Bailey

One of the few British drum'n'bass DJs who doesn't moonlight as a producer, Bailey nonetheless became incredibly renown within the d'n'b community, spinning everywhere from international clubs to the BBC. Bailey's fascination with music began as a youth in the early '80s when he discovered hip-hop and electro. In addition to the music itself, with its beats and turntable mixing/scratching, the surrounding culture drew him in. The hip-hop/electro scene in South London at the time centered on sound systems, and Bailey quickly joined one and thereafter began DJing parties and making mix tapes. Within a few years, around 1988 or so, the acid house movement engulfed London, and the aspiring DJ became enamored with this new style of dance music just as he had with hip-hop and electro five years earlier. In particular, he found the breakbeat-style dance music most captivating, so once acid house morphed into breakbeat-powered hardcore a year or two later, Bailey knew he was on the right track. Of course, hardcore evolved into drum'n'bass soon after in the early '90s, and the fledging DJ embraced it fully. He began hosting mix shows on local pirate radio stations and aquainted himself with Kemistry and Storm of Metalheadz, who brought him along to the legendary club and offered him the opportunity to spin there. From here on, Bailey never looked back, retaining his affiliation with Metalheadz and spinning around the world, everwhere from South Africa to Japan. In 2002, after years of steady DJing and increasing recognition, the BBC brought him onboard for the launch of 1Xtra, its specialized black music station, and he became the weekly drum'n'bass resident. That same year Bailey recorded his long-awaited debut mix album, Soul Thunder, for Breakbeat Science. ~ Jason Birchmeier