DJ Spoony

British garage took its name from pirate stations

In the London Underground of the mid-nineties, when UK garage was still brewing on London's pirate radio stations, DJ Spoony was already on the other side of the microphone. Raised in Hackney, the son of West Indian parents—a mother from Saint Kitts and Nevis and a father from Antigua—he began DJing at fifteen in youth clubs, with a melting pot of eighties soul, hip hop, swingbeat, and vocal house. On that frequency, he met Mikee B and Timmi Magic, and in 1996, the trio Dreem Teem was born, one of the driving forces of the scene.

Kiss, Twice as Nice and the national leap

In December 1997, the trio landed on Kiss 100 and, in January 2000, took the sound nationwide on BBC Radio 1. The following year, they won a Sony Radio Award. Spoony established himself as a resident at Twice as Nice for over seven years and, since 1997, as one of the names that turned Ayia Napa into the summer of garage. With the Dreem Teem, he signed The Theme, Buddy X 99 with Neneh Cherry, and It Ain't Enough with Artful Dodger, as well as compilations on 4 Liberty and INCredible. After the trio's Sunday show, he stayed on Radio 1 with the Weekend Breakfast (2003-2006) and later hosted 606 on Radio 5 Live. He also spent time at Ministry of Sound Radio and held a residency at Rinse FM.

Garage Classical at the Royal Albert Hall

In 2018, he brought the UK garage songbook to an orchestra at the Barbican and, in 2019, released Garage Classical (Since 93), with Katie Chatburn and the Ignition Orchestra: reinterpretations of classics with Paloma Faith, Lily Allen, Sugababes, Emeli Sandé, Gabrielle, and So Solid Crew. The show sold out the Royal Albert Hall and returned in 2024 to celebrate three decades of the genre. During the pandemic, Spoony's House streams gathered over a million listeners and raised funds for the NHS; in the 2023 New Year Honours, he received the British Empire Medal.

The Good Groove, from Fridays to weeknights

Since July 2022, he has hosted The Good Groove on BBC Radio 2: first on Fridays and, since 2025, from Monday to Thursday from 22.00 to 00.00, featuring soulful house, UK garage, soul, disco, and R&B. He remains at the helm of weekenders like A House Full of Garage and, in 2025, released the single Weekender. His international booking is handled by Arcade Talent Agency.