Dave Clarke (techno DJ)
| Dave Clarke | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Maurice Clarke |
| Also known as | The Baron of Techno, Hardcore, Directional Force, Mister Technology |
| Born |
19 September 1968 Brighton, East Sussex, England |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Techno, electronica, house |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, producer, Radio Presenter |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Deconstruction Records, Skint Records |
| Website | daveclarke |
David Maurice "Dave" Clarke (born 19 September 1968) is an English electronic music DJ, producer and radio presenter. BBC radio presenter John Peel named Clarke "The Baron of Techno".
Born in Brighton, East Sussex, England, Clarke was educated at Brighton College, but moved out of home at the age of 16 after his parents separated.
Since the age of 8, Clarke started getting into music and technology, and to him, "there was no alternative but to go professional."
After a brief period of homelessness, a friend offered him temporary accommodation and Clarke continued to develop his love for music—initially hip hop and post-punk. The Damned was an early influence for Clarke and he continues to listen to the band during his music career:
I bought my first Damned album because I thought they sounded like theyd be really evil, he declares, and even now their album Machine Gun Etiquette is one I keep coming back to. I like the attitude, the free rein of it, and on an artistic level I see my music as in the alternative genre rather than dance music. Techno and electro is an alternative that happens to be on the peripheries of dance music.
During this period, his employment included a low-paying job in a shoe shop; however, his musical ambitions were established at this stage of his life: "I used to tell people when I was working in a shoe shop that I would one day travel the world based on a career in music... I was that driven." Musical success began when he attained a DJ residency at the Brighton nightclub "Toppers", which rivalled a club night run by John Digweed (then known as DJ JD). Clarke later explained that he regarded the period "as an apprenticeship".
Clarke's music reviews were also published in the now-defunct DMC Update magazine and he reviewed the inaugural single by Aphex Twin. Clarke acknowledged in 2013, "having my reviews in there [DMC Update] helped me to get the vinyls I needed to be out there DJing."
Clarke's musical career commenced as a producer and his first release was under the moniker "Hardcore" on the XL Recordings label in 1990. The release occurred two years after he played his first international show at the now-defunct "Richters" venue in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The XL release gained the attention of Belgian techno music label R&S Records and he subsequently released various EPs in 1991 as both Hardcore and "Directional Force".
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