#20YEARSOFSPOOKY
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Spooky is a charismatic radio DJ and widely known music producer from London, England
- LABEL OWNER - RAVE FLIPPER -
- RADIO REGULAR -
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For over a decade the 'Spartan' has lead his movement of unregulated radio broadcasting in the UK. He's a champion of London's underground radio culture...
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His breakthrough instrumental Spartan became a British cultural icon. The release dominated late-2000's 4x4 grime.
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Expect punches, whips, and bass
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Spooky has been one of the most influential and consistent radio DJs in the UK over the last two decades - and has reciepts to prove it! Spooky boasts an unbroken streak of weekly radio shows spanning back to 2008....
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" When grime, garage, dubstep had a baby - they called it Spooky..."
THE UK'S PREMIER DIGITAL PIRATE :
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Spooky has more historic residencies than the Queen ;
He boldly navigated the UK's unregulated radio circuit and left his mark on London's underground Grime afficionados.
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Credited with popularising his own 4x4 pattern, Spooky is an overall accomplished
producer-dj 'for the people'
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Tape, to vinyl, to CD, to mp3.....
SPOOKY BIZZLE oversaw the UK's analogue-digital switchover, and survived!
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"IF YOU FEEL A CERTAIN WAY
ABOUT ME BEING WHERE I AM
IN THE SCENE RIGHT NOW
...YOU BETTER START TALKING UP!....."
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.........THIS COMES FROM HARD GRAFT"
FROM A HUMBLE START AT MYSTIC FM : Spooky has taken his experimental grime radio across the globe. He's been about...
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VETERAN BROADCASTER, PRODUCER, LABEL OWNER, SCENE BUILDER
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RAVE SUPPLIER : his tunes beat out club speakers across the capital & beyond. Spooky's musical reach is respected by DJs everywhere, who help spread his sound internationally.
As live performer : Spooky is electric, energetic and committed to putting on a show for the audience.
As Producer-DJ : he has thousands of unique tracks from talented producers who feed his fingertips. They supplement his ever-growing arsenal of mp3 and vinyl - Spooky is rave ready.
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"...dubs and myths."
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"I GOT DUBS, I GOT MYTH'S, I GOT REFIXES...
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...AND I WILL DRAW THEM OUT!"
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Spooky's USB's hold ammo he can draw for at any time. His own productions lurk among his armoury to cause tremendous damage to dancefloors.
He's not afraid to clash other DJs too! Spooky is a force to be reckoned with in the UK music space....
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"ONE OF LONDON'S MOST SOUGHT AFTER HARDDRIVES"
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His unbroken streak of radio shows for 15 years sets a new blueprint of dedication to music broadcasting. He's played new music, birthed artists, made fresh bangers, and spread unregulated UK music to new listeners.
Spooky made underground radio fun and fashionable to the listener. All homegrown. Spooky à la mode.
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.....he said this whilst doing promo for upcoming clash with Logan Sama and
Sir Spyro.
Spooky's dominance over London's radio circuit has been impressive...
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I first started listening to Spooky Bizzle on Deja Vu and Mode FM.
He was showing high levels of Grime energy and consistancy throughout his weeky shows across London's unregulated radio stations.
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Here, there, and everywhere : Spooky was about. Always bringing the same great energy to sets.
Mode, Deja, Rinse, 1xtra, then back to Mode....
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- LONG SETS - MANY COLLABORATIONS -
- MANY STATIONS -
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His Deja Vu radio shows were confidently spattered with veteran rappers and new MC's..... He tested talent at the radio, then brought them to the raves he was booked.
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Spooky created a feedback loop between the radio & rave. Everyone benefitted :
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- MC's got an opportunity to practice with Spooky at his radio sets
- They used the radio experience the then shell down raves
- Promoters had confidence in the turnout
- The crowd got to meet the radio MCs
- The synergy was used to get better, improve together, and perform in-sync during live sets
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Spooky treated the radio as his practice arena : his dojo - and used it to develop his own skill.
This musical partnership with the radio inspired Grime producers to work harder too! : knowing their music was getting played both on sets and at raves.
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"I DJ...
MAKE BEATS...
RUN MY OWN LABEL...
HOLD RAVES...
