A big-beat bar band with old-school smarts, Dust Junkys are headed by the former MC Tunes (Nicky Lockett), a rapper who fronted 808 State for the Top 20 singles "The Only Rhyme That Bites" and "Tunes Splits the Atom." Lockett formed Dust Junkys by 1995, with Sam Brox on guitar, Steve OJ on bass, Mykey Wilson on drums and Ganiyu Pierre Gasper on turntables. Struggling to be signed, the band hit the road circuit and gained much praise around their Manchester base. Finally signed by Polydor in 1998, Dust Junkys debuted with the single "What Time Is It?," then released their debut albumDone and Dusted in late 1998.