Maurice ten Brink:

In 1973, after my mother passed away, I held my first guitar. I had never played guitar before but could play Fur Elise instantly. After that I had classical guitar lessons until I was twelve years old. During this period I got interested in fx-equipment and synthesizers. In 1980 I met Rasta Robert with his home studio. In that studio he had some drum boxes, a Korg MS-20 synthesizer, guitars, percussion and some microphones. We used a 2-track recorder en pingponged all overdubs.

In those days I listened to producers like Lee Perry, Henry Junjo Lawes, Chris Blackwell, Steve Hillage and more. Dub engineers like King Tubby, Scientist and other founders of the dub, gave me the feeling you needed very little equipment to achieve a lot. Eventually I started producing in an 8-track studio in a youth centre (Poort van Kleef, working together with Sander Kleinenberg) and I joined many reggae bands as a mixer when they performed live.

I also composed music for some pop and reggae bands. From 1986 until 1993 electronic music became increasingly popular and important and the studio joined this digital revolution in 1991. I started working together with a computer freak who could do things on a Atari 24 ST that at that time amazed people. Later on I worked together with him on several productions including some work for Top Sound studio and the Harrow studio. In 1993 our team was reinforced by a dj from Rotterdam named Ricky the Dragon. Rick and I had worked together for Stealth Records; Dance (h)all night EP.

We also did some productions for among others DJ Raymond Heg and Sander Kleinenberg (Wonka). Eventually the youth centre was closed in 1994 and everyone went their separate ways. In the year 2000 in my own studio Raymond Heg and I made the EPs Dub U Always and Dark Dub for Wally’s Grooveworld and Babe Records. Within a short period of time my cooperation with DJ Thorin and Roelie van Lingen joined the MTR concept. We started the Promusic foundation to help people do more with music then only bedroom performances.