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I'M DOING EVERYTHING
RIGHT NOW,
INIT "
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SPOOKY'S COMMITMENT TO THE CONTINUATION OF RADIO CULTURE is what seperates him from many of the artists that come and go from the scene. He actually cares about the culture, encourages peers, and has a tremendous music library across all formats (even casette!) - "Music will always run!" he proclaims. Spooky is committed to putting on a show for the audience, regardless of the circumstance! Even if he has to use uss his headphones as the microphone!
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"MUSIC. WILL. ALWAYS. RUN."
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Consistant weekly radio shows demonstrate his life-long commitment to public broadcasting. Spooky has built himself a thriving community of producers, fans, dj's and creators around him! His music, passion and platform has influenced thousands, and started a new wave of Pop.
Rappers, producers, DJ's, photographers, artists, videographers : all assembled around his idea of unregulated music culture. Spooky breathes radiowaves, and flies-the-flag for independent DIY broadcasting.
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"MULTITALENTED, FUNNY AND UNFILTERED - SPOOKY IS A BREATHE OF FRESH AIR TO A STALE MUSIC INDUSTRY"
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"THEY DO NOT DEFINE WHAT'S IN, WHAT'S OUT ,WHATS HOT,
OR WHATS NOT....
....WE WHO CREATE THE MUSIC DO."
.....U PU$$IES JUST RIDE THE WAVE WHEN IT COME$ ALONG"
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If you listen to Spooky's harder-to-find mixes he demonstrates a much wider language of music literature.
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He shows an appreciation for the true history of bass music.
Garage, bassline, funky, dubstep, 4x4, old-school, dancehall, jungle, reggae and sometimes even hip-hop!....
....these are styles I have heard Spooky playfully mix and showcase during his unbroken streak of weekly radio shows spanning back to 2008.
He has clear appreciation for the fans, the music, and the historical movement that paved the way for our modern bass generation to thrive.
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He regularly pays homage to our icons by spinning reggae pioneers, soul classics and garage joints that paved a foundation for our modern bass-music movement.
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Spooky's early sampling work pays homage to Carribean soundsystem culture that heavily influenced the UK bass-music fidelity.
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Dancehall. Raves. Radio.
He began his career transmitting through radiowave.... as time progressed he evolved and utilised digital broadcasting and distribution which makes it easier to connect with a wide audience.
Accessible broadcasting and music-making tools enabled the UK's DIY music culture to thrive.
Softwares such as Fruityloops, Cubase and Music 2000 meant producers could make original compositions at home. Online hosting services such as Limewire, MediaFire & MySpace etc made it easy to distribute homegrown music to the world via web connection. Lots of the artist we know today utilised these platforms to gain traction.
Spooky and his peers used the ad-hoc softwares to rip, create, share and broadcast their DIY music culture to the world!
Pirate broadcasting and unregulated music culture continues to be Spooky's primary focus as he preserves the unique soundboy culture that inspired him.​
......Spooky notes how many iconic cultural venues have shut down in recent years, and makes his thoughts publicly known.......
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THE MAN WHO RUNS THE SOUNDSYSTEM
"THE STREETS DONT LOVE US, THE GOVERNMENT DONT RATE US, POLICE HATE US.... WE GOTTTA LEARN TO LOVE OURSELVES NOW CAH THIS WORLD IS DEPRESSING!"
"TOO LATE FOR A "NIGHT CZAR" NOW : TBF BY THE TIME THAT KICKS IN THERE WONT BE NO CLUBS LEFT"
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"It all started with the bootlegs" Spooky proclaims when asked about his start in production :
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Spooky became well known across the underground for his high energy remixes and fresh Grime licks.
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Noted for his rave-busting refixes that adapted favourite classic tracks (of all genres) into his own 'Spooky style'.
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Using Fruity Loops as his computer software of choice; he started chopping up instrumentals and splicing samples to create rave-ready contemporary music.
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He bootlegged, sliced, added his own flavour, and brought fresh energy to the radio scene!
Expect whips, punches and beefed up basslines when listening to a Spooky refix.
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He has developed radio trends and produced lots of different styles of music : most notably making an impact in the blossoming grime and garage scenes through the mid-late 2000's.
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His unique remixes and original productions started to become recognisable as he developed his own style and carved out his own 4x4 sound.
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He began using a producer tag in tracks and remixes which helped Spooky become notorious for his music.
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.....Spooky's tag began to ring out around London.....
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His tracks began to get more airtime on the pirates throughout that era as he cut more of his tracks onto vinyl at Music House for playing on the airwaves. He simultaneously collected many white labels from record shops to diversify his growing UK recordbox.
