Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), better known by his
stage name
A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...
Mr. Scruff, is an English
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
and
DJ. He lives in
Stretford
Stretford is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It is situated on flat ground between the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, south of Manchester city centre, south of Salford and north-east of Altrincham. Str ...
,
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority, combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: City of Manchester, Manchester, City of Salford, Salford ...
and studied
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...
at the
Psalter Lane
Psalter Lane was the location of a former campus of Sheffield Hallam University in Sheffield, England. One of the former polytechnic's three bases, the campus officially closed on 31 August 2008 and work to demolish all but the old Bluecoat Schoo ...
campus of
Sheffield Hallam University
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate Cr ...
. Before he could make a living from his music alone, he worked as a shelf stocker in the Hazel Grove branch of
Kwik Save
Kwik Save is a British convenience store chain. Prior to 2007, it was also a discount supermarket chain that had shops across the United Kingdom. It went into administration in July 2007, but was brought back in April 2012. Its shops were sma ...
.
His stage name was inspired by his scruffy facial hair as well as his trademark loose-lined drawing style. He has been DJing since 1992, at first in and around Manchester then nationwide. He is known for DJing in marathon sets (often exceeding six hours), his eclectic musical taste, his love of a "nice cup of tea", and the quirky home-produced visuals and animations associated with his music. In an interview he said: "It’s about putting a lot of effort in and paying attention to detail. I get annoyed if I don’t take risks. I’m very hard on myself."
Career
In his twenties Mr. Scruff's first 12"
vinyl
Vinyl may refer to:
Chemistry
* Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer
* Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation
* Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry
* Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...
, "Hocus Pocus", was released on the small Manchester-based label
Robs Records
Rob's Records was a British, Manchester-based independent record label founded by Rob Gretton, former manager of Joy Division and New Order, and a co-director of Factory Records.
Their first release in 1989 was the single "Security" by the US- ...
. Subsequent singles and his first album (''
Mr. Scruff
Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), better known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. ...
'') followed, released on Robs Records subsidiary Pleasure Music.
After a brief spell working with Mark Rae, he moved to the larger
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London. It has a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More (better known as Coldcut) and managed by Peter Quicke and others.
Inspired by a visit ...
label and subsequently released the albums ''
Keep It Unreal
''Keep It Unreal'' is Mr. Scruff's first major release. It includes the hit single "Get a Move On!", which is an electro swing track built upon samples of Moondog's "Bird's Lament (In Memory of Charlie Parker)" alongside vocals from T-Bone Walke ...
'' and ''
Trouser Jazz
''Trouser Jazz'' is an electronica, electronic album by Mr. Scruff, released in 2002. It is Mr. Scruff's second "proper" album (actually his third, but the early compilation album ''Mr. Scruff (album), Mr. Scruff'' was deleted and re-released in ...
''.
His most notable hit, "
Get a Move On!
"Get a Move On!" is a song by English record producer and disc jockey Andrew Carthy under his alias Mr. Scruff, featuring Fingathing member, Sneaky, on bass. The song is featured as the third track from his second studio album, ''Keep It Unreal'' ...
", is built around "Bird's Lament (In Memory of
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
)" by
Moondog
Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), known professionally as Moondog, was an American composer, musician, performer, music theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments. Largely self-taught as a composer, his ...
and has been used in several
commercials
A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
ranging from
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
and
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
automobiles to
France Télécom
Orange S.A. (), formerly France Télécom S.A. (stylized as france telecom) is a French multinational corporation, multinational telecommunications corporation. It has 266 million customers worldwide and employs 89,000 people in France, and 5 ...
and
GEICO
The Government Employees Insurance Company (GEICO ) is a private American auto insurance company with headquarters in Chevy Chase, Maryland. It is the second largest auto insurer in the United States, after State Farm. GEICO is a wholly owne ...
insurance. The song also samples
Shifty Henry
John Willie "Shifty" Henry (4 October 1921 – 30 November 1958) was an American musician, most noted as a double bass and bass guitar player, and blues songwriter. He also played flute, violin, viola, saxophone, and oboe and was in demand as a se ...
's "Hyping Woman Blues" and led to a renewal of interest in Henry's compositions.
In 2004, Mr. Scruff released ''
Keep It Solid Steel Volume 1
''Keep It Solid Steel Volume 1'' is Mr. Scruff's first DJ mix album, recorded for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel series. According to his own site, it is the first of 4:
This first CD, of a four-part series, covers in its 74 minutes bouncy reggae, clas ...
