Micky Finn

From jail-friendly adolescent to drum'n'bass pioneer, Micky Finn's rise to fame in the world of electronic music was a gradual one. Born as Michael Hearn in the late '60s, Finn was often in and out of jail due to minor offenses in his rundown section of London. When he decided to change his criminal behavior, he found himself taping music off of the radio and cutting out the talking and commercials in an early attempt to make his own mixes. When he first witnessed Eric B. & Rakim at a local club, he was entranced by Eric B.'s impressive skills and decided to give it a go himself. Later that year he found himself at a club where Paul Oakenfold was DJing, and it was there that Finn was first exposed to house music. Falling head over heels for the unconventional dance music, he started spinning records at home and soon graduated to clubs, where the emerging art form was drawing larger and larger crowds. First playing at the Tunnel Club, he was given his stage name from the thickly accented pronunciation of his nickname, Mikey Thin. Helping pioneer the drum'n'bass and jungle movements in their early forms, Finn was one of the most recognizable faces in a scene that included Colin Faver and Oakenfold. He started remixing material, including songs from a very new Aphex Twin. From there, Finn began contributing tracks to rave compilations, gaining exposure from his own tracks as well as his joyous dance parties. He began releasing mix records and discs as well, most notably for Mixer and Mixmag magazines, throughout the late '90s and into the next decade. And his work was noted by the rap community, which saw him working with the Jungle Brothers and Busta Rhymes on remixes. ~ Bradley Torreano, Rovi