Sadie Woods

Andrew Clarke is proof that you’re never too young to innovate. Soon after his first experiments in programming breaks as a teenager, he and fellow bedroom producer Art Miles created the track that would define them both at the age of 15. Completed in 1991, “Valley Of The Shadows (31 Seconds)”, walked the line that connected happy hardcore and drum and bass just as the two styles began to diverge from each other and become genres in their own right. They rightly felt that they could have a huge underground success on their hands, and in 1992, the nascent duo (then known as Origin Unknown) decided to start their own record label, Ram Records, to release it.

They released the track on their debut E.P “Sour Mash”, and sure enough, it went on to become one of the defining drum and bass tracks of the era, netting the duo a Hardcore Dance Award for Best Hardcore Tune in 1993. With the acclaim and exposure that came from his work with Miles, Clarke began a solo career proper in the same year, releasing his first single as a solo artist in 1993 before playing his first live shows as Andy C soon afterwards. Ever since then, he’s remained one of the most respected names in drum and bass, who’s remixed everyone from Busta Rhymes to Jay-Z and played truly astonishing live sets all over the world.

He’s flown the flag for English Electronica for over two and a half decades and he’s not going to be letting up any time soon. For that, Andy C comes highly recommended.