'', the first of what is intended to be a series of several
DJ-mixed compilation CDs for Ninja Tune's
Solid Steel
''Solid Steel'' are a series of DJ mix albums issued on Ninja Tune, an independent record label in the UK.
''Solid Steel'' also has a radio station webcast and related live concerts which further showcase the DJing talents of such artists.
In 1 ...
series of artist mixes.
These mixes are designed to recreate the eclectic genres one would expect to hear at a Mr. Scruff club night. In November 2006, Ninja Tune confirmed that the 8th Solid Steel record would be mixed by
J Rocc
The Beat Junkies is an American hip hop crew of DJs specializing in turntablism.
Established in 1992 in Orange County, California by J. Rocc. As of 2014, The Beat Junkie Crew also host their own record pool, clothing line and radio station. Th ...
and the 9th would be Volume 2 from Mr. Scruff. Other
Solid Steel
''Solid Steel'' are a series of DJ mix albums issued on Ninja Tune, an independent record label in the UK.
''Solid Steel'' also has a radio station webcast and related live concerts which further showcase the DJing talents of such artists.
In 1 ...
mixes have been released by fellow Ninja Tune artists including
The Herbaliser
The Herbaliser is an English jazz hip hop group formed by Jake Wherry and Ollie Teeba in London, England during the early 1990s. Although currently releasing on their own label and having previously been signed to !K7 Records, they were one o ...
,
Hexstatic
Hexstatic are an English electronic music duo, consisting of Stuart Warren Hill and Robin Brunson, that specializes in creating "quirky audio visual electro." Formed in 1997 after Hill and Brunson met while producing visuals at the Channel 5 ...
,
DJ Food
DJ Food is an electronic music project currently headed by Kevin Foakes (also known as "Strictly Kev"). Originally conceived by the members of Coldcut on the Ninja Tune independent record label, the project started in 1990 on the premise of p ...
and
Amon Tobin
Amon Adonai Santos de Araújo Tobin (born February 7, 1972), known as Amon Tobin (), is a Brazilian electronic musician, composer and producer. He is noted for his unusual methodology in sound design and music production. He has released eight ...
.
He has a wide array of remixes to his name, and has also produced tracks for others – notably "Echo of Quiet and Green" for sometime-collaborator
Niko Niko may refer to:
People
The given name is sometimes a short form of Nikola, Nikolas, Nikolaos or others.
* Nikō (1253–1314), Japanese Buddhist disciple of Nichiren
* Niko (musician), American musician active from 2002
* NiKo (born 1997), B ...
for her 2004 album ''Life on Earth''. Niko returned the favour, appearing on the track "Come Alive" from the ''Trouser Jazz'' album.
Having performed regularly at
The Big Chill Festival in
Eastnor Castle
Eastnor Castle, Eastnor, Herefordshire, is a 19th-century mock castle. Eastnor was built for John Cocks, 1st Earl Somers, who employed Robert Smirke, later the main architect of the British Museum. The castle was built between 1811 and 1820. Ma ...
deer park,
Ledbury
Ledbury is a market town and civil parish in the county of Herefordshire, England, lying east of Hereford, and west of the Malvern Hills.
It has a significant number of timber-framed structures, in particular along Church Lane and High Street ...
, Herefordshire, he was asked in 2006 to select the tracks for the compilation album, ''Big Chill Classics''.
July 2008 saw the release of ''Southport Weekender Volume 7'', a double album released in the Southport Weekender series, recorded in a purpose-built holiday village in
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England.
Southport lies on the Irish ...
, Merseyside. The first disc was mixed by German
nu jazz
Nu jazz (also known as jazztronica, or future jazz) is a genre of jazz and electronic music. The music blends jazz elements with other musical styles, such as funk, electronic music, and free improvisation.Definition from Sergey Chernov, June 7, ...
DJs
Jazzanova
Alexander Barck, Zelt Musik Festival 2015 in Freiburg, Germany
Jazzanova is a German Berlin-based DJ/producer collective consisting of Alexander Barck, Claas Brieler, Jürgen von Knoblauch, Roskow Kretschmann, Stefan Leisering, and Axel Reine ...
, and the second was mixed by Mr. Scruff. Scruff's contribution is a mix of
soul music
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...
.
In 2008, a new independent record label,
Ninja Tuna
''Ninja Tuna'' is the fourth studio album by British record producer Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy, released on 6 October 2008 through Carthy's personal Ninja Tune imprint Ninja Tuna.
The track "Kalimba", which is a pop rock song, with synthesiz ...
