Mike started dj-ing back in 1989 after being a regular at the legendary Hacienda club especially Park and Pickering's Friday Nude night.  After meeting another Hacienda DJ Steve Williams who also had a couple of sidekicks called Laurent Garnier and Sasha (I'm not sure what happened to those two though) it was Steve who introduced Mike to Eastern Bloc records and that's where all those elusive records were coming into Manchester from as you couldn't get this new Music from just anywhere.  Mike soon started to pick up his own collection of records and as he was the only one with these records he was asked to DJ local parties in his home town of Warrington.  It was around 89 that the Thunderdome opened in Manchester and Mike got to play a few Thursday nights and also later that year got to play some local clubs in Warrington, the next logical progression was to get a Saturday night and that came in the shape of a club called Legends in Warrington, this started in 1990 and ran through till 93, (see Youtube video's for some memorable footage)it still stands out to today as quite a unique Music policy as it started around 90 bpm with a balearic vibe and slowly built up to anything form deep house to Techno and even the odd disco track.

It was also around 1990 that Mike produced his first record Flashback - You which still sells for a good money on discogs, it was a white label that was pressed up by himself.

The next record produced was under the name bbr streetgang, which was signed to Scottish label Hubba Hubba, and followed up with the United House E.P. which was a reflection of the Music policy at Legends, with a disco sampled house feel and also a couple of downtempo tracks.

BBR streetgang went on to sign to Transworld records which was a subsidiary of Dead Dead Good records of course home to The Charlatans, bbr's biggest hit followed in the shape of Feel the Music which was on some of the big compilation CD's of the time and was a disco infused track which was played live in the studio and still sounds great today.

Mike eventually left Legends in 93 and was looking for something new and found that in the shape of the World club, again in Warrington and this is where Mike's love of the disco sample was played out on his own productions in the studio with tracks like Disco Groove, also remixed by New Yorks production team Roc & Kato, and in his sets with new Music coming from the like's of DJ Sneak and G.U. and his love for the American sound.

Mike eventually had a family and settled down in Melbourne Australia but after ten years decided to make the move back to U.K. in 2016 and also started to produce new material under his own name, release's for Masterworks, Reptile Dysfunction and All My Friends to name a few. 

Mike Woods Discogarphy.
Flashback - You
bbr streetgang - Loyal To You
bbr streetgang - United House E.P.
bbr streetgang - Monatana Nights
bbr streetgang - Beat in Yer Bones E.P.
bbr streetgang - Disco Groove
Mike Woods - Alien Liaison E.P.
Disco Svengalis - The Ride
Mike Woods - Got to Love
Badroxx - Deep State E.P.
Badroxx - Deep state 2
::Remixes::
New York Minutemen - ok alright (bbr streegang remix)
Luvspunge - Do you feel what I'm feeling (bbr streetgang remix)
3D - Anytime (bbr streetgang remix)
::New music::
Mike Woods - Juicy cuts Vol 1
Mike Woods - Blind E.P.
Mike Woods - Muzik
Mike Woods - Money E.P.
Mike Woods - Aquarius Dream
Mike Woods - More I get
Mike - Woods Tales from the Vault E.P.
Mike Woods - Dance
Mike Woods - Dance (Rick Wade Remix)
Mike Woods - Turn It Up
Mike Woods - I'm in Love

Riding in with the power to deliver sunshine to world’s rainiest open-air events, Monkey Safari brings rays of light to whatever dance floors they cast their shimmering spell on. 

The past few years saw the brothers swinging to new trees, retiring their previous labels to focus on their new label 'Hommage.' It were the years of transformation for the German producers, developing and tailoring a sound suited perfectly for the unique club nuances while still keeping the core elements of melodic chords and grooves synonymous with the duos productions. 

During this time, Monkey Safari unveiled their remix for Marc Houle’s “Pepper” on Richie Hawtin’s label Minus and their hugely successful “Cranes” and “Walls“ EPs that presented opportunities for Monkey Safari to work with some exciting musicians, such as Wolf + Lamb and Kölsch, techno heavy weights Guy Gerber and Josh Wink, as well as one of dance music’s most iconic producers, Moby. 

Monkey Safari remixed a track for Moby & The Void Pacific Choir, returning the favor after Moby’s successful rework of the duo’s track “Walls” last year. Their next releases continued in the same fashion, featuring remixes from Paco Osuna, Chloé, John Digweed & Nick Muir, UNER, Guy Mantzur, Victor Ruiz and more, while signing tracks from amazing Blond:ish, legendary John Tajada, and others on their Hommage imprint. 

The duo’s efforts in the studio have transcended to their DJ sets with stand out shows at Time Warp and Awakenings Festival. On top of a heavy touring schedule at world renowned clubs and headlining slots at festivals, the duo released their album ‘Odyssey’. Monkey Safari produced the same kind of tracks for this album they were playing as they toured nightclubs and festivals around the world, rather than simply a listening album. 

In 2018 Monkey Safari carefully handpicked remixers they saw as most capable of continuing their vision for the album. The ‘Odyssey Remixes’ featured reworks of the original album tracks by the master himself, Carl Cox, international stars Hernan Cattaneo, Guy J, Musumeci, Tensnake and Reboot, studio geniuses Dubspeeka, Hannes Bieger, ROD, and Phil Moffa, as well as up-and-coming talent Avidus and Trivmph . 

Monkey Safari’s third album comes in perfect time for the summer sunshine of 2019. The duo follow up their last album, ‘Odyssey’, with this warm, inviting collection of music designed to brighten your day and complement the glorious sunny days that bless us during the summer. Sven and Lars learned some valuable lessons from their last long-player, and the new album ‘HI’ comes from a far more relaxed, easy-going place. An organic project that came together quite naturally, their third album sees the duo in high spirits ready to bring a large dose of positive vibes and emotional depth to the party. 

2020 and 2021 sees Monkey Safari moving closer to legendary brands Get Physical and Anjuna Deep, starting with a remix and a multitude of EPs on the labels. Watch out for more news soon! 

The German outfit has been on an incredible run of form with promising developments in all of their endeavors and exciting news still to come. Be it a fresh remix or EP drop, DJ set or party, Monkey Safari will be sure to touch all scopes of dance culture with no signs of deceleration on the horizon. 
Their mandate remains the same, sending sunny vibes to make even the darkest dance floors smile.

Resident DJ and deckchair attendant at London's Balearic Sunday gathering WE ARE THE SUNSET

www.facebook.com/groups/WeAreTheSunset/

Always working behind the scenes, it’s good to have a dabble...

Vincent Brain is following