NICK CRADDOCK DJ BIOG - OCTOBER 2006
Nick Craddock grew up in the North of England and began DJing in the mid to late 90s, taking initial influence from some of the prominent harder Techno DJs of that time - Dave Clarke, Surgeon, Claude Young, Richie Hawtin and Jeff Mills were key figures. Originally from an Indie background, though always with a ravenous appetite for music, he connected with the energy of Techno before learning to appreciate the subtler lure of House music. Clubs like Back to Basics, The Orbit, Voodoo and Bugged Out helped sew the first seeds of an electronic music education, and provided the impetus to have a go himself.
Time was invested. Horizons broadened. Detroit, Chicago, Berlin and Cologne became reference points. Nick grew bored with much of the generic Hard Techno being released and delved deeper, his interest piqued by the early output of labels such as Kompakt, Playhouse, Perlon, Background and Klang Elektronik. This music seemed the perfect blend of dancefloor vs. cerebral… oddball samples and otherworldly grooves… interesting and leftfield, but certainly something that could be harnessed to great effect when DJing. Early experiments brought positive reactions from people receptive to these new sounds. 1999. It genuinely felt fresh.
Nick moved to London in 2000, got himself a job in the music industry and began sniffing around for places to peddle his musical wares. Things fell into place when he came into contact with the Valvo crew, who were on a similar wavelength. He became resident at their nights and also on their Groovetech Internet Radio show. Sadly, the night folded after a year or so. Other opportunities followed - most notably with Third Ear, as resident for their ‘Public Heroes club venture, a few lucky slots at Fabric, a spot at Plastic People - playing for a novamute records event, and a stint playing for Clever Music at their flagship London nights. The gigs became more consistent - playing at many smaller parties in the fertile London scene, and beyond when the opportunity arose.
Skip forward to 2006. Some things have changed, but plenty haven’t. The ‘Minimal steamroller has passed on through, leaving many flat tracks and some questionable haircuts in its wake. As the last few scene-hoppers fight for a place on the dangerously overcrowded bandwagon, those who are not content being spoon-fed mediocrity from the back wall of their local record store continue to dig for the good stuff. Nick belongs firmly in this category. Irrespective of fads and trends, to him it’s all about representing quality Electronic music, whether it’s brand new or from the vaults. He takes as much enjoyment from dropping long forgotten or lesser known tracks from 10-15 years ago as he does from playing upfront releases. With little regard for the boundaries between House and Techno, much less the swathe of pointless sub-genres in between, the result is a DJ style all his own, informed by a wide range of rhythms and textures.
Nick currently holds a residency at the Süd Electronic nights in London, who have featured as guests: Alex Under, Audio Werner, Bruno Pronsato, Body Code, Daniel Bell, Farben, Jacek Sienkiewicz, Jay Haze, Jeff Milligan, Lawrence/Sten, Mike Shannon, Shed and Sutekh, amongst others. For more information about the label and club nights, check <http://www.sudelectronic.com>. He is also a regular guest at Guerilla, Lime & Soda at London’s Café 1001, off Brick Lane, and a selection of other nights in the capital.
For booking enquiries, please e-mail web @ nickcraddock.co.uk (delete spaces where necessary)
