Current managing director and A&R man for Skint Records, and DJ and producer under the alias Midfield General. One of the key players in the development of the Big Beat music genre.
Born in 1969, Damian grew up in Whitstable, Kent. He was introduced to hiphop at 14, via Tim Westwood's pirate radioshow. From there he became interested in house, attending parties in and around Canterbury and mixing with Canterbury University students. One such student was Jon DaSilva, future Hacienda legend, who introduced him to DJing. He DJed at small clubs in and around Whitstable, immersing himself in the underground music of the 80s.<.p>
After high school, Damian moved to Brighton to study art before he realised it wasn't his thing. His break came when Chris Mellor, resident of Brighton's Zap Club offered him a residency as a deputy DJ. The Zap club residency brought him to the attention of Loaded record bosses Tim Jeffrey and JC Reid, who offered him a job at Loaded Records. Loaded were releasing house from Norman Cook under alias Pizzaman, at the time.
In 1994 along with friend Norman Cook, he separated from the house-only Loaded Records to start a splinter record company focusing on "left field grooves with hip hop beats and acid house attitude" (1). He named the company Skint because of the opposition in music style to Loaded, and to reflect his financial status at the time. Damian is also responsible for creating the Big Beat Boutique night along with Norman Cook.
After hours, Damian cites his hobbies as "watching football and television" (2). He is a famous Arsenal supporter, with the Arsenal influence apparent in his releases as Midfield General. He is an avid reader and fashion follower along with his work at Skint and DJing, yet describes himself as "lazy". (2).
1 - skint DOT net website bio
2 - midfieldgeneral DOT com website bio