Mr Scruff
Mr Scruff, born Andrew Carthy in Manchester in 1972, is an English DJ known for marathon sets that range across soul, funk, hip hop, jazz, reggae, latin, disco, house and breaks. He gigged across the UK with club nights including Electric Chair, Off Centre, Fat City and Tru Thoughts, and in Europe with Grand Central, before signing to Ninja Tune in 1998. His debut album for the label, Keep It Unreal, arrived in 1999 and gave rise to his own Manchester club night of the same name, launched so he could play music on his own terms rather than fit another promoter's policy.
Those Keep It Unreal sessions became a fixture at Band On The Wall in Manchester and KOKO in London, drawing crowds for his all-night selections. In 2010, the Big Chill Festival invited him to host his own tent, recognition of his standing as a dedicated digger and selector. In 2004 he began the Keep It Solid Steel mix series for Ninja Tune, and he later contributed a DJ-Kicks mix in 2020 and Early Hours in 2023.
His catalogue also includes Trouser Jazz and Ninja Tuna, produced alongside his ongoing residency and touring commitments.