2008: Aged 26 - 27

Bassline Junkies partnered up with Jungle Edition in Leicester on Friday 18th January, featuring Sappo, live Drum & Bass band Epoc and Jungle Edition residents, with Levity playing the last set of the night. The event went very well with a varied night of old skool and new Jungle Drum & Bass music.
Bassline Junkies partnered up with Jungle Edition in Leicester on Friday 18th January, featuring Sappo, live Drum & Bass band Epoc and Jungle Edition residents, with Levity playing the last set of the night. The event went very well with a varied night of old skool and new Jungle Drum & Bass music.

Levity has also been extensively promoting his current Nu Skool Jungle Tracks across the Internet and has been receiving excellent feedback from literally thousands of Jungle Drum & Bass fans. Having been producing around two years on and off, he has generated over 20,000 play counts on his personal MySpace page alone.

Levity Is currently giving away a track on the website. You can download “Nu Skool Junglist” from the tracks page in 320kbps MP3 format for free. This track has received excellent feedback across the Internet over the last few months.

Levity also played the midnight set at the launch night of Sub-Urban In Manchester, broadcast live on an accredited Drum & Bass Internet Radio Station across the UK. He had the crowd screaming with his unique super fast scratching style laced over his Old Skool V Nu Skool Jungle Set. Once again told by most of the clubbers and DJ's there, he was the best DJ on the night.

2007: Aged 25 - 26

Bassline Junkies re-launched on Saturday 10th March 2007, mirroring the original night chosen for the first event in 2004, being the second Saturday of the month. With a bass heavy sound system hired by Levity from the acclaimed Precise Audio Hire Manchester, held in arguably one of the sexiest buildings Manchester's skyline has to offer, the scene was set for a terrific re-launch party.

The second instalment of Bassline Junkies 2007 brought to you local veteran DJ Sappo with his Mixtape Impossible Tour. We also welcomed another Manchester veteran who’s been around on the circuit longer than most will remember, Mark XTC. Celebrating Bassline Junkies founder DJ Levity's birthday, rolling out the dubs and with supporting DJ's from across the North-West, plus the same terrific sound system from the first event, we rocked the foundations until 3am.

Later in 2007 he was invited to play at the Manchester Drum & Bass Exhibition Launch night hosted at Urbis, playing the midnight set. Listening posts with his mixes were also part of the exhibition being the first Drum & Bass DJ in Manchester to gain this opportunity.

Moving towards the end of 2007 and his production skills started to gain pace, with him putting up regular clips of his productions. Making links across the UK and even the world, he started working with vocalists of varying styles, from reggae mc's to female singers, and of course some of his good friends and original Mc's from the beginning of his path.

2006: Aged 24 - 25

In January he played At The Font Bar, Manchester, Thursday 5th January and also played at Bar Beluga, Liverpool, Thursday 26th January as part of the Witness The Sickness Internet Radio Tour. In March he played at Illusions, The Phoenix, Manchester. March also saw the launch of the DJ Levity website packed with free downloadable mixes. In April he played at Platoon, Manchester and May saw him back at The Phoenix, Manchester, for Metropolis. The latter part of 2006 saw Levity finally begin a path into production and continuing in the same vein as the year began he continued to grace the decks where ever requested, whilst also pushing with the Bassline Junkies Promotional Campaign online.

2005: Aged 23 - 24

Levity played several successful sets at the prestigious Manchester based night, Platoon. The first event he played in April was the first time Levity had played in a club since his injury the previous year. The night was reviewed In July's Issue of Knowledge Magazine where his set was described as "cracking". To read the article, click here. Levity was given his own Internet Radio show on Witnessthesickness.com, and plays each Sunday from 16.00 – 18.00. In December, he played at the Witness The Sickness room at Sophonic, at club Zanzibar In Liverpool.

Though he'd made an appearance on the internet over the last two years, it was only this year that he managed to get his first Pc and internet connection. Apart from literelly 3 surving mini discs of old sets, he had no records of the thousands of mixes he'd done and handed out over the years already. He manged to recover a couple of sets from tape and minidisc, but these were during a point of set up failure, and so he had no records of any of his tricks and skills he was able to do before his arm was broken.

He began recording new mixes digitally and uploading them to the internet. He joined every and any Drum & Bass or Old Skool forum he could find across every continent. He kept links to all of them and everytime he did another mix, updated every thread he'd posted. It soon got to a point which he always believed he could see coming, but didn't believe it when it was actually happening. On almost every single one of those Drum & Bass forums he posted his mixes on, his mix threads became the highest viewed out of any single Drum & Bass DJ. Thread views were typically reaching several thousand on more than 70 worldwide forums. He was getting outstanding feedback from everywhere, every continent, everyone who listened to his mixes, and so he began to have faith again, and pushed to get those all important left arm skills back to what they once were for him. There was so much more they still needed to hear of him.

2004: Aged 22 - 23

Levity held his own club night, namely BasslineJunkies, for all those up coming DJ's who find it difficult to break into the Drum & Bass scene in the North-West region. The night went well with a party atmosphere until the dying minutes. Towards the end of Summer, Levity had a severe injury to his upper left arm, which also happens to be his main mixing arm. His arm was snapped in two by Greater Manchester Police and needed a ten inch metal plate inserted with seven screws drilled into the bone. He attended physio therapy and worked hard to get his arm back towards the capability it once had on the decks.

2003: Aged 21 - 22

Levity set up a dance music website with a fellow DJ to promote the music which he follows. Content included short interview with DJ's such as Kenny Ken & Sappo, local news & listings, reviews etc. The site was also retail based, selling current Drum & Bass releases. Levity played at Metropolis in November, featuring alongside names such as the legendary Hip Hop DJ Cash Money.

