Mr Scruff (aka Andy Carthy) made his name as a DJ in Manchester’s club scene of the mid-ninties. He has since released five albums for the Ninja Tune label and with DJ Spinna he mixed the Southport Weekender compilation, the ninth in the series. Marathon DJ sets are the order of the day for Mr. Scruff often exceeding six hours. He takes you on a journey that touches on everything from ‘60s and ‘70s soul-jazz and funk, scratchy old reggae and dub 45s, classic hip-hop, schmaltzy vocal pop, and new-school electronica all delivered in his inimitable cheeky style.
On the art of DJing, Mr Scruff surmises, “My aim when DJing is to play music that inspires me. It is very important for me to expose my influences, and I work on the premise that if something influences me, then people who like my music, which contains a lot of varied musical influences, will enjoy hearing where it came from too. Its all about the roots! I generally play all night, or at least 3 hours at festivals, as I enjoy playing many styles, but without rushing between them. It is a lot easier to join the dots when you are not in a hurry, and it feels more natural to do so.”
His recent five hour show in early March at Manchester’s ‘Band on the Wall’ venue is now available for download for free at www.mrscruff.com.
Mr. Scruff DJs at Dolan’s this Sunday March 18.
