DJ SS is a drum and bass DJ and producer from Leicester, England. He is born Leroy Small and begins performing as a breakdancer before moving into music in his teenage years, starting with electro in the early 1980s. He then plays hip hop and rare groove, before beginning to produce in 1988. His early production work covers acid house, hardcore, breakbeat and, later, jungle and drum and bass.

Career

DJ SS gains wider attention through DJ sets at major British raves in the early 1990s, including Telepathy, and then tours internationally as a DJ. His work predates the full development of drum and bass, and he releases formative tracks during the period when hardcore evolves into the new style. He later returns to production after a short break and continues releasing records through the late 1990s under several names, including Keen and Tekniq.

Formation Records

He co-founds and leads Formation Records, a label that becomes an important outlet for drum and bass. It releases more than 100 of his tracks under various aliases, including the Color Series, the Country Series, MA3 and Those DJs. One of the label’s best-known releases is “Lighter”, which samples the piano from Love Story. Formation also helps establish artists such as John B and Twisted Individual.

Style and legacy

DJ SS is associated with early drum and bass and jump-up jungle, and he plays an important part in the genre’s early-1990s development. Among his influential early releases is “Breakbeat Pressure”, which becomes one of the style’s early classics. His catalog spans multiple aliases and labels, and he remains a recognised figure in the UK drum and bass scene.