Mr Scruff

Manchester native Andy Carthy, whose neatly trimmed beard inspired the performing alias Mr. Scruff, produces and spins a playful, groove-heavy mixture of house, disco, jazz, and breaks, paired with his own cartoon artwork rendered in what he terms "potato-style." Early dubby downtempo EPs led to a self-titled 1997 full-length, after which he earned favor in the downtempo and nu-jazz circles via Keep It Unreal (1999) and Trouser Jazz (2002). Later projects such as the electro-funk-leaning Friendly Bacteria (2014) employed fewer samples and more guest vocals. He has also issued an adventurous run of mixed CDs rich in reggae, soul, and underground hip-hop selections, among them Keep It Solid Steel, Vol. 1 (2004) and DJ-Kicks (2020).

The 1995 Rob's Records single "Sea Mammal" drew immediate notice from DJs and critics; a semi-veiled tribute to Boogie Down Productions' "My Philosophy," it merged the dime-store aesthetic of Luke Vibert or Howie B with straighter rhythms and understated funk, soul, and electro touches. The Frolic EP soon appeared on Rob's subsidiary Pleasure Music, extending the breezier, tea-room everyday atmosphere of his debut and converting buzz into widespread attention, which in turn generated remix commissions from the likes of DJ Food and Lamb. The year 1997 brought Large Pies, an EP for Bristol's noted Cup of Tea label, together with the eponymous debut album that collected highlights from those early singles.

Keep It Unreal, his first Ninja Tune release, arrived in 1999 and featured Roots Manuva on "JusJust" as well as the jaunty, Moondog-sampling single "Get a Move On!," which became Scruff's best-known track through repeated licensing in advertisements and compilations. At the same time he became recognized for all-night DJ sets that ranged across '60s and '70s soul-jazz and funk, scratchy old reggae and dub 45s, classic hip-hop, schmaltzy vocal pop, and new-school electronica. He compiled the dub-centric Heavyweight Rib Ticklers in 2002, followed by his first official mix CD, Keep It Solid Steel, Vol. 1, in 2004.

Trouser Jazz, his third full-length, proved most commercially successful, reaching the Top 30 of the U.K. albums chart and selling over 100,000 copies throughout Europe. Ninja Tune reissued the debut album with bonus material as Mrs. Cruff in 2005. Ninja Tuna, released on Scruff's own sublabel of the same name in 2008, included guest vocalists Alice Russell and Andreya Triana. Scattered EP releases across the late 2000s and early 2010s preceded Friendly Bacteria (2014), on which Matthew Halsall, Robert Owens, and Vanessa Freeman appeared; the almost electro album favored a more minimal palette with reduced samples and heavier bass. "Joy of Brass," a left-field house single with Phil France, surfaced on Gondwana Records in 2017. Scruff's contribution to !K7's long-running DJ-Kicks series arrived in 2020, its typical eclecticism touching on dancehall reggae, Afrobeat, samba, and further genres.