Mr. Scruff

Distilling the frantic thunder of breakbeat electro into a mellow, soul-jazz funk strut, Mr. Scruff inflects trip-hop grooves with an array of musical influences and an eccentric sense of fun. Starting out DJ-ing in bars around Manchester in the early 1990s, he was given his first break when local label Rob's Records released his early 12" singles and helped him score gigs at Manumission in Ibiza. Signing with the Ninja Tune dance label in 1998, Scruff became renowned for mixing together scratchy reggae classics, lost jazz oddities and thrift shop soul records into an eclectic signature style that often includes references to sea life and uses samples from nature documentaries and children's TV shows. Known best for the 1999 single Get A Move On - which featured in commercials for Volvo and France Telecom - his self-drawn cartoon designs adorn his albums, videos and live shows, adding to the surreal feel and playful nature of the music. Scruff also has his own tea company selling Fair-Trade teabags, teapots and coasters at festivals and major retailers.