Simon grew up in Wembley before moving to the south coast aged 21. He hit Brighton when the place had one of the UK’s best underground dance music scenes and Simon became a key component in a culture of brilliant House DJs coming together with artists for free parties in beautiful outdoor locations where tunes could be played through quality sound systems all night long.

As a child of the 70s and 80s, Simon has a background that has provided the bedrock for many of the DJs Britain has produced in the past 30 years. Beneath the surface of all of the names that have carved themselves in to dance music folklore, you’ll find an education forged in the sounds of a multicultural city whose musical maelstrom was globally influenced.

“My earliest love was Two Tone Ska, then I got into jazz-funk,” he recalls. “Soul, reggae – I’d get hold of tapes of the Saxon Sound System and discovered early electro and rap.”

Simon was there when Acid House took over the sounds of London – a fresh culture morphed out of a number of styles that created something completely different, yet had deep roots.

From the bassy sound system culture brought to the table by Reggae and the dance hall vibe of ska, the anti-racist, culture-encompassing feel of two tone, the energy and show-off acceptance of disco, northern soul’s floor-shaking moves, the groove of soul and funk, the originality and technological advances made by electro producers, and the power of rap and hip-hop – it all came together under various warehouse roofs as Simon was developing as a DJ.

His enthusiasm has never waned as fresh music and new interpretations have kept Simon creating and innovating.

“I admire DJs that can play at any time and not lose the quality – not just play the main slot,” he says. “Above all, my inspiration is always new music, new sounds that are exciting and different.

“My sets are anything but linear… up and down rather than just go for one belter after another. It has to have a good rhythm track and bassline, and have that infectious groove to dance to.”