Aphrodite

Born in Aberystwyth, Wales in 1968 and settled very early in London, Aphrodite, Gavin King's stage name, established himself in the continuity of the British breakbeat hardcore, jungle and drum and bass scenes of the early 1990s. He first appeared within the duo Urban Shakedown with Micky Finn, with whom he notably signed ‘Some Justice’ in 1992, before developing his solo work under the names Aphrodite, DJ Aphro or A-Zone. His aesthetic rests on nerve-wracked broken rhythms, a marked sense of groove, thick basslines and frequent use of ragga, hip-hop and funk accents, in a more direct and dancefloor-oriented rather than cerebral vein. Aphrodite also launched his own label, Aphrodite Recordings, and over the years built a discography that accompanies the evolution of jungle toward a tighter, more club-ready drum and bass. Among his verified albums are Aphrodite (1999), Aftershock (2002) and Break in Reality (2007). Active as a producer, remixer and DJ, Aphrodite has also produced remixes for Nine Inch Nails and Dub War, while remaining associated with a very London-centric reading of breakbeat, between soundsystem culture, dancefloor efficiency and constant movement between underground rave and broader formats.