Brandon was born in 1967 in the East End of London. At the age of four he and his mum moved to Wembley, where they still live, along with their cat Lovejoy. He had a lively youth, and plenty of friends and discovered at an early age that he had a love of music. He grew up with funk and disco music, as well as acquiring a passion for hip-hop in the late 70’s and early 80’s. “I’ve always been into music, from my early days at school. I used to dance a lot – I still like to do a bit when I get the chance”. What, breakdancing? “No, no – jazz dancing – it’s where my roots lie”.

The natural progression is to start buying records you hear out, which is what Brandon started to do with a few friends of his. “We used to go out to the souly nights and the discos and we just started to buy loads of records”. One of the places where Brandon used to go a lot was his local pub called The John Lion. “In it’s time this place was amazing – people used to travel from all over the place to go to this pub because it had a DJ in it and that”.

One night in the absence of the resident DJ the landlord, who knew Brandon and his mates, let them fill in after they offered him their services – they were so impressive that they were asked to replaced the absent DJ permanently. So in 1985, his DJing career had started. As house music emerged in this country, Brandon moved away from jazz, funk and hip-hop and into this new craze. He started DJing at various parties, then in clubs such as Zig-Zags in Ealing and it took off from there, getting his first residency at The Haven Stables in Ealing.

After that, he started to get a name for himself, and started to travel more. Leeds was one of the first places to become aware of this new talent, and after becoming popular around this thriving city, the rest of the north adopted him and he was playing at Manchester, Liverpool etc. Promoting become part of his busy schedule, running FUBAR (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition) at The Milk Bar in London, with good friend Lisa Loud, which included being a window-dresser, a recruitment consultant and a roofer, paled into insignificance. He also started to play out in Ibiza and he is seen today as one of the legends of the Ibizan club life, having first played out there in ’89, alongside the likes of Rampling, Oakenfold, Holloway, Lisa Loud and his good friend Alex P. “It’s good to be remembered for good times like that – apparently I’m an Ibiza Veteran”.

Is that good or bad? “Very good”. But the big question is whether it’s still as good now as it was then? “The island is still the same…it’s still good fun. People always ask me this question. The place becomes more popular every year – it’s massive; the people get younger – I get older. The thing is that you’ve just got to go and have a good time. You can’t just sit there and say “this is shit, this is shit” – you’ve got to go out and enjoy yourself; the music’s there, the suns there, the girl’s are there. When people go on like this, I just can’t understand what they’re talking about. You’re on holiday ain’t you? Go and have a fucking good time and stop moaning! After all, the clubs out there are beyond amazing – they are the best looking clubs you’ll ever see – sheer beauty, and they’re big in any one night Ku can have between 8 and 9,000 people in and out of the doors”.

One of the arguments against all the partying on the island, is that the clubbers and big promoters have ruined Ibiza – run-ins with the local Police, drunk and disorderly Brits and the rest of it, but is this true in reality? Do the locals really hate us Brits? “We haven’t ruined it – I can’t see whey they complain because the whole thing has brought punters to the island. Without the punters what would they have with only a four or five month season? Without the tourists they’re fucked – and they spend a fucking fortune -£500 and £600 each a week, so they can’t complain. They can always say that the tourists ruin the tranquillity and the special Spanish, Balearic feel to the island – but any countryside is ruined by the tourists”. I suppose you can see the Islander’s point, but is it a bit ungrateful? “Yeah it is.

And the way they treat people out there is not too good. It’s understandable if you get a bit loutish, but you are on holiday”. Has ‘off his’ Blocko ever had a problem with the Ibizan Police? “Yeah, I’ve had a few problems for just being drunk, being myself and taking too many drugs…y’know how it is! Also being well known and being looked at doesn’t help”. So I suppose that learning the local lingo might be useful in such a situation. “I speak a little of Spanish – when I go to a foreign country, I always try to learn as much of the local language as I can and as quickly as possible. It’s nice if you can say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ in their own language”. As well as the essentials: ‘cerveza’ and ‘bocadillo de bacon’ (or however you say it).

