Mace commenced his musical journey in 1991, motivated by the iconic Sterns nightclub in his hometown of Worthing, where he experienced early sets from notable artists such as LTJ Bukem, Grooverider, Carl Cox, and Kid Batchelor. This inspiration prompted him to acquire his first pair of decks in 1992, where he self-taught himself the art of mixing, gravitating towards the rolling style and extended mixes that DJs like Randall and Carl Cox were known for during that era.
By 1993, the music scene was evolving from Hardcore into Jungle, and Mace naturally aligned himself with the Jungle movement. He frequently traveled to London, where he visited record shops like Black Market, Unity, Wax City, and Lucky Spin, often waiting for hours to secure limited promo runs of the latest Jungle releases. He remained dedicated to the genre, tuning into Kool FM regularly.
Mace's significant breakthrough came towards the end of 1996 when he connected with local DJ Rok One, a member of the Jungle Pressure and Steppaz Convention crew. Rok introduced Mace to Richard Scott and Original Vibes, who operated Dancefloor Studios in Chichester—the same studio responsible for mastering the Sterns tapes that Mace had grown up with.
In 1997, Mace produced his inaugural Jungle track, "Reminiscence," at Dancefloor Studios. This straightforward rolling drum & bass track proved to be highly effective on the dance floor. Given the popularity of the Kiss FM Drum & Bass shows at the time, Mace sent the track to Kenny Ken. Within two days, Kenny reached out to arrange a meeting to sign the track for release on Mix & Blen Records.
This marked the beginning of Mace's production career; "Reminiscence" became a classic, played by many prominent DJs and featured on the World Dance album in 1997. Simultaneously, Mace was advancing his DJ career and won the title of Best Up and Coming Drum & Bass DJ at the 1997 Kiss FM DJ competition.
Shortly thereafter, Mace signed with Ton Management, a DJ agency known for representing notable artists like Kenny Ken, Ratpack, Ellis Dee, and Peshay. The agency's reputation led to a surge in bookings, with Mace performing weekly across the UK and internationally at venues such as Labyrinth, One Nation, Pure Science, Ministry of Sound, Steppaz Convention, Club UN, Slinky, and The Matrix, as well as touring the USA and playing in Paris and Amsterdam.
Additionally, Mace hosted a weekly show on Rude FM, one of London's prominent pirate stations, joining Mc Evil B, who was the show's host at that time. Over the years, Mace released numerous tracks on Mix & Blen and collaborated with Kenny Ken and his close friends, G-Squad, who are now recognized as Supply & Demand.
By 2003, Mace began exploring new musical avenues, releasing music on Fabio's label Creative Source. His track "Inside Your Soul" became a staple at the legendary Swerve nights hosted by Fabio at the Velvet Rooms in Charing Cross. Fabio, who also had a weekly show on BBC Radio One with Grooverider, often featured Mace's new tracks, significantly enhancing his DJ profile.
Mace subsequently established his own label, Planet Funk Recordings, co-owned with Kenny Ken. This label focused on the Liquid Funk sound of the time and quickly gained recognition, with many top DJs supporting its releases. Between 2002 and 2009, Planet Funk produced ten releases and remains open for future projects.
During this period, Mace frequently visited Miami, which became almost a second home for him. His Miami connections began with a booking at the Winter Music Conference, leading to regular DJ gigs across Florida for several years.
From his beginnings in 1991 to the present, Mace has devoted over 25 years to his passion for music and continues to do so. He is now known by the artist name "Original Mace."
