At the young age of ten, MR JPR was introduced to a new style of music that caught his attention at a friend’s house. It was a unique blend of deep warped basslines, a sample shouting “Keep Jumpin’ Ya Bastards”, and an MC declaring “This is The sound of London’s Underground”. Intrigued by this new sound, he asked his friend’s sister about it and discovered it was from a tape of the legendary Hardcore and Jungle rave “World Dance”. After getting a copy of the tape and sharing it with his friends, they delved deeper into the underground music scene by tuning in to pirate radio stations like “Weekend Rush” and “Kool FM” to record the shows on weekends.
Curious to learn more about the music and armed with 20p in his hand, MR JPR made a call from the local phone box to the number the MC provided for shouts and requests one weekend. This call sparked his interest in discovering that the tracks played by DJs could be purchased on vinyl, leading him to seek out the nearest record specialists. Through inquiring with his friend’s sister about where she had purchased “World Dance” tapes, MR JPR and his friends were introduced to “Slammin Vinyl” in Kingston and “Wax City” in Croydon. From that moment on, MR JPR has been avidly collecting vinyl records.
After purchasing two basic turntables, an amplifier, and speakers without pitch control from a car boot sale, he spent a year practicing keeping two records perfectly in time with each other using only his fingers to control the speed of the vinyl. He saved birthday, Christmas, and any other money he could to eventually buy himself two “Duel 505 Turntables” and a basic mixer, allowing him to explore pitch control. With his new equipment, MR JPR continued to teach himself the art of vinyl DJ’ing, spending his pocket money on nothing but more vinyl. After another year of practice, he mixed his very first Hardcore and Jungle mixtape, recording it onto a cassette tape. He would make copies of the Master Tape for his friends and sell them for £5 each to further help fund buying more records.
His mixtapes quickly rose in popularity, leading to frequent appearances by MR JPR at the largest house parties in his area. He gained a strong following as a DJ that people became increasingly excited to see perform live. As he entered his early teens, a well-known event promoter recognized his talent and offered him his first club residency at a monthly under 18’s rave. There, he shared the stage with some of the top DJs and MCs in the country, solidifying his reputation as a rising star in the music scene.
At the age of 16, he co-launched a pirate radio station called “Bliss FM” with another DJ he had met through a mutual friend. After a year of being on air, he took over full management and rebranded it as “Express FM”. Despite facing challenges such as the DTI, battling over frequencies and setting up studios in various makeshift locations, from bedrooms to garages, to keep the station running every weekend, the stress eventually led him to shift his focus to a new platform with a global reach – the Internet.
With the help of a friend skilled in website development, MR JPR conceptualized the idea of creating a comprehensive website dedicated to pirate radio, featuring information on various stations, their frequencies, music genres, DJ and MC names, and broadcasting schedules. After a year of learning the intricacies of website building, MR JPR successfully launched his website “London Pirate Radio Guide,” which quickly gained popularity.
As the UK Garage scene began to gain momentum in London, MR JPR expanded his online presence by creating the widely acclaimed “Garage Explosion” website, dedicated to all things related to the genre. This platform, along with the “Urban Music Top 100 Websites Directory,” he also managed garnered a large following, attracting thousands of visitors weekly. MR JPR soon found himself attending music video shoots, receiving exclusive tracks from major labels including the likes of everyone from the Dreem Teem to the So Solid Crew, further building a reputation within the music industry as being a guy to have high up on your promo list.
By the age of 18, MR JPR had established valuable connections in the industry and took the bold step of opening his own vinyl specialist store, “JPR Records,” in Wallington, South London. His entrepreneurial journey had begun, fuelled by his passion for music and commitment to showcasing the best of the Urban scene.
Shortly after opening his record store, MR JPR met his MC partner, “Sez,” and together they managed “JPR Records.” They also started one of the earliest urban music radio stations on the Internet, named “No Long Ting” aka “NLT Radio.” Broadcasting live for 14 hours a day, 7 days a week from a cramped back room in the record store and featuring only the very best DJ’s and MC’s from across London town on its schedule, the station quickly gained a global audience and became a popular hub for urban music lovers. This success also led to the duo organizing raves for their loyal listeners.