Garage, Grime, Funky, House...... He's got it all.
As a music enthusiast he's continued archiving and building his historic multi-genre collection of music - which feeds into his dual career as music producer and weekly radio DJ.
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Spooky's time spent cutting dubs at Muisic House and burning CDs on his computer comes to fruition in a live crowd environment.
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He quick-draws his CD's like a sherrif : Locked and loaded.
Reload after reload.
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Spooky slaps vinyl on the deck to "wow the crowd".
He has gained masterful fluidity on the turntables from all his time spent djing on the various unregulated stations across the UK. He calls it being 'Pitch Perfect'.
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He can approach a rave and dominate using only original Spooky productions.
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A Grime veteran : Spooky has played in hundreds of clubs up and down the UK
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He creates memorable moments for ravers on the dancefloor : that's why so many people keep coming back!!
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His librararic archive of underground dance music is his weapon to educate audiences while entertaining. His versatility in production and taste facilitates many different danceries......
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With a growing list of venues and countries under his belt : where will he go next??
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"ALL DJS NEED THEIR DUBS"
"HE FLIPS RAVES LIKE THEY'RE PANCAKES!"
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All instrumental grime set
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Grime MC set
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Dubstep and grime set
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Jungle set
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All original Spooky productions set
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Ghost House Dubs
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Garage and house set
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Funky House set
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Flightmode 140 set
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Reggae / Dub vinyl set
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Back to 95' mix
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"All Night All Spooky"
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Dubplates only
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Graveyard shift
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Funk n Soul set
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Grime vocal set
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Origins of Grime set
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"LOOKS LIKE THE COUNCIL AND FEDS AND GOVERNMENT DO WHAT THE FUCK THEY WANT...."
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"RUBBING OUT OUR NIGHTLIFE CULTURE, CLUB BY CLUB"
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Spooky's not afraid to clash.
Competitive soundclashing is a preserved part of soundboy dancehall tradition that Spooky participates in.
He won't shy away.
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This producer/dj understands competition and conflict underpins half of the UKs music & entertainment space : it creates fun conversation, moments and new music for fans.
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Places like GrimeForum is where listeners would discuss the competitions' ups-and-downs.
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Clashes help display local skill, style and sound.
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Grime clashes happen between individuals, crews,
and energy drinks.
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DJ's can clash based on moment-to-moment selection, and track exclusivity..... biggest and baddest tunes win!
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Producers can create 'war-dubs' for their peers, where styles are replicated and frequencies are deployed to attack an opponent. Heavier low-end frequencies are articulated to prove production ability.
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Spooky is well versed to enter most clash opportunities in Grime's disciplines : His lifetime as music collector and producer of exclusive riddims means he can build his own clash style - even setting up his own clashing events in London :
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Spooky continues this soundboy clash tradition by helping build a local foundation of competitive UK music in the scene.
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He also passively participates in MC clashes too whilst DJing - he aggregates the role of neutral selector : an impartial referee in live Grime battle environments (see Capo vs Crafty)
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His music often features in other clashes too, due to the violent nature of his Spooky productions. His instrumentals get used in various diss-tracks too, or as background music during radio battles...... the track 'Spartan' is particularly aggressive and can end in tears!
RADAR RADIO AND THE DEATH OF UNDERGROUND DIGITAL RADIO
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"SPOOKY HAS GOT TO BE THE HARDEST WORKING DJ IN GRIME"
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"P.S I AM NOT SELLING ANY OF THESE VINYL OR CONVERTING THEM TO MP3'S, SO DON'T ASK!"I
The next step in Spooky's independent journey saw him setting up his own label for music releases :
...Enter Ghost House.
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This bold move meant he was finally taking means of distribution into his own hands!
He is able to self publish whilst simultaneously shining spotlights on fellow producers that developed alongside him
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Ghost House was the continuation of Spooky evolution as Grime curator and veteran music tastemaker.
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Through his label, Spooky is able to release timeless legendary bangers such as Filthy Gears's 'War Machine' :
The label focusses on mostly instrumental Grime music, and provides a global platform to producers.
Spooky has collected a fierce group of top-flight producers around him. They are active, prepared, and ready for war.
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Spooky continues to develop these relationships and release highly charged music through his Ghost House music label.
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"UNLESS UR LEAVING A LEGACY OF MUSIC BEHIND.....
....YOU AINT NO LEGEND!"
"THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION, SPARTAN SPOOKY!"
