is a busy man, and one of dance musics best ambassadors.Andy considers himself lucky growing up in Essex, as there were a few good pirate radio stations to choose from that broadcasted 24/7 and playing the latest dance music on offer. It wasn't until 1991 that Andy decided he wanted to become a DJ and create the kind of vibe that was making dancefloors erupt. He became obsessive and quickly managed to get a spot with the late shift on his local pirate station Cyndicate FM. Andy would play almost every night of the week, which was usually followed by him falling asleep in the studio, before he would walk home around the same time that the majority would be getting up and going to work.
It was in 1993 that the scene started to explode; jungle club nights and raves were packed out every week and Andy saw his bookings soar, and he became part of the drum & bass family; every Thursday he would meet up with Hype and Brockie. They would go to Section 5, Black Market, Unity Records and end up down at the legendary Music House cutting dubs. In parallel to his thriving DJ career, Andy was becoming an excellent producer, teaching himself the basics of computer programming and experimenting with beats. Friend of the family Ant Miles a talented sound engineer heard one of Andy's rearrangement of Voodoo Ray and offered help. They quickly became a team; from his relentless Djing Andy knew what music to do, and Ant knew how to make it.
The unstoppable rise of Andy C as a DJ, producer, A&R and label boss kept on through the nineties. Enrolling new members, including old friend Shimon, Ram compiled their first album Origin Unknown presents The Speed Of Sound, in 1996. Another showcase of the Ram stable, Sound In Motion, was released in 1998 with No Reality, another landmark 12, produced by Andy, Ant and Shimon as Ram Trilogy
. It was followed by an album Molten Beats a year later.2001 was another stepping stone for Andy C as a track he recorded with Shimon
, an insanely catchy instrumental called Bodyrock, crashed into the national charts at 28. The same year, Andy started to capture the energy of his DJ sets through a powerful mix of Ram singles and EP called Ram Raiders, and some stunning remixes such as Adam Fs Stand Clear (featuring MOP) as Origin Unknown. It was followed by a Drum & Bass Arena and a Fabric Live Mix CD's. The concept stepped up with the release of the hugely successful Nightlife mixed compilation in 2003, followed by Nightlife 2 a Drum and Bass Odyssey a year later, getting the Mixmag LP of the month accolade. The 2003 Knowledge Magazine Awards were a consecration of Andy, winning Best DJ for an unprecedented third time in a row, while Ram were nominated for Best Single and Best label.Since then, Andy has been in the studio, producing as part of Origin Unknown (including Dynamite MC's Hotness in 2004) and Ram Trilogy. He has traveled around the world a few times, and spends a lot of energy looking after the Ram stable, signing new artists including the likes of Subfocus to the ever-expanding roster. 2006 sees the release of another installment of the classic Nightlife series, packed with exclusive gems by the who's who of drum and bass worldwide.
When looking over Andy C's career to date it quickly becomes clear that he has worked extremely hard to get where he is today. Now known as drum & bass superstar DJ who spends most his time touring the world playing the music that he loves, it is important to note that he has done every menial job there is in this scene just to be part of it. Handing out fliers, selling records, reading instruction manuals, doing night shifts, opening and graveyard slots, Andy has done it. That's why, even widely acknowledged as the ambassador of drum & bass worldwide, Andy is still working hard for the love of the music and the respect of his massive audience all across the globe.
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