Vadim
DJ Vadim, born Vadim Alexandrovich Pir in Saint Petersburg, has worked as a DJ and record producer since releasing his self-released debut Headz Ain't Ready in 1995, going on to build a hip-hop-rooted catalogue spanning labels including Ninja Tune, BBE, Jazz Fudge and Soulbeats. His sound blends instrumental hip-hop with electronic, reggae and soul elements, an approach shaped in part by the influence of dub and reggae producer Mad Professor on tracks such as Black Is the Night. After three hip-hop albums released through Ninja Tune, Vadim continued expanding his catalogue through BBE, describing himself in label materials as one of the hardest-working underground producers and performers active in the scene. He relocated from Russia to London, a move that placed him within the UK's underground hip-hop and beat scene while his production and DJ work maintained international collaborators and vocal features, including Katherine DeBoer's appearance on Black Is the Night. Vadim's career has spanned three decades of consistent DJ and production output, with his sets and releases continuing to draw on the same instrumental hip-hop, dub and reggae fusion established at the outset of his career in the mid-1990s.