FRIDAY MIDNIGHT – 2AM
Underground sounds and alternative beats from across the house, soul, jazz and disco spectrum.
The purpose of the show is to bring a night club vibe to you, wherever you are listening.
The show has 3 distinct elements:
1 – The Warm Up Set – like all the best clubs we kick off with a mix of deep hypnotic house grooves to get you in the mood.
2 – The Loft Lounge Eclectic Rhythms Session – we head upstairs to room 2, for a musical detour that blends tempos and genres and spans Jazz, Soul, Nu-Disco, Boogie, Broken Beat.
3 – The Main Set – It’s time to turn up the heat back in the main room with a pumping 4/4 mix of underground and classic house with a dash of disco.
Inspiration for The Show:
Best night clubs I DJ’ed and danced at in the 90’s and noughties all had some things in common – a smooth warm up DJ; a killer main room; and a knowledgable resident DJ in the 2nd room who played across the board. I have put the show together with this in mind to try and give you a taste of that night club experience at home.
The Loft Lounge is a nod to both the legendary David Mancuso and a tiny (now defunct) 90’s club in Northern Ireland where I first saw DJ’s perform the art of mixing house records.
DJ BIO
I got my first pair of technics 1210’s in 1995 when I was 19 years old. My early music love was progressive house, courtesy of Pete Tong’s essential selection. Danny Rampling’s Love Groove Dance Party introduced me to the likes of Masters at Work and the more soulful side of the house spectrum.
In 2000, I got my first gigs in a variety of clubs and bars in Birmingham such as Zinc and Ipanema. A year later the Southport Weekender 28 was my first proper experience of a soul music event.
In 2003 I joined Andy King as co-owner of DJ Academy Organisation a company that grew to operate DJ training course in 12 UK cities.
In 2004 a friend from Birmingham introduced me to Tony Monson and I began my radio presenting career a few weeks later. I drove 3 hours each way from Birmingham to the studio in Beckenham most weeks to present the show live on Sunday nights from the Midnight – 2am. I still can’t believe I was crazy enough to do that! I remember on several occasions waking up at 6 or 7am in the car after falling asleep at the service station on the M40.
In 2007, I left Solar Radio to join Newstyle Radio 97 FM, where I presented a show at Midnight every Saturday called Soulfood with DJ Ayo. New Style made history as the first licensed African-Caribbean radio station in Britain. At the same time I had a residency upstairs at The Cross in Moseley where I co-promoted a night also, called Soulfood
I have been lucky to perform warm sets for some great DJ’s over the years such as Danny Rampling, Aaron Ross, The Audiowhores and Brian Tappert. My favourite ever gig was at the Jazz Cafe in London.
Around 2010 I left radio presenting and DJ’ing in general apart from the odd club gig in the East Midlands.
After a 16 year hiatus from Solar radio I filled in on Raj Selli’s, show whilst he was on holiday in July 2023. I had a blast, caught the DJ bug once more and now you are stuck with me again every week!
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