, was founded, a collaboration between Scruff and the Ninja Tune label. Mr. Scruff's most recent singles and the album ''
Ninja Tuna
''Ninja Tuna'' is the fourth studio album by British record producer Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy, released on 6 October 2008 through Carthy's personal Ninja Tune imprint Ninja Tuna.
The track "Kalimba", which is a pop rock song, with synthesiz ...
'' were all released on the new label.
A US-only release of the album on mp3 came with 10 additional tracks from the ''Ninja Tuna'' recording sessions, under the title ''
Bonus Bait
''Bonus Bait'' is a compilation album by United Kingdom, British musician and Disc jockey, DJ Mr. Scruff, Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy. It was released on 9 February 2009 by Ninja Tune, and features outtakes of his album ''Ninja Tuna''.
In the U ...
''. A CD version of this supplementary album was released in the UK in February 2009.
On 19 May 2014 Ninja Tuna released Mr. Scruff's fifth studio album, ''
Friendly Bacteria
''Friendly Bacteria'' is the fifth studio album by the British musician and DJ Mr. Scruff. It was released on 19 May 2014 by the labels Ninja Tune/Ninja Tuna simultaneously.
Background
According to Mr. Scruff, the album would "display a stripp ...
''.
Style
Artwork
Mr. Scruff's album and single
cover art
Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game (box art), music album (album art), ...
, music videos, merchandise and his official website are noted for their whimsical cartoonish look; the cartoons are drawn by Scruff himself, in what he calls "potato style". The images and animations are also projected onto large screens during his
gigs.
Scruff also drew cartoons for music magazines such as ''
Jockey Slut
''Jockey Slut'' was a British music magazine which ran between 1993 and 2004, focusing mainly on dance music and club culture. It started as a self-published bi-monthly fanzine in 1993, and became a monthly by 1999, following a buy-out by Swi ...
'' in the 1990s.
Tea
Mr. Scruff began selling tea from a small room at the Manchester club, the Music Box, where he was resident DJ in around 2000, with the proceeds going to charity. When he started touring, Scruff took the enterprise with him and gained a reputation for being the DJ with the teashop. When appearing at festivals, such as Big Chill and
WOMAD
WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.
History
WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, ...
, tea stalls or tents were erected, and were open for the duration of the festivals. Scruff subsequently started an online tea company, Make Us a Brew, and produced his own range of
fair trade
Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
teabags which used to be sold in department store chains
Selfridges
Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridge ...
,
Waitrose
Waitrose & Partners (formally Waitrose Limited) is a brand of British supermarkets, founded in 1904 as Waite, Rose & Taylor, later shortened to Waitrose. It was acquired in 1937 by employee-owned retailer John Lewis Partnership, which still se ...
and
Booths
Booths is a chain of high-end supermarkets in Northern England. Most of its branches are in Lancashire, but there are also branches in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. It has been described as the "Wait ...
.
His official website still sells the branded tea-related paraphernalia including teapots, mugs and tea-towels, but the tea is no longer sold as the Make Us a Brew company was dissolved in September 2013.
He is the joint owner, with his manager Gary McClarnan, of Teacup Kitchen, located in Thomas Street, Manchester.
Fish
Most of Mr. Scruff's studio albums contain tracks about fish, whales and other
sea-life, which
cut up
Cut Up is a Swedish death metal band formed by former members of Vomitory (band), Vomitory in 2014, and is currently signed to Metal Blade Records.
Members
* Erik Rundqvist – bass guitar, vocals
* Andreas Björnson – guitar, vocals
* And ...
recordings
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, r ...
of
voiceovers
Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations. ...
from children's stories and nature documentaries to create surreal and silly stories.
They began with the track "Sea Mammal" (featuring a sample from
Boogie Down Productions
Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, ''Criminal Minded ...
' track "Part Time Sucker"), released on the ''Hocus Pocus'' single (1995). It is also the opening track on Scruff's first album. This was followed by "Wail" (as a homophone for "Whale"), also on his first album. ''
Keep It Unreal
''Keep It Unreal'' is Mr. Scruff's first major release. It includes the hit single "Get a Move On!", which is an electro swing track built upon samples of Moondog's "Bird's Lament (In Memory of Charlie Parker)" alongside vocals from T-Bone Walke ...
'' (1999) featured the tracks "Shanty Town" and "Fish", the latter of which features samples from the likes of
David Attenborough
Sir David Frederick Attenborough (; born 8 May 1926) is an English broadcaster, biologist, natural historian and author. He is best known for writing and presenting, in conjunction with the BBC Natural History Unit, the nine natural histor ...
and
David Bellamy
David James Bellamy (18 January 1933 – 11 December 2019) was an English botanist, television presenter, author and environmental campaigner.
