READ EXTRACTS FROM ‘JOIN THE FUTURE’ ONLINE

Since the publication of “Join The Future” in December, I’ve been overwhelmed by the positivity of feedback from readers. It’s been genuinely heartening to see how well the book has been received. Remember, if you’ve yet to grab your copy, you can get one direct from my publisher Velocity Press. If you still need persuading, […]

AFTER FIVE YEARS, JOIN THE FUTURE IS HERE!

December 2nd 2019 is a day that I thought would never arrive. Five years ago, I set out to research and write a book about Bleep techno and the role it played in kick starting what would become British bass music. Today that book, Join The Future: Bleep Techno & The Birth of British Bass […]

ROB GORDON STEPS OUT OF THE SHADOWS

To mangle the words of LFO’s clanking bleep-era anthem “We Are Back”, there are many imitators, but very few true creators. When it comes to British dance music, Robert Gordon is undoubtedly a “true creator”. Gordon’s story is seldom told, a by-product of not only the overlooked nature of the turn of the ‘90s “bleep […]

THE INSIDE STORY OF LFO’S “LFO”

Take a peek inside this month’s issue of DJ Magazine and you’ll find my first ever feature for the magazine, an in-depth “Game Changers” article on what I believe to be one of the most influential and timeless British dance records ever made, LFO’s 1990 debut single “LFO”. Arguably the critical, commercial and artistic high […]

TALKING “DUB ROOTS” AT INNER CITY ELECTRONIC

This coming Saturday (2nd June 2018) sees the inaugural edition of the Inner City Electronic festival take place across 11 venues in Leeds. It’s a similar format to those previously used by things like No Bounds and Tramlines in Sheffield (before the latter’s move to Hillsborough Park) and Simple Things in my home city of […]

RAVE ON AT ROUGH TRADE

This Wednesday (17th January), I’ll have the pleasure of interviewing journalist and author Matthew Collin on stage at Rough Trade Bristol (7pm, free entry). We’ll be discussing his new book, Rave On, and the wider topic of global dance music culture in 2018. As many of you may know, Collin’s first book on dance music, […]

INTRODUCING THE VINYL MANUAL

Last week saw the publication of arguably my highest profile book yet: a contribution to the iconic Haynes Manuals series all about vinyl kit, culture and technique. Yes, you did read that right: a Haynes manual about that most cherished of musical formats, the vinyl record. The manual was the idea of my co-author, Patrick […]

CLAREMONT 56: 10 PERFECT YEARS

At the tail end of last week, the last vinyl masterwork from Paul Murphy’s Claremont 56 label began appearing in record stores. A sumptuous, brilliantly produced box set boasting five slabs of wax (or six if you bag one of the limited-edition options), housed in bespoke sleeves and accompanied by a slick inner sheet, Claremont […]

THE RETURN OF ABILITY II

Bleep connoisseurs have long spoken in hushed tones about Ability II’s “Pressure Dub”, the B-side of the producer’s one and only release on iconic (if short-lived) Leeds label BASSIC. There’s no denying that it’s a thrillingly good track – a 10-minute journey into heavyweight sub-bass and futurist Detroit electronics that remains one of the style’s […]