Grooverider

As one of the figures synonymous with the origins of drum and bass, Grooverider has become a cipher for the sound of a generation. In the close-knit social circles of drum and bass, the mention of his name, which reads like a definition of the art of dj-ing, inspires nothing but the upmost respect and admiration, due to the fact that he has held the torch aloft for this music for so many years.

Next came a slot on a local South London pirate, Phaze One, which proved to be a defining time. Swept up in the summer of love, Grooverider used to frequent West End clubs such as Land Of Oz and Spectrum. Grooverider met his partner Fabio, to form what would come to be the dream team of drum and bass. "When acid house came in '87, it took me and I haven't looked back," enthuses Grooverider. "Fabio was the only other person on the radio station playing house music, so we just hooked up. We have always worked well together, we play the same music but on the same wavelength."

 The first club they ran together was a tiny venue in Brixton called Mendozas, that soon became the after-party spot, rammed with clubbers returning from the West End on Thursday nights. They used the club as a base to further their reputations and started to get bookings as a team. "It got to the stage where one of us would be there and the other was somewhere else. " recalls Groove. "You can't do the whole country together- you have to split up and do the same job. But to this day, if we get the opportunity to play together than we do. The importance of playing out together when we were younger, was that we learnt from each other, and still do. You never stop learning."