There are few more inspired artists working in electronic music today than Charlie May. As the architect behind many of the stylistic blueprint shifts in dance since the early heady days of acid house, May knows a thing or two about what makes a dance floor tick. One half of revered progressive house pioneers Spooky; the engineer and producer of many of Sasha’s biggest singles and albums; highly respected solo producer in his own right, May has remained at the vivacious beating heart of house since the early ’90s, taking the pulse of the clubbing populace and ensuring it remains in rude health.
From his first steps into the world of dance music as a starry-eyed, inspired raver attending London’s legendary Brain club nights in Soho, to his current position as the go-to guy for breathtaking, sonically adventurous technoid future dance, this producer and DJ has consistently blazed a trail of innovation which has underpinned many of the most important developments in electronic music.
Along with fellow forward thinkers Leftfield, Spooky were heralded as figureheads of progressive house, and suddenly, with all eyes on them, were compelled to deliver an album that would deliver the same giddy thrills as ‘Don’t Panic’. But few could have predicted that they would create such a sky-strafing and ambitious long-player as ‘Gargantuan’. One of the first dance albums of its kind, it would go on to spawn a million sound-alikes. primarily because it was different: drawing on classic electronic elements and dragging them into the future, it stood apart from the crowd.
