I’ve always been a fan of the remix, and was an avid collector of the 12” single with it’s various remixes and extended versions.

I was fascinated that you could take an original tune, really rip it up and rework it to create something of your own, which could then be used by DJ's in clubs, to get everyone on the dance floor.

I soon became a fan of the hip hop DJ. Names like Terminator X from Public Enemy, Dr Dre from NWA, Run DMC, Grand Master Flash and the now classic ‘Adventures on the Wheels of Steel’ had a big influence on me.

I admired how these DJ’s approached the decks and how they could make a new tune out of 33’s and 45’s by looping samples on the turntables.

I’m inspired by some of the DJ’s who are doing the same today, such as DJ Z-Trip, Cut Chemist, DJ Shadow, and Mix Master Mike to name a few.

So when I bought some decks, I went back to the old skool and played around with the concept of remixing records like the old hip hop DJ’s did in the 80’s.

This involved taking samples of records and looping them on one deck, while playing breaks on another deck, or in my case using 4 decks.

The use of 4 decks allows me to layer multiple record samples live. Thus, giving the remix more depth.

The concept for the album came about when I decided I wanted to remix and mashup these tunes live and commit the end result to a record.

I forced myself to do this without going back and editing the tracks as I wanted to give the tracks that live old skool hip hop DJ feel, as I was creating these tracks on the fly so to speak.

The only editing I've allowed myself is to master the tracks to give them a production sound.

As part of the process I selected some of my favourite hip hop tracks I’ve been listening to over the years, and threw in a few of the lesser known ones for good measure.

My aim was to remix and totally change the original tunes, and give them an old skool hip hop vibe.

The result is the album ‘Circuits & Cigarettes’ which contains 14 remixes of solid gold hip hop (and some dub).

I hope you enjoy listening to the album as much as I’ve enjoyed creating it.

Some of the samples used throughout this album have been taken from the original vinyl and may contain scratches and blemishes embedded within the vinyl. These scratches and blemishes remain to provide authenticity to the remixes, and to promote a live hip hop DJ sound.