What gives him the buzz when DJing? “I’m happy as long as the crowd has a good time. I enjoy my work – I jump around, scream and shout – put my hands in the air and all that. I like to get ‘em going and the more they respond, the better I feel. Last week, I was doing a party in Ibiza called ‘Sundance’ which is for the 18-30 year olds which I do every year – usually every two weeks in the Summer. But this is the first one I’ve done this year and they announce your name on the mic – y’ know… ‘First time appearance on the island this year… Brandon Block!’… and the whole fucking place was hands in the air – the whole set! It was absolutely great, and on top of all that they said that I’d done the best set of the day.

I just thrive off this sort of response – it’s the main buzz”. And what has your policy been when playing a set? Do you play tracks they like or tracks you like or what? “I won’t play music I don’t like… it’s not selfish… but then it means that I’m into it too. If there’s a big record which I don’t like, I won’t play it…. I know that someone else will play the tune they want, so fine”.

How well does he get on with the other DJ’s on the circuit? “I get on really, really well with all of them. I can’t be doing with any of this DJ politics bollocks. If I’m working with someone, I like to make the effort to get to know them – they’re all nice people. I go out with a lot of them – Alex, Tall Paul, Seb (Fontaine), Mikey Finn, Sasha”. Alex P is obviously one of his best mates because they play together a lot. “We have the best time – non-stop laughter”. And you know Mickey Finn too, even though you probably don’t play next to him at many gigs? “Yeah, I’m really good friends with Mickey. We’ve been on holiday again this year – he’s even made me my own version of ‘Rock The Funky Beats’ with ‘B-B-B-Brandon B-B-B-lock’ in it! Mickey’s definitely the boss when it comes to drum ‘n’ bass”. Do you like drum ‘n’ bass then? “When I first heard it, I suppose I was a bit critical of it, but yeah it’s ok. It’s a phase of dance music like any other – the next one is speed garage which is just about to drop”.

Throughout his years as a DJ which of his working friends does he admire? “It’s hard to say. I admire Sasha – what he’s achieved is an amazing thing. Also Jeremy Healy, because he created a whole thing himself as well my mate Alex, Lisa Loud and of course Danny Rampling because when he was first playing, he was awe inspiring. Pete Tong as well, because he’s just the biggest thing on radio, in terms of dance music”.

However, living the hi-life took its toll on the loveable Blocko – he’s well known for being a good laugh and always up for it, but one day he woke up to realise that his life was going nowhere but downhill. He had a £2,000 per week cocaine addition and this was having a distressing effect on everything and everyone around him. “I used to have mates who I’d go and see one by one throughout the day – but I was the one who was always at it. They’d have one a week, and I’d be going the whole way. I couldn’t get out of bed without a nose-up – if I was in bed at all. I’d probably just be up all night, and then just carry on the next day.

When my body got tired, I would sleep one or two days a week, but that was it. The rest of the time I’d just be wired up”. He was missing gigs, working to pay off debts, upsetting his mum and dad, and was generally getting close to the end – according to his doctor, it was a good thing that he stopped because he was almost dead. So he took the step of coming off everything – going into ‘detox’, which he describes as the worst thing he has ever had to go through. “It’s been fucking hard. I’m nine months clean now – I still smoke cigarettes and I still have a bit of a booze, but I don’t take any drugs at all. It’s taken all this time for me to feel even remotely normal”.

He’s on top of the situation now, after nine months of turmoil, but there are some places and events which fill him with trepidation such as Ibiza, which is one of the best places where everyone seems to do drugs. Also, the music business is well known for it’s drug consumption. “That’s the problem – it’s always there, but you have to make a decision. Make it and then there’s no going back – you can’t mess around with that stuff. The fact was that it was something I liked doing, it was good fun at the time, as well as being available and I had the money to do it. The more you take, the more you want – unfortunately that’s the way it is.

