I owe my love of music to my own curiosity and countless hours spent reading the NME and the sadly no longer Q magazine. Some of my earliest memories are soundtracked by music — records, tapes and CD’s playing around the house, the radio on in the background while I played with Lego and Star Wars. 

Over the years that soundtrack keeps growing and shifting, from the raw intensity of Metallica, Soundgarden, Nirvana and Stone Temple Pilots to the brilliance of Prince, Stevie Wonder and Bowie. The soul and wit of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and The Beastie Boys, the quiet, inward pull of Bon Iver, the storytelling of Sam Fender, MK.gee and Frank Ocean, and even the undeniable pop of Daft Punk, Justin Bieber, Jungle and Taylor Swift. 

Every phase taught me something about how music can feel, hit, and stay with you. I owe a lot to my beautiful darling Rachel who I miss deeply every day, Cecilie for stopping her old Paps turning into a dinosaur, friends and work colleagues, … a special shout out goes out to Sonny, Jane and Simon for sharpening my ears and pushing my tastes along the way.