Early and personal life
Bellamy was born in London to parents Winifred May (née Green) and Thoma ...
. The album ''Trouser Jazz'' (2002) closes with another cut-up track, "Ahoy There!", noted as featuring an appearance from "Albert Ross" (albatross).
Scruff has stated that he is unlikely to record any further fish-based cut-up tracks. However, marine references continue in Scruff's work including the track "Shrimp" from ''Trouser Jazz'', and the title and cover art of his albums, ''
Ninja Tuna
''Ninja Tuna'' is the fourth studio album by British record producer Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy, released on 6 October 2008 through Carthy's personal Ninja Tune imprint Ninja Tuna.
The track "Kalimba", which is a pop rock song, with synthesiz ...
'' (2008) and its companion release, ''
Bonus Bait
''Bonus Bait'' is a compilation album by United Kingdom, British musician and Disc jockey, DJ Mr. Scruff, Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy. It was released on 9 February 2009 by Ninja Tune, and features outtakes of his album ''Ninja Tuna''.
In the U ...
'' (2009).
Hot Pot
Mr. Scruff and Treva Whateva (his Ninja Tune label-mate and friend from Stockport) recorded a weekly hour-long radio show (with frequent guest, Jon Hill), some episodes of which can still be found on samurai.fm.
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
* ''
Mr. Scruff
Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), better known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. ...
'' (Pleasure Music, 9 May 1997)
* ''
Keep It Unreal
''Keep It Unreal'' is Mr. Scruff's first major release. It includes the hit single "Get a Move On!", which is an electro swing track built upon samples of Moondog's "Bird's Lament (In Memory of Charlie Parker)" alongside vocals from T-Bone Walke ...
'' (
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is an English independent record label based in London. It has a satellite office in Los Angeles. It was founded by Matt Black and Jonathan More (better known as Coldcut) and managed by Peter Quicke and others.
Inspired by a visit ...
, 14 July 1999) UK #175
* ''
Trouser Jazz
''Trouser Jazz'' is an electronica, electronic album by Mr. Scruff, released in 2002. It is Mr. Scruff's second "proper" album (actually his third, but the early compilation album ''Mr. Scruff (album), Mr. Scruff'' was deleted and re-released in ...
'' (Ninja Tune, 16 September 2002) UK #29
* ''Mrs. Cruff'' (Ninja Tune, reissue of ''Mr. Scruff'' with additional tracks, 5 May 2005) UK #195
* ''
Ninja Tuna
''Ninja Tuna'' is the fourth studio album by British record producer Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy, released on 6 October 2008 through Carthy's personal Ninja Tune imprint Ninja Tuna.
The track "Kalimba", which is a pop rock song, with synthesiz ...
'' (Ninja Tune, 6 October 2008)
UK #60
* ''
Bonus Bait
''Bonus Bait'' is a compilation album by United Kingdom, British musician and Disc jockey, DJ Mr. Scruff, Andrew "Mr. Scruff" Carthy. It was released on 9 February 2009 by Ninja Tune, and features outtakes of his album ''Ninja Tuna''.
In the U ...
'' (Ninja Tune, 9 February 2009)
* ''
Friendly Bacteria
''Friendly Bacteria'' is the fifth studio album by the British musician and DJ Mr. Scruff. It was released on 19 May 2014 by the labels Ninja Tune/Ninja Tuna simultaneously.
Background
According to Mr. Scruff, the album would "display a stripp ...
'' (Ninja Tune, 19 May 2014)
Mix and compilation albums
* ''
Heavyweight Rib Ticklers
Andrew Carthy (born 10 February 1972), better known by his stage name Mr. Scruff, is an English record producer and DJ. He lives in Stretford, Greater Manchester and studied fine art at the Psalter Lane campus of Sheffield Hallam University. ...
'' (Compilation album, Unfold Recordings, 11 February 2002)
* ''
Keep It Solid Steel Volume 1
''Keep It Solid Steel Volume 1'' is Mr. Scruff's first DJ mix album, recorded for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel series. According to his own site, it is the first of 4:
This first CD, of a four-part series, covers in its 74 minutes bouncy reggae, clas ...
'' (DJ mix album, Ninja Tune, 1 January 2004)
* ''Big Chill Classics'' (
Compilation album
A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...
