Things I've been playing! Jumps on the best track but im not doing it agian, no no.

Stu - May 2016

DJing in clubs since the age of 16, Darren has spent the last 7 years playing at various nightspots across the south coast, London and Ibiza. His take on House Music ranges from deep groovers to bumping and jacking movers, with a subtle, but ever present influence from Chicago providing the ground roots of a unique blend. 

Darren's love for electronic music started at an early age, and after first putting needle to wax at the age of 8 years old, it was all fantasy and dreams until he turned 14 - when he was given his first pair of turntables. 

"I'd wanted to be a DJ for years before I actually started. I was constantly listening to mixtapes that I would steal from my cousin, the music and the mixing was all new to me and I found it fascinating! When I was about 10, my dad gave me an old Hi Fi with a turntable and my mum dug out her old Disco collection for me to listen to… I'd break the needle on the deck every month or so, but it got me by and I was hooked!"

After just a year of DJing in his bedroom, Darren began gaining valuable experience playing to crowds whilst working with a mobile DJ and through those connections gained a work experience placement at Portsmouth Sound and Light, selling and hiring DJ equipment. Still at school, with his position in the store having been permanent for over a year, Darren was headhunted by a local record shop owner. 

Whilst working at Hands on Records, Darren's musical knowledge flourished, it also served as the meeting ground between himself and the king pins of Portsmouth's underground scene. With his fresh faced enthusiasm and a clear passion for House music he was soon part of the furniture amongst Portsmouth's top DJs and promoters.

"I loved working in the record shop, the place was just a converted garage that was absolutely packed with vinyl and it had a studio upstairs. Dave Robertson (Reset Robot) was also working in the shop, but with early signs of his career taking off, I was brought in as his replacement. I'd just turned 16 when I first started, so if there wasn't much work to do, i'd just listen through boxes of records, looking to find artists and labels that I liked, most of which I'd never even heard of! It seriously helped me discover a lot about the music I was into and it played a big part in defining the music I play today."

After two years, with a huge string of local gigs under his belt, studying over and a residency with Portsmouth's most respected underground House outfit 'iNDiGO,' Darren left Hands on Records to pursue full time employment as the slow but steady decline in record sales started to take its toll on the shop. 

This however has done very little to slow him down in the years since; Now a resident for Eivissa Soul (London) as well as iNDiGO (Portsmouth), Darren has gone on to appear at venues such as Zoo Project (Ibiza), Shardanas (Ibiza), Cargo (Shoreditch), The Book Club (Shoreditch), Junk (Southampton), Mud Club (Bognor Regis), Drift Bar (Portsmouth) and Om Bar (Brighton) appearing in line ups alongside the likes of DJ Sneak, Terry Francis, Derrick Carter, Paul Woolford, Raymundo Rodriguez, Dzeta n Basile and many more. 

With recent efforts pushing Darren into the studio, dates confirmed in Ibiza and across the UK, 2012 is set to be a big year for the 23 year old self proclaimed House purist. 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/DarrenDDJ
Resident Advisor: http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/darrend
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/DjDarren_D

Darren 'Merle' Thompson has been involved in the music scene since 1990 in which time he served his apprenticeship at the infamous InTerDance production studios, 'Dance Floor Studios' in the early 90's working alongside the likes of Aubrey, Lenny Dee, John Digweed & Mr C as a young studio hand. 

Other experiences come from working in various record shops along the south coast such as Peach Flavour Records, Reflex Records, VIP Vinyl. And more recently as part of the management team at the outstanding Murge Recordings, and F-Tech Roots.

His influences come from an eclectic variety of electronic music from backroom grooves through to peak time madness including: Techno, Tech House, Deep House, Tribal, Breaks. 

With quality releases already to date on various labels such as Nathan Coles & Terry Francis Wiggle off shoot label ‘Is This’ under the guise of Cactus Jack (along side with good friend, DJ & production sparring partner, Richie Collins), San Francisco's Household Digital, London's Right Nut Recordings, Murge Recordings, Stark Futures, Mighty Moog, and Sounds of Juan.

Merle’s production style is a blend of new technology and old techniques by harnessing the power of software like Reason, Logic and Pro Tools and combining it with more traditional analogue approaches. Taking each new production with an exploratory approach to sound design to which he then moulds into his unique style. “I usually start with an idea in my mind of want I hope to achieve, lay down the beats and then let the rest of the production evolve naturally.
"I absolutely love the freedom and flexibility that working with software gives me”.

Merle has hosted on popular radio stations in his time (Some legal and not so legal !) before taking the opportunity to play regular guest slots on Richie Collins ‘Pointblank FM’ Show (London). It inspired him to start hosting his own weekly show again on Jacks House & Brap FM which ran for over 3 years.

DJ duties have seen him spinning at some of the countries finest established nights such as Club UK, The Manor, Sterns, The House & Browns (Nottingham), London Universities Tour, Ministry of Sound, Cream Tour, Renaissance Tour, Mixmag Tour, Journeys By DJ Tour and Underworld.

	
Latest Releases (Not including compilation album releases)

*Cactus Jack (Merle, Richie Collins & James Harrison): Pictures (Is This/Wiggle)
*Cactus Jack (Merle, Richie Collins & James Harrison): Desumba (Is This/Wiggle)
*Cactus Jack (Merle, Richie Collins & James Harrison): Faces (Is This/Wiggle)
*Merle, Richie Collins & James Harrison: Perception (Sounds of Juan)
*Merle & Dan Cook:  Sporks Away (Household Digital)
*Merle & Dan Cook:  Back to the Club (Household Digital)
*House of Labelle: Some Kind of House 'Merle Remix' (Mighty Moog)
*Merle & Laurence Reed: Now or Never (Stark Futures Recordings)
*Merle & Laurence Reed: Time Difference (Stark Futures Recordings)
*Merle & Laurence Reed: Rob from the Old, Give to the Young (Stark Futures Recordings)
*Merle & Laurence Reed: Take Back an Hour (Stark Futures Recordings)

Loves music, hates drama.

For Info, bookings and remix enquiries - 
laurencereed1@gmail.com

Purveyor of good footwear, House, Techno and Margot Robbie.


Stu - May 2016

Stu Bryan/Larrson