Zinc's initial claim to fame was being a radio DJ on London's Buccaneer Broadcaster Impact FM with DJ Swift where they specialised in Drum N Bass. They joined forces and released eight albums on Joker Records between 1991 and 1994 until Swift announced a sudden interest in a new underground genre that would later be known as UK Garage. In the following year, Zinc released "Super Sharp Shooter", a jungle track combined with Hip-Hop, which the club scene embraced, and then formed a Supergroup called The Ganja Kru with DJ Hype, Pascal, and Rude Bwoy Monty that lasted four years until the Turn of the Millennium.
He and Hype continued working together with Zinc joining his label True Playaz, and made solo music on the side under his new label Bingo Beats. His UK garage track "138 Trek" was one of his first True Playaz releases and topped the UK Dance Chart in November 2000, but would continue making music in different EDM genres, although he'd later stop making drum 'n' bass in 2007 due to an Identity Breakdown (both for him, and the genre, in his opinion).
Between deejaying, radio presenting and touring, Zinc decided to create a new music genre. In 2009, he started releasing albums full of "crack house music": a combo of Chicago deep house, funky house and fidget house. He joined forces with A Trak to release a crack house track titled "Stingray" in 2011, and made music with Special Guests like Ms Dynamite, Dave Spoon, Sasha Keable, and Sneaky Sound System. With the nostalgia cycle reviving house music genres in the late 2010s, Zinc experienced a Newbie Boom and resumed remixing and publishing new work more frequently and collaborating with new talents.
Notable tracks
- "138 Trek" (and its companion "174 Trek")
- "Super Sharp Shooter"
- "Wile Out" [with Ms Dynamite]
Official discography
- Beats by Design EP (2000)
- Faster (2003)
- Crack House EP (2009)
- Crack House, Vol. 2 EP (2010)
- Sprung EP (2011)
- Only for Tonight EP (2013)
- Crack House, Vol. 3 (2019)
- Friends And Fam (2020)
- BASSLOVE (2024)
Tropes
- Amen Break: Uses this drum sample in a lot of his work, from "Super Sharp Shooter" to his collabs like "Bring the Danger" with MC GQ and the "Musically Dope (Ganja Kru Remix)" with DJ Hype.
- CAPS LOCK: The album BASSLOVE.
- Cool Shades: Some of his social media avatars and pictures on promotional material features him wearing sunglasses.
- Crossover: Most likely found in one than as a soloist, despite his solo work being his most well-known.
- Genre-Prolific Creator: Has made dance music for the genres breakbeat, Drum N Bass, UK Garage, jungle, bassline, UK bass house, and has created many fusion tracks with the aformentioned and hip hop.
- Greatest Hits Album: Zinc has four: 2001's Bingo Beats Volume 2, 2004's Bingo Sessions Volume 1, 2005's Drum & Bass Arena, and 2007's Watch the Ride.
- I Have Many Names: Whilst best known as DJ Zinc, he has released work as Jammin, Zenith, Tyranny, Swoopes, Shelltoe, The Phantom, Subreption, Dope Skillz, Jelly Jams, Jack Ruby, Pacific, Shox, and Tuned Air.
- My Nayme Is: Zinc has notably been credited as D.J. Zink, Dj Zinc, DJ Zine, DJ Zink, Z, Zinc, and Zync.
- Perpetual Frowner: A lot of his promotional photos are him with a stern face or a neutral expression. Only one promo photo of him smiling is available to the public (photo from Discogs here
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