Cleggsta

Music was always in Scott's blood. At just 4 or 5 years old, he had access to his parents' old school 70s hi-fi and their collection of 7" and 12" vinyl—mostly rock from the 70s and 80s. He and his siblings would spend hours playing records, recording the Sunday charts on cassette, carefully cutting out the DJ's voice.

By age 8, he was already experimenting with primitive DJing techniques, using two battery-operated cassette players and trying to beatmatch by pressing hard on the lid to slow down songs. With like-minded friends in primary school, they'd create their own 'radio stations' on weekends, playing Queen and Def Leppard records with comedic talk sections in between. When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, the answer was always the same: 'I want to be a DJ.'

Moving to secondary school in 1991/92 changed everything. At age 11, Scott was exposed to old school breakstep rave tapes—DJ Ratty, SL2, Ratpack, and later DJ Slipmatt, DJ Sy, and Mark EG. The 80s were gone. He witnessed and understood the massive shift in music: less traditional instruments, more electronic production and sounds.

This was his first taste of a mixtape made by a DJ, though he couldn't yet figure out how they made all the songs the same speed. Growing up in a small Midlands village long before the Internet, he had zero exposure to the technology behind it all.

At age 13, Scott's mum connected him with Wayne Holland, a local mobile disco operator. From then on, he was out gigging most Friday and Saturday nights with a 70s/80s suitcase pair of turntables, single-speed CD players, and a 4-channel mixer.

Wayne taught him the art of manipulating a dance floor—learning early that songs which work for one audience might kill the floor for another. He gained invaluable experience playing in front of 100-300 people at a young age, terrified of the microphone but confident in his track selection. This setup remained his world until he turned 17/18.

In 1997/98, Scott got a job, took out a loan, and bought speed-controllable CD decks—American DJ imitations with +/-8% pitch. The Internet was barely a thing, CD burning was for the wealthy, so he taught himself to beatmix using CD singles, always playing the remixes instead of the main mix to be different and more DJ-friendly.

He gravitated toward chart house music and harder dance—Ministry of Sound vibes and mainstream trance. With limited gear, he got half decent, developing skills that would serve him for years to come.

In 2001/02, Scott's younger brother was working in and around London. While down south, he heard this incredible music on the streets, in bars, and on pirate radio stations—UK Garage. When he came back to Newark-on-Trent, he couldn't find the sound anywhere, so he'd buy vinyl in London record shops and bring it home.

When Scott heard his brother playing it, he immediately fell in love. The bass, shuffled beats, choppy vocals, the swing, the energy, the soul—it was everything. By 2003, Scott moved home and started hunting the Internet for UK Garage digitally. With no Beatport or Soundcloud, he scoured Limewire for low-quality vinyl rips, staying up until the wee hours obsessed with finding new music.

With no money for vinyl, Scott resorted to DJ software—DSS DJ on his PC. He installed a second soundcard and started experimenting with mixing UK Garage digitally, using a 2-channel mixer with his PC as decks long before controllers were mainstream.

By 2007/08, recovered from a long depression and back in work, the first thing he bought with his wage packet was a Numark Omni Control—a budget DJ controller, very early in the life of controllerism. He'd been downloading Garage MP3s for years, so he started recording mixes for friends. Nothing serious, just something fun to do.

In 2012, Scott lost his dad suddenly, and his life stopped completely. He spiraled badly out of control, and it wasn't until 2021 that he bought a controller again and started using it frequently. He played mainstream UKG, listening to EZ, DJ Tripz, and Mr Brainz. Tripz especially became a massive influence—Scott would listen to his shows, steal his tracklists, and buy the music he was playing.

Music became his lifeline, pulling him back from the darkness and giving him him purpose again.

One night at work around 2022, Scott stumbled across a channel called The Garage House Radio. Del Sanderson was on, and Scott was immediately hit by nostalgia. The music sounded like the early 4x4 Garage his brother used to play—a sound he thought had died 20 years earlier.

Del was promotional with his tracks, actively pushing artists and labels, so Scott jotted down the names and went searching the next day. To his absolute amazement, this was all brand new music. The underground scene was alive and well. He started buying records Del played, trying to emulate his sound. To this day, alongside his brother and mentor Wayne Holland, Del Sanderson remains one of his biggest influences.

Scott is truly lucky and blessed to be part of Garage Tape Packs. He's proof that no matter your ups and downs, you can recover and go on to do something you enjoy. He loves sharing new music—a passion influenced by Del Sanderson, without whom none of this would be possible.

His journey from a 4-year-old playing his parents' vinyl to a resident DJ on Garage Tape Packs is a testament to the power of music, community, and never giving up on your dreams.