Bailey (metalheadz)

Born and raised in South London, DJ Bailey has been exposed to the contemporary underground scene since the age of 11 with his passion of beats starting with Hip Hop & Electro in the early eighties. Bailey’s South London stomping ground was littered with sound systems, one of which he joined, DJing at house parties and making mix tapes. Becoming bored with the mellow hip hop of the late eighties Bailey discovered something new and harder; Acid House – the culture which engulfed him, leading him to the rave scene. It was on this acid house path, in around ’91 that he found a turning for hardcore, inspired by the breakbeat element. At the end of this road he entered the door for Drum & Bass. Bailey was soon gaining steam as a DJ by playing on a local pirate station ‘Energy FM’. It was his ability on that very station that impressed Kemistry and Storm, resulting in them inviting Bailey to play at one of the first Metalheadz club nights at the old Blue Note in 1996. Through moving on the circuit Bailey joined forces with other influential South London selectors and MC’s, forming the Inta Natty crew which consisted of himself, Grooverider and MC Flux amongst others. Bailey soon joined the Groove Connection booking agency which is known for managing Fabio, Grooverider, Jumpin’ Jack Frost, Bryan Gee, Storm and Calibre. His bookings have brought him to conquer the world of Drum & Bass by playing in South Africa, Japan, Costa Rica, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, America and the majority of Europe. As for the UK, Bailey has been all over the mainland showcasing his DJ skills at many events, some of which include: One Nation, AWOL, Movement, Creamfields, Innovation, Valve, Fabric Live, The End, Dreamscape, Slamming Vinyl not forgetting Goldie’s club Metalheadz and Fabio’s club Swerve both at which he is a resident. His gift for precision and his natural intuition for what the people want has lead 1Xtra BBC to secure Bailey as part of their core starting line up, every Sunday night (10pm – 12am) and in 2003 he won the award for ‘Best Radio Show’ at the Knowledge Drum and Bass Awards beating the likes of Fabio, DJ Hype & Grooverider after only 1 year on the air. Always having a flare for mix tapes Bailey was the natural choice for many projects including mixed CD’s for Knowledge Magazine, Ministry of Sound, and France’s Black label with MC GQ and America’s premier Drum & Bass record store Breakbeat Science. Bailey has also delved into production completing remixes for Roni Size & A Guy Called Gerald gaining the interest of Metalheadz label boss Goldie for a release due in May 2006 for the MDZ ’06 LP. Bailey has also set up his underground D&B label Intasound, releasing tracks from cutting edge acts such as Equinox, Miracle & Outrage. Bailey is now an established necessity to the Drum & Bass fraternity, he has the capacity to create a sound through sheer mixology to make an impression and stand out from the crowd of Drum & Bass DJ’s out there. His skills have gained him the accolade that every DJ aspires to – recognition and respect.