,
Resist Music
React Music Limited was a British, London-based independent record label, that was formed in 1990 by James Horrocks and Thomas Foley. James Horrocks was initially involved with successful dance music independent Rhythm King, and React pursued ...
, 21 August 2006)
* ''Southport Weekender Volume 7'' (DJ mix album – Disc 2 mixed by Mr. Scruff,
Concept Records
Concepts are defined as abstract ideas. They are understood to be the fundamental building blocks of the concept behind principles, thoughts and beliefs.
They play an important role in all aspects of cognition. As such, concepts are studied by sev ...
, 21 July 2008)
* ''Mr. Scruff Feat. Alice Russell'' (Music Takes Me Up, 2008)
Singles
* "Hocus Pocus" (
Robs Records
Rob's Records was a British, Manchester-based independent record label founded by Rob Gretton, former manager of Joy Division and New Order, and a co-director of Factory Records.
Their first release in 1989 was the single "Security" by the US- ...
, March 1995)
* "The Frolic EP Part 1" (Pleasure Music /
Pinnacle Records
Pinnacle Entertainment was an entertainment group based in the United Kingdom spanning many divisions, but primarily known as one of the UK's leading independent record label Record distributor, distributors.
History
In 1996, Windsong/Pinnacle w ...
, 15 January 1996)
* "The Frolic EP Part 2" (Pleasure Music / Pinnacle Records, 16 February 1996)
* "Limbic Funk" (Pleasure Music, 29 July 1996)
* "Large Pies EP" (Cup of Tea Records, 7 April 1997)
* "How Sweet it Is" / "Is it Worth It?" (with Spikey T) (
Grand Central Records
Grand Central Records was an independent record label based in the Northern Quarter of Manchester, England. It was started in 1995 by DJ Mark Rae (who, along with Steve Christian makes up the duo Rae & Christian). Rae started out working as ...
, 13 June 1997)
* "Pigeon" (Pinnacle Records, 6 June 1997)
* "Chipmunk / Fish / Happy Band" (Ninja Tune, 10 March 1998)
* "
Get a Move On!
"Get a Move On!" is a song by English record producer and disc jockey Andrew Carthy under his alias Mr. Scruff, featuring Fingathing member, Sneaky, on bass. The song is featured as the third track from his second studio album, ''Keep It Unreal'' ...
" (Ninja Tune, 26 April 1999) UK #139
* "Honeydew" (Ninja Tune, 22 October 1999) UK #129
* "Hocus Pocus" (re-release, Robs Records, 7 May 2001)
* "
Get a Move On!
"Get a Move On!" is a song by English record producer and disc jockey Andrew Carthy under his alias Mr. Scruff, featuring Fingathing member, Sneaky, on bass. The song is featured as the third track from his second studio album, ''Keep It Unreal'' ...
/ Ug" (re-release, Ninja Tune, 6 August 2001) UK #83
* "Shrimp!" (Ninja Tune, 27 May 2002) UK #78
* "Beyond / Champion Nibble" (Ninja Tune, 23 September 2002) UK #125
* "Sweetsmoke" (Ninja Tune, December 2002) UK #75
* "Sweetsmoke Remixes" (Ninja Tune, April 2003) UK #91
* "Giffin" (Ninja Tune, 20 October 2003)
* "Chicken in a Box / Spandex Man" (Ltd edition, Ninja Tune, 11 April 2005)
* "Donkey Ride / Giant Pickle" (with
Quantic, Ninja Tuna, 12 May 2008)
* "Kalimba / Give Up To Get" (Ninja Tuna, 14 July 2008) (featured as sample music in
Windows 7
Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...
)
* "Music Takes Me Up" (Ninja Tuna, 15 September 2008)
* "Get on Down / Hold On" (Ninja Tuna, 1 December 2008)
* "Whiplash / Bang The Floor / Cat & Mouse" (Ninja Tuna, 9 February 2009)
* "This Way / Hairy Bumpercress" (Ninja Tuna, 9 March 2009)
* "Nice Up The Function / Listen Up" (Ninja Tuna, 6 April 2009)
* "Bunch of Keys / Cat & Mouse Version 2" (Ninja Tuna, 8 June 2009)
* Mr Scruff Vs Kirsty Almeida – "Pickled Spider" (Ninja Tuna, 14 June 2010)
* "Wobble Control" (Ninja Tuna, 9 May 2011)
* "Feel It / Bounce" (Ninja Tuna, 3 October 2011)
* "Be The Music" (Ninja Tuna, 28 September 2012)
* "Render Me (Remixes)" (with Denis Jones, Ninja Tune, 2 June 2014)
*"Feel Free (Scruff’s 12" Re-Tweak)” (Ninja Tune, 8 August 2014)
*"We Are Coming (Max Graef Remix)” (Ninja Tune, 8 September 2014)
*"Joy of Brass Remixes (Mr. Scruff vs Phil France)” (Gondwana Records, 29 September 2017)
*"Kalimba (Petko Turner Edit)” (Ninja Tune, 10 January 2018)
Collaborations
Mr. Scruff with...
