I've always loved music and in school I played lots of different instruments.  

I got into listening to hip-hop in 1989 - loving acts like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, LL Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Ice T.  

When rave music came along, I really liked the way that my favourite hip-hop beats, breaks and samples were being sped up and mixed together to create this hypnotic new kind of music.  With lots of free parties happening in Somerset, where I grew up, I got even more hooked on the music.  We all collected rave tapes, but me and a mate wondered if we could do it ourselves.  

So towards the end of 1992, with £50 in my pocket - I visited a local car boot sale and managed to pick up 2 turntables and an amplifier.  One had a pitch control, the other didn't.  For my birthday, I got a really basic mixer.  Armed with a few borrowed records, and a few of my own (the beginnings of my own collection) - I started learning to mix.  

Putting in the hours until everyone in my house had heard the same tracks about 40 times each, I started getting better - learning to beat mix and even scratch (as much as I could on a belt drive turntable).  After a few dodgy attempts, I completed my first 90 minute mix tape, under my Flatliner alias, Flatiner #5 was issued to a few friends, and was subsequently copied many times.  You can listen to it on my site.  

Although my first mixtape had more hardcore elements to it, my real love was jungle/drum & bass and all my later DJing has been with that at the forefront.  Under various aliases, Flatliner, Fresh, The Reaper, Flame and finally settling with R-Hawk I have lost count of the number of mixtapes I have recorded and along the way I have DJ'ed at quite a few free parties and clubs.

Whilst at University in Sheffield, I had a residency at Corporation night club, with the Cooked Fish crew (respect to Glyn and Jonny Bladerunner of Darnal Studios).  Back in Bristol, I have DJ'ed a few times at Lakota and Thekla.  Also had a very late night slot on Storm FM up in Manchester!

For me, it is the love of the music and the buzz of sharing it with other people that keeps me loving this artform.  I hope that you enjoy some of the music on my website!