Then you go down the slope”. His family stood by him, and helped him through it, so that now he finds it easy to talk about his bad experiences. He seems relatively relaxed as he talks, even though we kept making him pose in all sorts of strenuous positions for the camera. “It’s like starting life again, going through all the changes and stuff which I’ve had to go through to get clean. You’ve got no chance to plan anything or think of anything except that you hope you’ll be alive the next day. Now I’m doing stuff that I would never dreamed of doing. I’m so pleased because I’ve done it! It’s nice to be back – to feel sort of vaguely normal again”.

Today though his only vices are the a.m. gut wrenching Chicken Phal (hotter than a Vindaloo), a couple of beers, or maybe a pint of his favourite drink, snakebite and black, as well as a few Marlboro Lights. He seems truly happy now that he has moved on and left all the misery and uncertainty behind, not just for his own sake but also for his mum, family and friends. Every Wednesday night, you can’t find Brandon playing football somewhere in Ladbroke Grove, with his team, Nutbag FC, which is made up of a veritable celebrity of dance music bods, including Seb Fontaine, Alex P, Steve Lee (Perfecto) and Darren Stokes (aka Tin Tin Out).

He prefers to play upfront – (so he can score all the goals). His other loves are his car and his films, watching videos during the day and going to the cinema whenever he has time – when I was talking to him he seemed to have one up on Barry Norman, having seen every film which we mentioned, other than the latest Mr. Bean movie which he hopes to see soon. His car is not half bad – a 5 series BMW, with all the trimmings – even down to the ‘BIOCKOS’ number plate, and the portable film thingy in the back – so he can watch films whilst travelling between gigs, if he’s not having a laugh or listening to music. It’s something Brandon is very proud of. “That car is my pride and joy – it’s a four litre, V8 – and I’ve had it chipped up – 0-60 in about 6 seconds. It goes like shit off a shovel”.

He is also in the process of expanding into music production, and is setting up a full studio in his new house which he has just bought in Ruislip. He is still learning how all the various complicated things in a studio work, but is now working alongside Ricky and Fran aka M&S, who live locally to him and who he’s known for many years. The first project they are working on, producing bouncy house and hip-hop tracks, is called ‘Den Men Productions’, and will hopefully be put out on a good quality label, such as Club 4 Life, the Gardening Clubs label which Blocko is signed to.

Danny D from D-Mob, who also owns and runs Delicious records is interested in the three of them working together, especially on one track which is a remix of The Tramps ‘Disco Inferno’. Will his music making ever overtake his DJing? “I love the DJing – the travelling can piss you off a bit sometimes. Maybe I’ll make a record career – I don’t plan too far ahead, to be honest. But I can’t be bothered with all that starting up a record label thing; I’m a DJ – I’m too busy for all that”. Also, Fantazia have also approached him with the offer of an exclusion deal, to mix compilation albums solely for them, which he is at present thinking about. The others he has done for them have all gone gold, which means they have sold over 100,000 copies.

There could also be a big move to radio soon. This week Brandon will be doing a pilot with Alex P for a new show on Radio One. Is it a definite? “Well Jeff Young’s behind it and he’s the man. We don’t know much else about it yet, but we’re going to give it our best shot”. He looks at a Polaroid test photo, from Nick the photographer, “I don’t actually look too bad in that – I’m quite happy with that, but I might put a bit of gel in my hair”. A ladies man then? Or too busy? “I’ve got a few girlfriends….friends-girls…y’know, that sort of thing”. Wedding bells in the air? “Not yet”. Kids? “No, but I’d love kids – I really want kids. I want to get married. I really want to do all the proper things, but it all takes time. I can’t go out looking for it because….y’know. I’ve got lots of close girly friends though”.

Brandon is now settling down – maybe it’s his age – probably not though, because he’s only 30. He has had a hectic life of partying and good times, and now seems to be happy that he is moving on. He’s got a range of projects in the pipeline and with any luck we will see Brandon Block taking his career to even higher heights.

He’s got a range of projects in the pipeline and with any luck we will see Brandon Block taking his career to even higher heights. He’s got the motivation now and really seems content when he says, “I’ve now started doing all the things I’ve wanted to do for such a long time”. Nutbag of nutbags, Blocko, is back in a new and upgraded form, and is about to be larger than ever!