*
DJ Spooky
Paul Dennis Miller (born September 6, 1970), known professionally as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid, is an American electronic and experimental hip hop musician whose work is often called by critics "illbient" or "trip hop". He is a turntabli ...
– "Murderah Style" appeared on the compilation album ''Tribal Gathering 96'' (Universe, 1 October 1996)
* Mark Rae – "How Sweet It Is" and "Gotta Have Her" both appeared on the compilation album ''
Central Heating
A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces.
...
'' (Grand Central Records, 25 November 1996)
*
Tony D
Anthony Depula (June 28, 1966 – April 4, 2009), known professionally as Tony D, was an American hip hop artist from Trenton, New Jersey.
Career
Although he was an MC and a DJ, he was most famous for being an influential producer in hip hop ...
– "Flavour" featuring Mark Rae, Mark 1 and Mr. Scruff, from the album ''Pound For Pound'' (Grand Central Records, 15 September 1997)
* Mark Rae – "The Squirrel" appeared on the compilation album ''
Central Heating 2
Central Heating 2 (also known as Central Heating Vol. 2) is the fourth compilation from Grand Central Records. The two disc album was originally released on 17 April 2000 and re-released with alternative sleeve art on 12 January 2004.
Disc one
# ...
'' (Grand Central Records, 17 April 2000)
*
Peter Nice Trio
Tony Colman (born 28 April 1961), better known by his stage name London Elektricity, is an English electronic musician and the co-founder and CEO of Hospital Records.
History
The first incarnation of London Elektricity was the duo Tony Colman a ...
vs. Mr. Scruff – "Harp of Gold" from the compilation album ''Out Patients'' (
Hospital Records
Hospital Records is a British independent record label based in South London. Primarily releasing drum and bass, the label was started in 1996 by Tony Colman (London Elektricity) and Chris Goss, and has grown in recent years to become one of t ...
, 30 May 2000)
*
Fingathing
Fingathing are an English electronic music group, comprising classically trained double bass player Simon 'Sneaky' Houghton, DJ/turntablist Dan 'Peter Parker' Baxter and Visual Artist Chris Cavetroll Drury.
History
Peter Parker was a finalist ...
– "Just Practice" featuring Mr. Scruff, from the album ''
The Main Event'' (Grand Central Records, 20 November 2000)
*
Quantic – "It's Dancing Time" from the compilation album ''Shapes One'' (
Tru Thoughts
Tru Thoughts is a British independent record label founded in Brighton in 1999 by Robert Luis and Paul Jonas.
Since the acclaimed first album release of Bonobo's debut ''Animal Magic'', the label has put out over 200 LPs, across genres from e ...
, 1 September 2003)
*
Quantic – "Giraffe Walk" from Quantic's album, ''One Off's Remixes and B Sides'' (Tru Thoughts, 6 February 2006)
* Swell Sessions – "No No" from the album ''Swell Communications'' (Freerange Records, 24 September 2007)
*
Quantic – "Donkey Ride" (Ninja Tune, 12 May 2008)
* Kaidi Tatham – "Fresh Noodles" (Prime Numbers, 30 November 2009)
*
Kirsty Almeida
Kirsty or Kirstie is a feminine given name and nickname.
It is a Scottish diminutive of Christine in English-speaking countries and is also linked to Kirsten — the Scandinavian version of Christine.
People
* Kirstie Alley (1951–2022), Amer ...
– "Pickled Spider" (Ninja Tune, 30 April 2010)
Several of Mr. Scruff's records also feature guest vocalists and musicians. These include Sneaky (from
Fingathing
Fingathing are an English electronic music group, comprising classically trained double bass player Simon 'Sneaky' Houghton, DJ/turntablist Dan 'Peter Parker' Baxter and Visual Artist Chris Cavetroll Drury.
History
Peter Parker was a finalist ...
),
Roots Manuva
Rodney Hylton Smith, better known by his stage name Roots Manuva (born 9 September 1972), is a British rapper and producer. Since his debut in 1994, he has produced numerous albums and singles on the label Big Dada, achieving commercial succes ...
