James Lavelle

• Genre: Breaks
• Hometown: London

About

A DJ in his own right and the head of the influential Mo 'Wax label, James Lavelle is also known as the man from U.N.K.L.E.: an ever-evolving trip-/hip-hop production partnership that also includes various friends and Mo 'Wax signees (such as DJ Shadow). Lavelle is the constant creative force behind U.N.K.L.E's mish-mash of styles, samples and effects. As a DJ, Lavelle displays similarly eclectic tastes, stitching tracks by a range of artists into a patchwork of devilishly dark beats and deep, resonating bass lines. Lavelle was the first DJ to create a commercial mix for the London superclub Fabric, where he DJs regularly, both solo and with U.N.K.L.E. His Global Underground disc is one of the few non-trance albums in the series.

- Mia Quagliarello