"IM DOING ME AND MOVING STEADY, REGARDLESS OF WHOS DOING WHAT; ON WHAT STAGE; AND WHAT CIRCLES"
Spooky has enjoyed the opportunity to perform his version of Grime across the world.
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Thanks to like-minded DJs and promoters in other countries, the demand for Spooky's 4x4 Grime style has blossomed in many unexpected locations.....
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The beauty of internet distribution means his radio show can be digitally downloaded far-and-wide : His on-demand radio podcasts get airplay in the most unexpected locations...... This helps Spooky's international appeal, encouraging demand overseas.
Spooky's songs are so iconic and widely played that his contribution to UK underground music continues even when he's not 'on air'.....
MUSIC
MORE
LINK
WORDPRESS : Spooky took it upon himself to run an independent blogspot where he ruthlessly recorded all activities related to Grime, and his experience of the modern UK subculture.
Spooky's musical era spans 20 years across the birth of the internet .... An epic adventure through technology. He has successfully navigated all the popular mediums of communication : radio, rave, online, club, vinyl, CD, mixtape, internet radio, Myspace, Mixcloud, Mediafire, Limewire etc
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On his site he featured the latest links, music, tracklists, mixes and multimedia content created by himself, or any of his growing DIY community of enthusiastic Grime contributors.
"GRIME DIDNT GO THRU WHAT IT WENT THRU JUST FOR MAN TO BE BITCHING INSTEAD OF BEING ACTIVE"
Spooky would keep his space fully updated with all the original content he was providing : full sets, free downloads, gig announcements, finished videos, music news, tracklists, release artwork, and thoughts.
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Spooky Bizzle's blogspot is one of the most extensive artist archives available in the grime scene. He utilised the newly developing technology to tell his story.
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Here you can see Spooky's determination to promote grime music and underground entertainment.
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Spooky own blog spans an incredible 10 years of music, radio shows, grime news, videos and tracklists. For each mix he included a full tracklist, image, and multiple places to listen online, a link to download the mix, and all relevant information or BTS gossip!
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Barely any other DJ's have put this much love into the craft and music - it is clear Spooky has a real conviction for the continuation of the underground soundboy culture.
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He won't sell out.
His iconic counter-culture music movement forms part of a homegrown rebel music movement in the UK - Grime, garage, DNB, bassline, dancehall, bass music, reggae : all activies historically counter-culture.
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It's part of a larger movement where rave music and gatherings are overwhelmingly not supported by the mainstream - e.g rave, pirate radio, cultural spaces, ASBO.
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Spooky is aware and continues to keep alive the legacy of Soundboy Culture with enthusiasm. He participates and encourages unregulated production, broadcast, and popularisation of the aforementioned counter-culture genres.
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Spooky doesn't care for the mainstream - he doesn't care for a two government system, nor Liz, nor the BBC directors, nor Ofcom, nor the 1xtra playlists, nor the labels, nor Ed Sheeran(s) - Spooky doesn't drink the Kool Aid.
He represents the original soundboy music culture that has been vilified for generations in the UK : and now almost completely impersonated by the corporates.
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The mainstream is not accepting of Spooky's character being so unfiltered by todays standards, thus he turned to the underground.
His overwhelming popularity in the underground is why people often speculate that Spooky's progress has been blocked -d espite his success he won't read the script!
He speaks his mind.... not afraid to give an opinion.... and will discuss things that others wont openly discuss.
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"SURELY WE CAN'T STILL BE OFFENDED BY BAD LANGUAGE AND CERTAIN WORDS ON RADIO AFTER A CERTAIN TIME......."
"ALL AWARD SHOWS ARE A JOKE....... U KNOW THIS,
YET U KEEP WATCHING"
"TOO MANY EGOS, NOT ENOUGH TRUTH. NOT MANY REAL G'S LEFT EITHER. CULTURE VULTURES FLOODING THE SCENE. COMPLETE MESS"
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"JUST BASICALLY VOTING FOR THE BEST L.I.A.R.....
FUCK THAT."
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MODE FM
One of the places Spooky found his home was at Mode FM.
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Coined 'The Dojo' : Mode FM was an independent radio station run by North London's finest music enthusiasts.
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See artists from all over the UK get involved.....
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The Enfield-based station was started by a small group of friends, which slowly developed into the focal point for London's Urban music movement.
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Spooky would plant his roots there and help them build a grassroots radio music scene around the station.