,
Niko Niko may refer to:
People
The given name is sometimes a short form of Nikola, Nikolas, Nikolaos or others.
* Nikō (1253–1314), Japanese Buddhist disciple of Nichiren
* Niko (musician), American musician active from 2002
* NiKo (born 1997), B ...
,
Braintax
Joe Christie, better known as Braintax, is a British hip hop artist and producer. Christie had also recorded or appeared under the pseudonyms Brando Flux and Joey Brains. All of his releases were on his own record label, Low Life Records.
Origi ...
,
Alice Russell and
Danny Breaks
Danny Breaks (born Daniel Whiddett) is a British drum and bass DJ, record producer and record label owner. He is known for his experimental instrumental hip hop production, and early music career as the breakbeat hardcore artist Sonz of a Loop ...
.
Both Scruff and Roots Manuva have expressed an interest in recording a full album together, though the artists' schedules have prevented it to date.
Cover version
* "Get a Move On" was covered by
Will Holland
William Holland (born 1980) is an English musician, DJ and record producer. He is based in New York City, after spending seven years in Colombia. Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The Li ...
's side project,
The Quantic Soul Orchestra
William Holland (born 1980) is an English musician, DJ and record producer. He is based in New York City, after spending seven years in Colombia. Holland records under various pseudonyms, including Quantic, the Quantic Soul Orchestra, The L ...
on the album ''
Pushin' On
''Pushin' On'' is Quantic Soul Orchestra's second full-length release. The singer Alice Russell performs on several of the album's tracks. The title track is featured in the pilot episode of ''Californication Californication may refer to:
*Cali ...
'' (Tru Thoughts, 5 May 2005).
Song appearances
* The last segment from the documentary movie ''
Scratch'' (2001), entitled "Full Circle", features a different mix of "Spandex Man" with additional samples.
* The opening scene of the
Malcolm in the Middle
''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American family television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for Fox. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons and 151 episodes.
The series follows a dysfunctional ...
episode entitled "Evacuation" features "Blackpool Roll".
* Episodes of the
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
TV comedy show ''
Spaced
''Spaced'' is a British television sitcom created, written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, and directed by Edgar Wright, about the (comedic and sometimes farcical and action-packed) misadventures of Daisy Steiner and Tim Bis ...
'' featured the tracks "Spandex Man", "Chipmunk" and "Blackpool Roll" from the ''
Keep It Unreal
''Keep It Unreal'' is Mr. Scruff's first major release. It includes the hit single "Get a Move On!", which is an electro swing track built upon samples of Moondog's "Bird's Lament (In Memory of Charlie Parker)" alongside vocals from T-Bone Walke ...
'' album.
* "Spandex Man" was also used on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
series ''
Top Gear
Top Gear may refer to:
* "Top gear", the highest gear available in a vehicle's manual transmission
Television
* ''Top Gear'' (1977 TV series), a British motoring magazine programme
* ''Top Gear'' (2002 TV series), a relaunched version of the or ...
'', is often used on the
BBC Three
BBC Three is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It was first launched on 9 February 2003 with programmes targeting 16 to 34-year-olds, covering all genres including animation, comedy, curre ...
show ''
The Real Hustle
''The Real Hustle'' is a BBC British television series created by Objective Productions, Alexis Conran and R. Paul Wilson for BBC Three. The show demonstrates confidence and magic tricks, distraction scams and proposition bets performed on memb ...
'' and features in the films ''SW9'' and ''Gumball Rally 3000''.
* The song "Ug" from the album ''
Trouser Jazz
''Trouser Jazz'' is an electronica, electronic album by Mr. Scruff, released in 2002. It is Mr. Scruff's second "proper" album (actually his third, but the early compilation album ''Mr. Scruff (album), Mr. Scruff'' was deleted and re-released in ...
'' is used in numerous ''
Weebl and Bob
''The everyday happenings of Weebl and sometimes Weebl's friend, Bob'' (best known as ''Weebl and Bob'', and renamed ''Wobbl and Bob'' for its DVD release) is a Flash cartoon series created by Jonti Picking and co-scripted by Chris Vick.
About ...
'' cartoons, including the very first one entitled "Pie". The
pie
A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts ( pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), swe ...
as a motif later recurred in one of Scruff's videos (''Sweetsmoke'').
* "Get a Move On" has been used in advertisements including
Volvo
The Volvo Group ( sv, Volvokoncernen; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distributio ...
and
Lincoln
Lincoln most commonly refers to:
* Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States
* Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England
* Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S.
