My first visit to Ninja Tune Headquarters!

I remember this day like it was yesterday. Just a kid from Canada with a mixtape and a dream.  I was invited to sign to Ninja Tune after they heard a version of the Scratchcratchratchatch tape. (There's a funny story there for another post). Ninja Tune invited me to go to London to perform at their club night called STEALTH at a club in Hoxton Square. 

It would also be the first time I would visit the Ninja Tune Headquarters which at the time was on Clink Street near the river.  I'd never been to a record label office before, and anything I knew about Ninja Tune came from buying their records, often including super-advanced beats, sophisticated packaging and their fiercely independent spirit.

When I got to London, I stayed at Strictly Kev's house.  He's kind of my big brother and mentor in the DJ world. He was also designer of the original Ninja Tune logo.  If you don't know his work, you can check it out at his website here. On this day he took me to the Clink Street office to meet the other Ninja Tune crew. 

Anyhow, being the tourist that I was, I decided to bring a camera and take some photos.  It was pre camera phones. So I tried to take a "panoramic" photo with my film camera.

When we got to the Ninja office, it was like arriving at Willy Wonka's factory. So much to see!  People running around everywhere! Turntables, stickers, vinyl, computers. There was a lively buzz in the office. Everyone was busy doing things, phoning magazines, setting up interviews, designing flyer artwork, designing tshirts, record bags, etc. People were all very excited on the phone too! I remember hearing them constantly and enthusiastically saying the word "wicked!".

The office was super vibe-y. I loved how punk it was. Artwork was everywhere. Flyers from past Ninja events... designs, sketches. There was this very palpable artistic and creative energy there. 

You can see the river through the window in this panel below. And next to it near the top of the frame was the original Ninja Tune logo that Kev designed (the one with the sword). 

That's Strictly Kev in the photo. And you'll notice a turntable on the shelf next to him. There were turntables all over the office. People were listening to records all the time, whether it was something they were really into, or just to check a test pressing of something Ninja was about to release. 

Speaking of which, there was a moment while we were there that the buzzer at the door rang.  And all of a sudden we hear somebody yell "Records are here!"  And everyone jumped out of their seats and raced down the stairs as if they were going to their battle stations.  

"What's happening?"  I asked Kev.

"Oh, some records just arrived from the pressing plant, we have to go get them."  So we joined everyone heading down the stairs where there was a delivery truck van with maybe 30 boxes of vinyl. 

We all grabbed a box and brought them back up the stairs to the main office. Then we proceeded to put some sticker labels on each one. Like all hands on deck! I loved how the whole crew worked together. Like a big family planning an even bigger party (the show was maybe 2 days away). 

That day and the next few years of touring with the NInja Tune crew inspired this page in the Carpal Tunnel Syndrome comic book (which would come out four years later). I learned a lot of Brit slang when I went on tour with them. I was already a big fan of the British comedy shows that I saw growing up in Canada like Monty Python and Black Adder. But on the tour bus they would introduce me to plenty of new British I'd never heard of like The Fast Show, Alan Partridge, Ali G., Eddie Izzard, and Harry Hill.  When we got to a new city, the Ninja DJs would always love to go dig for records and hunt for weird and wonderful relics of music industries past. Especially, Kev, who is a fan of design from every era!

And finally, you can see them on the thank you page on the back cover of the comic book. 

On the left wall are DJ FOOD (PC and Strictly Kev), as well as Suzie Green (our Ninja Tune tour manager), Ryhna (my friend and manager and best person at my wedding), Peter Quicke (Ninja Label Manager), Jonathan More and Matt Black from Coldcut, Funki Porcini, Amon Tobin, Jeff Waye from the NA Ninja Office, Alistair who was our technician on the tour and Vez who handled all the PR at the label at the time, plus many of the people who inspired me to make that album. See if you can recognize any of them (although I'm not that good at caricature drawing).  

There's a blank spot in the bottom left corner in the front row where the owner of the record/comic was meant to draw their own face (no one ever did) LOL.

Although that trip and those tours were two decades ago, it still feels like just yesterday. I'll cherish that time forever. The adventures with that Ninja Tune crew quite literally changed my life. I'm so grateful to them for the time, those experiences and all that they taught me.

The music "industry" has changed several times since then. But my outlook on some things hasn't changed at all. Still feel like that kid with a mixtape and a dream. 

The note I'd written on the bottom of that page still rings true today for all of you. Thank you for your patience, encouragement, inspiration and support!

Hey! The buzzer just rang, I have to go, the records are here! 

E