Today we put the spotlight on Damageman, a dedicated drum & bass artist whose journey spans decades of the scene’s evolution.
From his teenage beginnings on belt-drive turntables to running the long-standing Banger After Banger events and establishing his own label Sub Heavy Audio, Damageman embodies the spirit of grassroots D&B culture. His story is one of total dedication, musical growth, and a commitment to nurturing the scene from the ground up.
Whether through his productions, DJ sets, or 13 years of event promotion, Damageman’s passion for the craft and his consistent presence in the underground make him an essential voice in today’s landscape. Don’t take our word for it. Check his debut album Inside The Solar System or this killer mix he’s made for us especially…
Lock in and listen up as we dive into his journey from teenage DJ to respected producer, the inspiration behind his debut album, and his vision for keeping the subby, rolling sound of D&B alive and thriving.
What was the last thing you damaged?
Oh wow
Could be an object, a relationship, a reputation…
Hahah. Probably something at work while driving. Or a dancefloor of course.
Haha. Let’s get your origin story – where did it all begin for Damageman?
Yeah, so I started DJing in 1999 when I was 12 years old, just before I turned 13. I got my first set of Kam Red Dwarf belt drive turntables. Where I’m from, there was a little estate I lived on with an older bunch of lads who used to tinker around with their cars and they always used to be playing Jungle. I used to ask them, “What is that music you’re playing?” And one of the lads gave me a tape – I’m pretty sure it was a Mickey Finn tape from AWOL or maybe Dreamscape. It had Moose and GQ on there.
A family friend of my parents was a DJ as well, and he’d come around and tell me about Jungle Drum & Bass. My cousin was into it too, and all the local lads at my school were getting into it. There was an under-18s night that we all used to go to, and it all started from there.
What are your memories of your first under-18s events?
There was a night called Dance High, run by a chap called Gav who I know quite well. That was before I even started DJing, so I was probably 10 or 11. It was in Walton Community Hall, and it was brilliant – a mixed genre event with garage, drum & bass, jungle and happy hardcore.
Then another under-18s night called Aquarius started, run by my mate Garfy. I gave him a demo tape and he said, “Oh yeah, brilliant.” That’s how I got in there, and I started DJing for him. I had my first gig when I was 13 years old after about six months of DJing.
Did you already have your artist name at that time?
Yeah, I just used to be Damage or DJ Damage. Later it evolved into Damageman. When I was about 20-odd, I remember seeing a flyer with another DJ Damage on it, so I just added “man” to make it different.
My friend 2nzy (Garfield), who I was doing the under-18s nights with, also ran an over-18s night and gave me my first over-18s booking when I was 15. I played with Nicky Blackmarket, Swan-E, Foxy, Fatman D, DJ Sy – there were loads of DJs. He used to always book a headliner and I’d be one of the warm-up DJs. Because I was only 15, I had to get to the venue early and help set up all the speakers so I was already inside. But that was brilliant because I learned a lot about sound systems.
You’ve got a signature sound that’s made to come through big club systems. Is that because you started in clubs so young?
Maybe. I was quite late into starting production really – I didn’t start producing until about 2011-ish. So I’d already been DJing for 10-11 years. I would have liked to start earlier, but when I left school, I was looking for a production course in college or university around here, but there was absolutely nothing. And I couldn’t afford any equipment when I was a young lad. It wasn’t until later when production became more digital that I could start tinkering around.
I suppose playing out from an early age did help mold my sound. I produce with the DJ in mind – I don’t want to make it too technical or difficult to mix.
What was the turning point that made you start producing?
I remember going to a gig in Ipswich where all the locals were on vinyl. The promoter, who was my mate running the event, asked me about a week before if I knew anyone with CDJs because the headliner wanted to use them. We were all like, “What does he want CDJs for?”
But that was just before everything started changing to digital. They were coming to play all their dubs and new music, and I remember thinking – it all just clicked. It made perfect sense. He didn’t have to pay loads of money to cut dubs at places like Music House; he could burn tunes straight from his PC onto CD and play it that night. I thought that was brilliant and realized I needed to get into producing so I could start making and playing my own music if it was that accessible.
Can you remember the first time you played your own music in a club?
I probably played a few tunes that weren’t ready, to be honest! You get so excited – “I’m going to put it on a CD and play it tonight.”
