Grooverider | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Codename John, Inta Warriors |
| Born | Raymond Bingham (1967-04-16)16 April 1967 (age 58) |
| Genres | Drum and bass |
| Occupation(s) | Producer,DJ |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Website | http://www.grooverider.co.uk |
Raymond Bingham (born 16 April 1967 inStreatham,London, England),[1] better known asGrooverider, is a Britishdrum and bassDJ. He and DJ partnerFabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene.[2][3]
Grooverider began his DJing at illegalraves and warehouse parties in the UK in the late 1980s, and rose to prominence with partnerFabio through his sets at club nights such as the groundbreaking 'Rage' atHeaven.[4] Grooverider was also on the Londonpirate radio station, Faze 1,[5] in the mid-1980s alongside Fabio[1] and DJs including Colin Dale,Dave Angel, and Booker T. He originally played soul, hip hop and disco but later played house, upon being converted whilst hearing "Mysteries of Love" byMr. Fingers.
Fabio and Grooverider began playing house at Mendoza's inBrixton. From there the pair went on to a venue in Barrington Road in Brixton, but it was not until 1991 that they would really make their mark. That year, Grooverider and Fabio took up a residency at Rage.[6] Throughout the 1990s, Grooverider released tracks asCodename John and helped build the reputations ofMatrix andBoymerang with releases on his ownrecord label, Prototype.[1]
With Fabio, he hosted a radio show onKiss 100 from 1994 to 1997.[1] In 1997, Grooverider compiled thealbumPrototype Years which featured the best tracks by various artists who appeared on his label.[1] Prototype is known for its sporadic releases, which have included drum and bass work byDillinja,Drumsound & Bassline Smith,Ed Rush,Photek andOptical.[1] In 1998, he and Fabio brought their radio show to a national audience onBBC Radio 1.
As a recording artist, Grooverider has released one album,Mysteries of Funk (Sony 1998),[1] produced in conjunction with Optical, and a number ofremixes including his reworkings ofJonny L's "Piper" plusRoni Size/Reprazent's "Share the Fall". In 2005, he was holding a weekly Sunday session called Grace at the London club, Herbal.
On 24 November 2007, Grooverider was arrested atDubai International Airport for possession of 2.16 grams ofcannabis, which he claimed he had forgotten was in a pair of his trousers.[7] "I must have forgotten the spliff," he said in an interview. "It was a small amount. Back home I would not even get prosecuted."[8] On 19 February 2008, he was sentenced to four years' imprisonment, to be followed by immediate deportation (four years is the mandatory sentence for drug possession in theUnited Arab Emirates).[8] He was pardoned and released on 3 September 2008, during the holy month ofRamadan that traditionally sees the pardoning of select prisoners in UAE.[7] In an interview withBBC, Grooverider described his experience and the conditions in which he was placed as "appalling".[9]
Grooverider returned to the BBC Radio 1 drum and bass show with Fabio in October 2008, until it finally ended in March 2012.[10] Since September 2016, they have brought their long-running radio show to London'sRinse FM.[11]
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