|
Born in St Paul's Bristol, everybody knows that Bristol has long been a multicultural city. In the 1950s and 1960s there were waves of immigration that made Bristol one of the most racially diverse cities in the UK. This mix included greater access to new strands of music such as reggae. "In 1980, following a police raid on the popular Black and White Cafe, the St Pauls riots erupted...the first of the decade's civil disturbances. Carl was there on the day in the cafe, he even got arrested for rioting.
Bristol, is where he got his musical influences, hanging and listening to like of Black roots the Reggae group, Reggae sound systems like 'Lokko', & Enterprise sound in St Paul's Bristol and going to blues clubs, Sam blues, Ajaxs, the Dug out club, and the black and white cafe, and hanging with the likes of Rob Smith & Ray Mighty of Smith & Mighty fame, & his cousin DJ Lynx (their DJ at the time) Smith & Mighty blow up the radio with (Anyone who had a heart) and (walk on by) , & produced a top ten single for Fresh Four (Wishing on a Star), produced Massive Attacks first single (Any Love), the Wild bunch....wild bunch who you may ask?
The Wild Bunch was a sound system a legendary Bristol sound system that launched the careers of some of British dance music's most innovative producers. the Wild Bunch reigned supreme on the West Country free-party circuit and is perhaps best known for having been the first group of several notable British DJs and performers all to come out from one group, ("3D"), ("Daddy G"), and ("Mushroom"), all went on to form Massive Attack in 1987. ("Tricky Kid"), at the time also a part-time member of the wild bunch outfit nd member of Fresh Four (Wishing on a Star), , before pursuing a successful solo career as ("Tricky"). |
|
Nellee Hooper, who moved to London after the group's dissolution and joined another sound system in London called Soul II Soul he was a major key member of Soul II Soul crew Along with Jazzie B and Ron Tom, he help produced Soul II Soul first two albums, both of which scored major hits ("Keep on Movin'," "Back to Life," "Get a Life"). Until he left Soul II Soul, he now works as a producer and remixer for a number of major bands, including Madonna, U2, No Doubt, Björk, Janet Jackson, Tina Tuner, and Sade and others. He won the 1995 BRIT Award for Best Producer.
Also in the Wild Bunch sound system was DJ Milo, & Willy Wee, the Wlld Bunch played in the dug out club. They were a key member of what became the Bristol underground scene. Carl himself moved to South east London looking for a new life, leaving Bristol behind in 1984. Coming to London, unknown to him he was on another journey, he too became a key member of what was to become the London underground Acid Rave scene, Summer of love 1989...
In 1986 Carl signed a deal with a Coventry based production company 'Democracy' underneath Amos Anderson (one of the original founders of the 2 Tone movement, i.e the groups at the time were The Specials, Bad Manners, Madness, to name but a few). Carl was working with producer Lynval Golding from The Specials, but the music Carl was producing wasn't the direction he wanted to go in. So he got out of the 3 year contract by a good friend Janina saying her uncle could help him desolve the deal. Her uncle's name was Jarvis Sandy, promoter of Biology Rave production, that was the start of a long friendship.
It was around this time that Carl had a motorbike accident...this accident in later years would change his life beyond recognition from what he knew...this accident would come back to haunt him... Biology started on 25th Feb 1989 with its first party at Linford film studio in Battersea, the party was an instant success.
|