Once Mr Scruff was plain old Andy Carthy. And then one day he wasn't…the transformation might have seemed subtle. Old Andy was still very much the same Carthy, doodling away behind his scruffy facial hair and drinking tea by the pot-load. But his obsession got the better of him and he subsequently gave himself over to the musical side. Sometime artist, DJ, Peak District wanderer, and Manchester's very own very own, Mr Carthy started his musical career a mere six years ago and so Mr Scruff was born.

Since his first vinyl excursion Scruff has gone on to record for over 25 labels including Warp, Sirkus, Disorient, Blood & Fire, Cup Of Tea and, of course, Ninja Tune. He has remixed Nightmares On Wax and Bim Sherman and refused to remix Nigel Kennedy. He's worked with Mark Rae and Grand Central.

He has DJed all over the gaff, turning down more gigs than he takes on. If they won't let him have a long spot, he doesn't bother; a take-the-money-and-run merchant he certainly is not (although some would debate that what with his work being licensed out to advertising campaigns so often– France Telecom and Volvo to name but two). He has dug in crates and found obscure records with references to marine fauna. And he's made some celebrity fans along the way - Madonna recently admitted to Mixmag that Scruff was currently floating her boat. Whether Scruff gets excited by any of this is debatable – under the hype and away from the advert campaigns, the guy does give off the genuine impression that he's only in it for the music (his first hit sampled the awesome Moondog for Vikings sake) and value for money is a give in. He's playing a four hour set at the Savoy on Friday, May 30.

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