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Being asked to write this is not only an honour but extremely difficult. How do you explain something this weird? Take two opposite people who never should have met add a spoonful of fate and 9 years 4 albums and over 50 songs and there you go.

So how did we get here?

Dame and me lived 40 miles apart and were not childhood pals. He grew up in the middle of picturesque forest and was brought up on rock music by his brother’s appetite for KISS and other rock. He learned guitar and became, in a word, AWESOME. Many accidents later (including a few that should have seen him off) he met Paul, a blind guy, with an awesome talent for songs and promotion. They formed a band called Blue Room and off they went.

Meanwhile I grew up on a less than grand neighbourhood, with a love of soul and rap spoon fed to me from my brother and sister’s record collection. I have pictures of my first DJ appearance at 7, will try and get it up here soon (3 years later – hmmmm – will do it soon honest!)

Anyway, aged 19 and very loud I spent my weeks at the BBC learning to be a radio DJ and my weekends raving and dancing all over the country. One week I had to interview a band called Blue Room. Paul and Simmion (singer) had a good interview, got to admit I had met major acts at the time but these guys had energy.

I was invited to a remix by Paul a few weeks later. I’d never been in a studio to make a record so naturally I was a bit scared. From the corner a mass of long hair, guitar and attitude came over. We had a disagreement over an arrangement of drums and an argument started. What a day! After a few strong words I told the guy to go to hell as I knew what dance music was and he should stick to playing to hippies. Expecting a right hander (he had a reputation for hitting people who crossed him) I braced myself. All I heard was a laugh when He got up, he just said “put it there”, no one here argues with me. You’re alright. I’m Dame.

Dame and I formed VFD when Paul stopped recording to pursue his degree. Me and Dame became friends, then brothers. Every Saturday we got together and tried to make records that stand out as good. Work only stopped for F1 qualifying as we cheered our heroes around the track. We had a huge collection of Senna in the studio. Dame cheering Montoya and Sato, me cheering with the Tifosi!

It was always the same routine, me and Dame would make the tracks then I would play them in DJ sets all over the place. We played the NEC in Birmingham, on various radio stations as well as for corporate clients like Dancemat and Technics. KURU our other act is more experimental and is the result of Dame recording everything we did.

We wrote the loops mostly in the forest and driving on the motorway on a battered laptop using an old copy of fruity loops before transferring the MIDI data into the studio. Then the boy went to work - I never touched the desk for the album just programmed stuff when asked. I seemed to be spending all my time at clubs hustling pa deals and going to Radio 1 to get airplay.

Our world had seen albums, a few crap girlfriends and a lot of fun. Everything was OK and fine till January 2004. We had just finished recording, with Kerry B from the Clubland 4 Album when Dame complained of a headache. We left as it was unusual for him to complain about being ill.

A month later, after Dame had picked a fight with God and almost won, we were all at his funeral.

His talented mind suffered from a rare tumour. We all prayed for his survival, but God got his reward. His family were drowning in letters and cards from people they never even knew - even Radio 1 sent a message. Our small, but strong, fan base cried. Many still call and can’t believe it happened.

His family have asked me to fulfil his wish of promoting the albums to the full, with our label and to continue as VFD for as long as I feel the need to record. I have given all of Dames half of any record deal with everything we have to his family.

To help cope with the loss we all feel in life, I ask you to get together with some friend and just talk. You will never know what you have till it’s gone. A card from a fan said it best, DON`T BE SAD IT`S OVER, BE GLAD IT HAPPENED. WE ARE!

Thanks for all your support and kindness, stay happy people! VFD / KURU for LIFE

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