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He invited me down here to film one of his sets. I was hooked.
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No government grant, no inheritance, no corporate money ; just music enthusiasts, a space, and an XLR to the world.
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The DIY radio-mentality here created a rolling ball effect on the rest of London - Mode FM was an unregulated melting pot of creativity for the urban scene.
Music would run late into the morning, whilst producers sat in the backroom creating new sounds for the city.
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Producers, DJs, MCs and engineers would all benefit from the feedback loop created by the radio - Spooky at the helm.
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Spooky brought veteran grime energy to the table, and helped cement Mode FM into UK's urban music history.
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Spooky was bringing MC's from all over to take part in his weekly Nightshift shows (from Midnight to 3AM).
Producers, DJs and rappers would travel, while MC's would queue up to flow over Spooky's enormous collection of international grime beats : a fusion that created a community of fans across the world.
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The radio circuit buzzed.
He invited MCs down to the live sets, which in turn created motivation for producers to get their music played to more people.
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This loop in North London helped the scene thrive.
The radio turned into rave.
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"IF YOU THINK WE MAKE SHIT LOOKS EASY, THATS BECAUSE WE SACRIFICE HOURS, RELATIONSHIPS, LOVE, FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND SANITY IN ORDER TO DO SO."
Spooky's latest radio project has been the '#Nightshift'
Here he plays the freshest 140bpm music from producers around the world.
'The Nightshift' is weekly, 12am to 3am on Wednesdays (GMT) @ Mode FM (now Mode.London!).
He is also running a livestreamed radio show called 'Grimey Mondays' on Deja Vu, also weekly.
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Spooky's had hundreds of MCs at shows and sets - the list is enourmous.
How many DJ's have had 50 MC's on one set?!....
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I found old recordings from 2009 where he played a regular show on Urban FM TV : 'the Non Stop Mixing show'. Wednesday evenings from 8 til 10 : followed by the 'Late Night Madness show' on Friday from 12 til 2am.
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"P.S I AM NOT SELLING ANY OF THESE VINYL OR CONVERTING THEM TO MP3'S, SO DON'T ASK!"I
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Spooky found himself called up to finally play on Deja Vu FM during the summer of 2011.
A few guest shows on the station, a couple b2bs with residents, then he was in!
By October 2011 he was running 'Grimey Monedays' on Deja Vu, and the rest was in the books.
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Hard work meant he continued to conquer all of London's unregulated underground stations.
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....all these ruthlessly documented on his blog site : full tracklistings, images, cover art, names of all the producerss, vinyl, links to other bits, a streaming link, a download link - everything.
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Weekly radio shows left Spooky pitch-perfect'....
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'PITCH PERFECT'
The term coined to describe a DJ at the top of their game.
Pitch perfect describes one who's mastered the pitch control, or someone who is very accurate with beatmatching and can drop tunes into the mix at a moments notice
The ability to 'lock in the mix' within a matter of seconds is how Spooky creates such dynamic quick mixes.
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You can see him drop tracks, and be read to drop the next instantly.
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He is the master of mixing acapellas too - quite often dropping 5 tracks within the space of 1 acapella......
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Impressive.
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Spooky believes his hours spent in the dojo practicing the art of mixing is what keeps hiim poised and ready.
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Spooky will forever be known for his devotion to Grime music in the UK.
Very few people can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his unbelievable streak of weekly radio shows.
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He shits on all mainstream radio DJs of the last 20 years.
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His devotion to music broadcasting makes him worthy of highest public honours related to lifetime achievement......
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........and it's my pleasure to give it to him!
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SPOOKY HAS LEAD FROM THE FRONT
He's been at the forefront of underground bass music for 10+ years, and wins honours for most consistent radio DJ.
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Marathon mixes and varied output mean he's influenced urban music cross-genre. Unbelieveably humble, whilst also understanding the value of his worth and effort.
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Countless occasions I have seen him uplift and inspire other creatives, with nothing in return for him. He is a inspirational character to many creatives across the scene.
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His charismatic teambuilding and leadership created a wave of Pop.
Spooky is someone in the UK urban music scene should listen to and support.
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"SPARTAN, WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION!"
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FULL VIDEO INTERVIEW COMING SOON
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"MORETIME U JUST HAVE TO OPEN YOUR DAW OF CHOICE AND START FROM 'NEW'...
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...SEE WHERE YOUR MIND TAKES YOU."
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