Labels Shiva Soundsystem Name Nerm Nerm | Website nerm.co.uk | |
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Genres Electronica, Drum & Bass, Alternative Associated acts D-Code (DJ)
Foreign Beggars
Engine Earz Experiment
Riz MC | ||
Nerm the cat
Nerm is a DJ, broadcaster and fixer in music and film. Born in Birmingham, as a child he edited together cut up cassette tapes to make his first "mixes". At age 16 he started DJing and made the leap from cassette to vinyl. His first residency was at the Ministry of Sound in Birmingham.
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Initially associated with the Asian Underground movement, then drum & bass, he is now a proponent of alternative and electronic music and curates festivals, radio shows, clubnights and soundtracks.
Early life
Nerm's passion for music and mixing started at the age of 10 whilst playing around with some D90 cassette tapes.
Early career
Nerm gained press and TV attention in 2000 as the dancer in the electro-punk band Charged, signed to Nation Records. Around the same time he became the headline DJ at London's underground clubnight, Swaraj.
Swaraj was the platform on which Nerm pioneered Shiva Soundsystem, by amalgamating the live energy of a band with the dance floor by integrating musicians in his sets. Shiva Soundsystem began as a group, which then progressed into an extensive association of musicians, producers and DJs whose HQ was a large warehouse space in Hackney, East London. Shiva Soundsystem helped introduce new, cutting-edge acts from across the world to clubbing audiences in London.
Breakthrough
Nerm, alongside Shiva Soundsystem, curated events, first running huge parties at their warehouse HQ with international guest performers, then, more legitimately, playing weekend residencies in East London's underground night clubs. Herbal in Shoreditch and Vibe Bar in Brick Lane were two such residencies which featured guests such as Aphex Twin, Commix, Andrew Weatherall, Logistics, Colin Dale, Moving Fusion and Sub Swara. New and interesting live bands and offshoot live projects of other acts also featured including Aziz, Ian Brown's guitarist and co-writer of his debut solo album.
Shiva Soundsystem toured India and playing Glastonbury every year from 2002.
In 2005 Shiva Soundsystem became a record label to release production from the collective and other associated artists. The first drum & bass/bass mix album fashioned for India, titled India:One was mixed and released by Nerm. Shiva Soundsystem's releases obtained support from Pete Tong, Pendulum and Laurent Garnier.
Media
In tandem with Shiva Soundsystem came invitations for Nerm to host and share his passion for underground music with interest from TV and radio channels including E! Channel (Venezuela), Radio 1 MTV India and BBC 2 which led to Nerm's progression as a broadcaster, at first on the BBC Asian Network radio station with his weekly show Electro East.
Electro East represented a wide spectrum of underground music from across the world with artists at the beginning of their ascents to stars as guests including Chase and Status, Noisia, Benga and Brookes Brothers and more specialist artists enduser, V.I.V.E.K (Deep Medi) and Amit (Commercial Suicide)
In 2008, with label-mate D-Code, Nerm embarked on a two-year run on BBC Radio 1 featuring a range of underground music. Guests included a series of "vs" DJ battles:
Nerm & D-Code also stood in for Mary Anne Hobbs, Ras Kwame and for 1Xtra’s Drum & Bass Mix Show and presented alongside Annie Mac and Zane Lowe.
In 2010, Nerm presented his final shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Asian Network.
In 2011, Nerm began to host on BBC 6Music primarily presenting the 6Mix alongside fellow residents Groove Armada, Erol Alkan, Andrew Weatherall, Tiga & Ben Watt and guests DJ Shadow and Thom Yorke.
He has also stood in for Gilles Peterson.
Nerm continues to DJ with appearances at major festivals including Bestival, with Riz Ahmed aka Riz MC, Foreign Beggars and with Shiva Soundsystem.
Film
In 2010, Nerm acted as consultant, remixer and supervisor on the music for Everywhere and Nowhere from Kidulthood director Menhaj Huda. He has since become more involved in film with work on soundtracks, marketing and a few cameo appearances.