I was lucky to be born into a slightly hedonistic musical, nature loving family of guitar players, singers and outdoor enthusiasts
I grew up listening to every music genre from blues, rock, soul, disco and pop through to classical and opera at the exciting time when music was moving into the electronic age and punk was emerging
Michael Jackson, Chic, Earth, Wind and Fire and the OJ’s were always high on the list at the wedding discos and Eric Clapton, Gerry Rafferty and Abba were always on in Dad’s car (whilst Mum and Aunty Shirl loved their Wham)
I started playing classical guitar at primary school and played my first concert aged 10 to a packed audience of (two especially) proud parents and carried on through the music grades to Grade 5 before losing interest in the theory.
I got my first Electric Guitar when I was 15 and loved writing and playing teenage angst ridden rock and classical music melodies and lyrics at home. I wrote my first complete song on a bus on a French exchange trip somewhere in the Loire Valley when I was 14
At 12 I discovered the world of Hip Hop with De La Soul, a Tribe Called Quest and the Beastie Boys and then found the hidden secrets of the 60s with the Sergeant Pepper album, discovered the Doors and then Hendrix took hold
In 1991 I had my first true dance music experience seeing The Three Deck Wizard DJ Carl Cox, before fully entering the world of Raving, Hardcore and Jungle and having my mind blown by the Prodigy, Rat Pack, Slip Matt and Lime (long before the term Happy Hardcore or DnB had even been thought of). It was at these events that we often headed to the Chill Out Rooms which were playing House Music
Then when I was 18, I found myself in a very dark place and walked away from the Guitar and stopped making music
However, my passion for virtually every form of music never relented nor did my love of clubbing and dancing to House, Disco and Garage, hitting most of the legendary venues in London during the 90's - Ministry of Sound, Club Ku, Bar Rumba, Camden Palais, Club UK, the list goes on....continuing through the years with music always high on my agenda of any weekend or holiday (especially to Ibiza)
Fast forward to 2016 and I had been lucky to have enjoyed an awesome (albeit hedonistic) life of global adventures, travel, music experiences, extreme sports, business successes, good health, charity, conservation and bucket list ticks. My biggest achievement of all also being my biggest adventure and inspiration, my wonderful daughter Eve
But my guitar never stopped playing inside me. With an increasing frustration at the devastation certain humans were wreaking on our life support system and my daughters future, I had to pick the guitar up and start making music about whats really going on in our world
One day in 2016 I had the lightbulb moment and picked up my guitar and over 20 years of music starting pouring out of me
And it hasn’t stopped since
James Gittins
