.

Despite being something of a dribbling participant in the biggest youth movement of the late 20th century, I actually must have learnt quite alot whilst staggering around the Hacienda, Kool Kat, Jive Turkey & Occasions.

So it was with a sense of confusion, a small record collection and even smaller amount of talent that I became a DJ. In 1989 I got my first residency, along with DJ buddy at the time, Richard Benson. I learnt the art of making people dance, and putting records together 'on the job', the crowd were very tolerant and enthusiastic about this (see, extremely high) we also had a successful pirate radio show (as Asterix and Space)

Rave band Altern8 sampled me from the radio show saying 'Watch Your Bass Bins, I'm Tellin' Ya' - I'll never live it down.

We played at a few raves for 12 - 15,000 people, for about 50 quid each - strange times.

So, I got a proper job in the WARP record store, even made a few records for them (as RAC) some of which were OK. It was through WARP that I met Richard Brown. We're still working together to this day. We started a joint project called SWAG (due to the fact that we made every tune we did from samples), since then we've done quite a few records, and even more remixes for other people, some of them are quite good. Take a look at our website if you don't believe me - SWAG SITE

I also run a label called Odori and occasionally one called Primitive - We do some nice things with those too, releasing our own curiously popular output as well as music from like-minded artists who choose to throw out the rule book in favour of more forward thinking sounds.

Apart from all that I run my own little second hand record grocery DUCKBEATS RECORDS

Having been Djing for 15 odd years, I think I've just about got a handle on it. I spend ludicrous amounts of money on music, forsaking many material essentials such as settee's, soap, and food in order to quench my thirst.

I'm lucky enough to get booked to thundering cathedrals of rave like Fabric as well as such bastions of House Music as the Sub Club in Glasgow and Mad Racket in Sydney, not to mention temples of soulful sonic wizardry like The Electric Chair, Jigsaw Music and, well too many to mention here really, but you get the idea - All of which I love equally.

I occasionally write (badly) and do a monthly radio show and one-off parties called TONIC with my extremely talented graphic designer buddy, Pipes - We also did a couple of books together. One called 'No Idea' about graphic design and the other a profile of Sheffield Graffiti artist, rapper and all round Hip Hop maverick Edna / Kid Acne - No one batted an eyelid.

I DJ Most weekend's and am loving it more than ever, meeting lovely people and entertaining are addictive in the extreme - we're also still having enormous fun making music, of whatever variety.....some of which you can hear above. Amen

http://www.myspace.com/chrisduckenfield