This led JPR and Sez to learn the ins and outs of promoting club nights and raves from industry experts, ultimately partnering with the renowned “McMahon Promotions” in the early 2000’s. Together, they organized some of the UK’s largest raves, including Exposure and Cookies & Cream. Building on this success, they launched more rave brands and MR JPR started a record distribution company. Their hard work and dedication earned them the trust and respect of key industry players, positioning them as the top team in the scene. Eventually, MR JPR had the exclusive opportunity to purchase “Ravertise” from his friend Nick.
MR JPR seized the opportunity and slowly began rebranding Ravertise into what then became known as “Record Shop Drop”. Alongside his team, they took on the responsibility of distributing the rave flyers, tickets, tape/CD packs, and merchandise for various top rave brands to vinyl specialist stores nationwide. They also played a crucial role in collecting payments from all the stores.
Not only were JPR and Sez a dynamic business duo, they also brought the house down as a DJ and MC combo, captivating audiences at every venue they performed at. With regular shows on radio stations like “Flight FM” and “Ontop FM” as part of the Grime crew “Evil Squad,” and appearances on popular stations like “Freeze FM,” “Laylow FM,” “Ice Cold FM,” “Rinse FM,” and “Kiss 100,” their presence in the music scene was undeniable. Despite their busy schedules running multiple businesses and performing at countless raves, they still managed to find time to promote Sez’s debut track “Make Way,” which quickly rose to the top of Channel U’s charts. Their dedication to their craft was evident as they worked tirelessly, often catching only moments of rest in between gigs and radio appearances. Their hard work and passion for music did not go unnoticed, as they made a lasting impact on the industry and earned the admiration of their peers.
Sez continued his success with hits like “Feeling Me” produced by Sollie, which gained just as much attention as his previous track “Make Way”. With Sez’s growing popularity and big collaboration’s lined up, he dedicated more time to producing new music in the studio for his mixtape and album releases. His success also led to a nomination in the best MC category at the “Musik 4U awards,” further solidifying his presence in the music industry.
Subsequently, MR JPR continued his work in event management, working closely with Kie and Sparks (may he rest in peace), and MC Official. Together, they organized and performed at numerous renowned UK Garage raves, including Luscious Friday’s, Garage & RNB Nation, Club Liberty, Twice as Nice, Garage & Bassline Fever, Pioneers of Da Old School, and many others. They tirelessly travelled week after week, crisscrossing the country from venue to venue.
MR JPR’s career flourished as he then embarked on a solo nationwide tour, securing international bookings along the way. Collaborating with esteemed DJs and MCs, he graced prestigious venues including Scala Superclub in London, Club Colosseum, Pacha, and the iconic “Sugar Hut” from the hit TV show “The Only Way is Essex”. His exceptional performances have captivated audiences at renowned events such as MTV Base and Virgin Records parties, Missy Elliot and Kelis’ UK album launch parties, solidifying his reputation as a sought-after and one of a kind DJ.
From UK Garage legends such as “DJ EZ” and “The Heartless Crew” to the pioneers of Grime in “Boy Better Know,” MR JPR has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the industry. Not only has he supported movie star Will Smith’s personal DJ, the iconic DJ Jazzy Jeff, on his UK tour, but he has also performed an exclusive Hip-Hop set on Jazzy’s prestigious gold-plated “DMC World Champion” Technics turntables and mixer. This unforgettable performance was also broadcast live on London’s Choice FM, showcasing MR JPR’s undeniable talent and passion for music. A headliner DJ across multiple genres, MR JPR continues to captivate audiences and collaborate with some of the best acts in the business.
Fast forward thirty year since the day he bought his first record and MR JPR is now back, once again, to share his incredible vinyl collection with the world, consisting of some of the rarest, most sort after and exclusive dubplates, test presses, white labels, un-released remixes, DJ only promo’s and dancefloor anthems in the one way he does best. Spinning you through thousands upon thousands of his House, UK Garage, Hardcore & Jungle, Drum N Bass, RNB, Soul, Hip-Hop, Ragga, Reggae, Dub, Bashment & Dancehall vinyl in his new series of live steams called the “MR JPR Woz Ere Sessions”. Broadcasting live in 4K high definition, get ready for an up close vinyl masterclass from MR JPR’s very own studio, live to you’re living rooms.
What he has in store for 2024 will have the music industry once again back on their toes and the lost art of Turntablism reborn…