I suppose I’ve been happy with my production and felt comfortable playing my tracks in sets for probably three or four years into production. My first ever release was around 2013, so I’d only been producing for about two years. When I listen back to those tunes now, they’re nowhere near up to scratch compared to what I’m making now, but it’s all about progression.
What moments have marked real progression in your career?
Playing at gigs and getting a really good response to a track for the first time, feeling everything hitting right on the sound system. But actually, it’s when you hear someone else play your track when you’re not expecting it.
I remember I was playing at Random Concept Summer Gathering a few years back. It was a two-day event, and on the first night DJ Hype was playing in the main arena. I stood outside speaking to my mate and then thought, “Hang on, that’s my tune!” I ran back into the tent and was like, “No way! Hype is playing my tune to a massive crowd!” That was a good feeling, seeing someone with the caliber of DJ Hype playing your track.
Hype played a few of my tracks when he used to do his Kiss FM show, and I’ve also had Rene LaVice play a track when he used to do the BBC Radio 1 show. Times like that are when I’ve really felt like I’m progressing.
That’s sick. But what artists are always in your sets? Who do you check for new releases?
I’m quite lucky because I get sent a lot of music, which I’m really appreciative of. I play a lot of stuff on Grid because I’ve got tracks signed to them, and I like that style of drum and bass anyway. I also like the Source – I really like their style of music. Anything on V Recordings too.
The tunes I like most are sort of like subby jump-up rollers. It’s not too squeaky and hectic, but it’s got that grunt, that umph, while still being energetic and vibey.
Tell us about your debut album – what was the concept?
I’ve been wanting to do an album for ages. I’ve had loads of two-track single releases and four-track EPs, but I thought, if I don’t do it now, I’m never going to do it. So I started collecting tracks, dropping some that weren’t fitting, and revisiting others. In the end, there are only eight tracks on the album. It was going to be more, but I thought if I kept adding tracks, I’d never get it out.
For the theme, my son loves space and he’s always telling me stuff I didn’t know. I’m quite into space documentaries and planets, and he comes back telling me things I didn’t know. So I thought “Inside the Solar System” would be a good theme. I decided to call the tracks after the planets. I was going to go further with the dwarf planets too, but I thought I’d just release the eight main tracks for the eight main planets, and then later on I might do a bonus EP with the dwarf planets.
Is your son impressed by your music?
Yeah, he quite likes coming in here. Every now and then I’ll let him sit in my chair and I’ll go through all the sounds and samples. He’ll say, “Yeah, that one, pick that one and drag that one in.” And I’m like, “Alright then, boss!” He’s really into music actually, so I would like to teach him properly how to DJ and produce when he’s a bit older. Sometimes he just comes in here and starts twisting knobs and bashing buttons!
Haha love it. Tell us about your event Banger After Banger. You’ve been running it for 13 years now, right?
Yeah, I’ve got a DJ back-to-back partner, DJ JayDee – my best mate John. We run Banger After Banger together, and it’s actually the 13th birthday bash in May. We’ve got a rave going on in Ipswich.
From around 2010 up to 2020 when COVID hit, we were DJing up and down the country, playing at some really big events. We’ve collaborated with promoters like Epidemik – we hosted an event with them last year with DJ SS and Jayline. We’ve had loads of people down over the years – Nicky Blackmarket many times, Twisted Individual, Ego Trippin, who are at the 13th birthday bash in May.
Oh sick. Any other highlights over the years?
Teaming up with Epidemik was a big thing for us because they’re quite a big promotion. When we got that sorted, having our brand associated with theirs was great – they’ve been going for 30 years now.
We also did a collab event with Random Concept back in 2013 or 2014. Garry K and Presha came down, and we had Blackley do a four-deck set.
But probably the biggest highlight was the seventh birthday bash we did in Felixstowe. We had the Ragga Twins down and that was just unbelievable. That night went off. It’s probably my favorite one we’ve done.
What’s next for you?
I’ve got a tune coming out with MC Shabba D, Tans, and ACMC. I sent a beat to AC quite a while ago, and he came back saying he really liked it. Next thing I know, he’s got Shabba and Tans on it too, which is awesome. I think that’s coming out in the next month or two.
I’ll also be sorting more releases on my label Sub Heavy Audio, with artists like Conrad Subs and Flat T. And of course, we’ll keep running our events – big shout out to John Jaydee, my partner in the event. Just business as usual really. Cracking on!
Damageman – Inside The Solar System is out now on Sub Heavy Audio
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