2002: Aged 20 - 21

Levity played at the D-Percussion Music Festival staged in Castlefield, City Centre Manchester, this particular year aptly named G-Percussion due to it coinciding with the closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games. Also in July, Levity appeared on a local pirate radio station as guest DJ. Levity entered a DJ competition at a South Manchester bar. Of the 15 DJ's who entered, he came in first place. The judges for the competition are known club DJ's In Manchester and also the staff of Reflex Records, situated on Oldham Street, Manchester City Centre, UK.

2001: Aged 19 - 20

With his record collection continuing to grow, he was literally mixing it all, all of the time. He consistantly left employment as he felt it interferred with his ambitions. Often there weren't enough hours in the week. He soon met a Dj who he partnered up with.

Advantages came from this, due to the garage at his his house swiftly turned into a mixing studio. Combined equipment gave us at one point six decks, three mixers, two amps, two tape decks, two cd players, two mini disc players, something like 8 speakers, and the freedom to play like it was a club.

Music was now offcially 24 hours a day. Sleeping less than 8 hours a week, Levity carried out sets of 16 hours and more not coming off the decks. There were back to back sets that lasted a night, a day then another night. He would sometimes have four decks in the mix bang on, whilst using the eq's to stop clashing bass, etc.

2000: Aged 18 - 19

Levity and some of his friends helped organise a fundraiser music night at Fielden Park Youthclub, Manchester playing to around 300 people by the end. Though he had no monitors throughout the set.

1999: Aged 17 - 18

With no mentors to teach him how to mix he continually pushed his perfectionism, practising single techniques repeatedly for sometimes several hours at a time. He broke down his skills into stages of development from physical skills on the platter and cross-fader, to e-q levels, fading, and pitching ever tighter. Anytime his set up would fail in one area, he would use it as an opportunity to practise in another area. Ie; If one stylus snapped, he would continue to practise tricks on the platter of a single deck for just as many hours as he would mix with a pair. In this sense he turned every negative into a positive, and invented as well as mastered skills from nothing but his own self determination.

1998: Aged 16 - 17

Finally he got the money together to buy his first set of decks, and not one moment of time was wasted as soon as they were set up. His typical day started when he got home from work around 5.30pm, with the decks remaining on up until 2am most nights. A single day was never missed for over three and a half years.

1997: Aged 15 – 16

Leaving school, he took until the end of the year to get into work, but continued to buy records knowing his long term ambition of being a Jungle DJ was getting ever closer.

1996: Aged 14 - 15

Whilst buying tape packs with every spare penny, he had the odd record given to him from varying sources. Bombscare by 2 Bad Mice sat there for a good while before he even realised how big of a tune it was. Other hidden gems on compilations given to him were soon discovered and with his old style hi-fi, he began to use the standard issue turntable on top to mix into his tapes as they were playing.

1995: Aged 13 - 14

By this time, he was really into the music. He was already deep into a frenzy of copying tapes from his brother’s collection, which was already several hundred deep. Mickey Finn was the standout DJ for him, having a keen affection with reggae sounds; Mickey’s style was perfect for him and it was this year he decided he wanted to be a Jungle DJ and sought owning a set of decks at every opportunity.

1994: Aged 12 - 13

Re-discovering himself and noticing the changing pace of Hardcore to a more abrupt and instrumental music with faster paced mc-ing, he began to listen as the tapes his brother was playing were being drilled in the same room as him daily.

He used to sift through his brothers tape collection whilst he was out taking advantage of the separates in the room. More and more Jungle and Hardcore started to catch his attention, and he distinctively remembers the sound of Mc Dett blasting from his bedroom.

1993: Aged 11 – 12

He was re-admitted to hospital after levels of blood were again below normal, and after a move from Withington Hospital to Booth Hall, he found himself in Pendlebury Children’s Hospital. Finally diagnosed, an operation was soon carried out.

1992: Aged 10 - 11

His first year at high school, and although still limited in resources, there were many more instruments for him to get his hands on. He took a keen affection in the drums and began extra lessons, to which in the end he was the last one doing the lessons, and so they were cancelled.

After being taken to hospital late one night, he was admitted to The Duchess of York Children’s Department at Withington hospital. One nights stay in hospital soon turned to several weeks, whilst losing all his body weight and dangerous levels of blood. Graced with a Yamaha Keyboard by his bedside, musical output was a big part of hospital life for him.

1991: Aged 9 - 10

He began making up melodies on the keyboard, and writing down the notes in letter form to play back his tunes on the keyboard. He soon started recording these songs, and now was the time his perfectionism began to show itself, as for he was never happy with the results. For hours he continuously played until he felt the length, speed, strength and timing of the notes felt right. He soon recorded versions with vocals over the top.

1989-1990: Aged 7 - 9

Sharing with elder brothers with everyone in the household passionate about their music, Levity began to learn. He liked the sounds of Joy Division/New Order and the Happy Mondays, 24 hour party people being a significant favourite at the time. Whilst picking up knowledge from his eldest brother about the “Madchester” scene, he was also picking up from the rave sounds his other brother would play. The early sounds of Hardcore and rave mc’s dominated his bedroom soon after his eldest brother moved out, and so there was never a choice really.

1987-1988: Aged 5 – 7

Perhaps the earliest sign of musical interest, beyond most children of his age, Levity was fascinated with electricity and sound. Silver ghetto blasters were always in bits with circuit boards all over his bed. He would pull several apart, and group all the circuit boards and speakers together, frustrated that he couldn’t make them work as one.