A Guy Called Gerald et Howie B

Growing up in the Moss Side area of Manchester, Gerald Simpson was surrounded by music from an early age, taking in everything from his father's beloved ska and reggae, the church sessions that his mother would take him to and the Jamaican sound system parties that were rampant around his local area. Once he hit his teens, he discovered electro music and the burgeoning hip-hop culture being imported from the USA, and the combination of both changed his life forever. Soon after he heard it, Simpson began experimenting with the music itself, borrowing a drum machine, learning how to use it and making his first forays into tape editing as well. Soon, he and his mates formed The Scratchbeat Masters, which later evolved into the first incarnation of 808 State, who released one album before Simpson left to pursue his solo career.

It's safe to say that Simpson's solo career had one hell of a debut. Taking the creative stage name A Guy Called Gerald, Simpson released “Voodoo Ray” in 1988, a track that was first played at the Hacienda itself and would later become one of Acid House's first major hits, climbing to number 12 in the charts on its release and becoming the highest selling independent single release of the year. After the success of “Voodoo Ray” and it's accompanying album “Hot Lemonade”, Simpson signed a deal with Columbia/CBS for the release of his second album “Automanikk”. Ever since then, Simpson has become a founding influence on UK dance music, pioneering jungle and, by extension, drum and bass as a whole. Electronica owes something of a debt to A Guy Named Gerald, but considering that he's kept such a high standard of quality up to this day, it's not a laurel that he's going to rest on any time soon. For that, he comes highly recommended.