DJ History from the architect's chair. Damian Harris founded Skint Records, designed the Fatboy Slim logo, started the Big Beat Boutique, and A&R'd Norman Cook into the biggest DJ on the planet. Now he tells his side of the story.

From punk gigs with his brothers in Canterbury to acid house in Brighton, from living with Norman Cook to watching "Santa Cruz" become Skint's first release — Damian traces the full arc. He walks through the A&R instinct that signed the Lo-Fidelity Allstars in two minutes flat, the night he played a Justice remix in his office and said "this is the future," and the moment he walked away from the label he built.

This is the companion episode to Ep 17 (Fatboy Slim). Same story, other side of the desk. First label boss on A DJ's Journey.

Damian now runs Vicious Charm, his own independent label.

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📸 Instagram: @dj.deckard

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Damian Harris and Skint Records

03:42 Musical Beginnings: Punk to Hip Hop

12:19 Art School and Early DJ Experiences

16:53 Brighton: A Musical Hub

17:41 Life with Norman Cook

21:20 The Birth of Big Beat and Skint Records

30:13 A Historical Coincidence: The Birth of Skint Records

31:51 Transitioning to Label Ownership

35:05 The First Releases: Building a Foundation

37:15 Instinct and A&R Decisions: The Early Years

39:32 The Promise of Lo-Fi All-Stars

40:43 The Big Beat Boutique: Origins and Evolution

45:42 The Big Beat Boutique Era: A Cultural Shift

49:26 Balancing Multiple Roles: DJ, Producer, and Label Owner

51:40 The A&R Pipeline: Finding New Talent

54:29 Curating the Big Beat Sound

57:08 The Evolution of Breakbeat: Diverging Paths

01:01:48 The Evolution of Breakbeat and DJ Culture

01:02:42 The Rise of Fatboy Slim

01:05:40 Navigating Success and Pressure

01:08:44 The Shift in Musical Genres and Personal Growth

01:13:11 Challenges in Creating Iconic Albums

01:17:57 The Difficult Decision to Leave Skint Records

01:18:27 Exploring New Ventures and Creative Freedom

01:21:04 Returning to Skint and the Changing Music Landscape

01:26:03 Future Aspirations and the Vision for Vicious Charm

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#DJCulture #IndependentLabel