* Lincoln ...
automobiles, in television shows including the BBC's snooker highlights, ''
Bargain Hunt
''Bargain Hunt'' is a British television programme in which two pairs of contestants are challenged to buy antiques from shops or a fair and then sell them in an auction for a profit. It has aired on BBC One since 13 March 2000 in a daytim ...
'' and ''
The Apprentice
''The Apprentice'' is a Reality competition, reality talent game show franchise originally aired in 2004 in the United States.
Created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett, the show depicts contestants from around the country with variou ...
'' and in Kenny Anderson's section of the skateboarding video ''One Step Beyond''. The song was chosen by
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director.
Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over se ...
as one of her eight favourite records on ''
Desert Island Discs
''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942.
Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usu ...
''.
* "Blackpool Roll" was used in New Zealand by television network
TV ONE as background music as part of their branded channel advertising and show listings. It also appears in the game Rolando 2.
* "Fish" was used in episode 4 of
Diane Morgan
Diane Morgan (born 5 October 1975) is an English actress, comedian, television presenter, and writer. She is best known for playing Philomena Cunk on Charlie Brooker's ''Weekly Wipe'' and in other mockumentaries, as Liz in the BBC Two sitcom '' ...
's sitcom Mandy. The song is also used by
Nexus Productions
Nexus Studios is an animation, film and interactive studio based in London and LA. It was founded in 2000 by Charlotte Bavasso and Christopher O'Reilly.
Creating a range of both handcrafted and high-tech work, Nexus Studios has a team of product ...
for the
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic, a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British airline with its head office in Crawley, England. The airline was established in 1984 as British Atlantic Airways, and w ...
safety video, which features the voices of
Vic Reeves
James Roderick Moir (born 24 January 1959), better known by his stage name Vic Reeves, is an English comedian, artist, surrealist, musician, actor and television presenter, best known for his double act with Bob Mortimer as Reeves & Mortimer. ...
and
Dani Behr
Dani Behr (born 9 July 1970) is an English former singer, actress, voice-over artist, and television presenter.
Early life
Behr was born in Mill Hill, London, of South African Jewish descent. Her father is a partner in London estate agents Be ...
and by
Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre.
Thomson Reuters was created by the Thomson Corpora ...
for their UK Customer Service hold music.
* Several Mr. Scruff tracks appeared on ''
Rolando
Rolando may refer to:
Entertainment
*''Rolando'', a 2008 puzzle-adventure video game
*'' Rolando 2: Quest for the Golden Orchid'', a 2009 puzzle-adventure video game
*"Rolando", a song by Roland Kirk from the album ''Domino''
People
*Rolando (giv ...
'', a game for
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
's
iPhone and
iPod Touch
The iPod Touch (stylized as iPod touch) is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a music pl ...
devices in 2008. The game, developed b
HandCircusand published by
Ngmoco, features the tracks "Ug", "Stockport Carnival", "Spandex Man", "Donkey Ride", "Kalimba", "Shrimp", and "Mice at the Organ".
* The track "Kalimba" from the album ''Ninja Tuna'' is included in the sample music folder on computers running
Windows 7
Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, 2009. It is the successor to Windows Vista, released nearly ...
.
* "So Long" and "Get a Move On" from the album ''Keep it Unreal'', have been featured on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim during commercial breaks.
* "Pickled Spider" was featured in solid steel's podcast episode: Revenge of the nerd, Created by Dj Cheeba
* "Champion Nibble" from ''Trouser Jazz'' was used in the video game
Forza Horizon 2
''Forza Horizon 2'' is a 2014 racing video game developed for Microsoft's Xbox One and Xbox 360 consoles. It is the sequel to 2012's '' Forza Horizon'' and the seventh instalment in the ''Forza'' series. The Xbox One version of the game was ...
.
* There's a poster for the album "beyond" by Mr. Scruff and Seaming on the office wall in the British television comedy
The IT Crowd
''The IT Crowd'' is a British sitcom originally broadcast by Channel 4, written and directed by Graham Linehan, produced by Ash Atalla and starring Chris O'Dowd, Richard Ayoade, Katherine Parkinson, and Matt Berry. Set in the offices of the fict ...
.
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scruff, Mr.
English DJs
English electronic musicians
English record producers
Musicians from Manchester
Musicians from Cheshire
Music in the Metropolitan Borough of Stockport
People from Macclesfield
People from Stockport
Ninja Tune artists
Living people
1972 births
Downtempo musicians
Nu jazz musicians
Electronic dance music DJs