About Us
We are Serotonin Thieves (pronounced Ser-oh-tone-in). We are a London based DJ and music producer duo. Individually, you can call us Ryan King & Scott Blake. Let us tell you about ourselves & why we make music...
As Serotonin Thieves, we try to make emotional dance music. Have you ever experienced shivers on the back of your neck because you're listening to a great piece of music? We hope to achieve that. We have both become bored of music without a heart and soul. We always attempt to make music that makes you dance, but touches you. It's what we aspire to.
During the many late nights & cups of coffee consumed making our music, we do battle with keyboards & compressors, trying to connect with you. Not the thousand others that dance alongside most of you every weekend in a nightclub or bar. Just you. Inspired by this concept, we have set sail using sound as our canvass, synthesizers as our paint & you as the onlooker/participant (we hope!).
Our manifesto:-
Serotonin Thieves music will always aim to exit the stresses of life. It's a call to the masses to leave their existence behind. It's about the classic drama of tension & release. It's time to forget everything you have held as reality. The beat will obscure it. Focus your mind. For this IS our time. When you open your mind to possibility, you are ready. Ready to be led through the passages of your own mind.
Our sound is that of a celebration. Movement. We imagine the World moving to one beat. We believe in blocking out the reality that slaps you in the face on Monday morning, realising you face another week long commute to work. Leave that behind. Come together. This is where we exist. Our music aspires to capture moments like these.
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Recently, our music has led us to DJing across the UK and our first international dates, including: Ministry of Sound, Turnmills & The Cross (RIP), The Whitehouse, Herbal and Es Vive, Ibiza.
Production wise, things have been heating up with our tracks gaining support from DJ's such as Pete Tong, Kascade, Eddie Halliwell, Lee Kalt, The Flash Brothers, Steve Smart (Kiss FM), Lucien Foort, House Moguls, Mutiny, Dean Newton (Subliminal, CR2), Big Bass, Mark Wilkinson (Kidology), Danism (Subliminal, Defected, Nocturnal Groove), Raymundo Rodriguez, Josh The Funky One (Funktion), Damian Wilson (CR2 Records), Danny Dove (CR2), Thommy Davis (Code Red), Bad Boy DJ's, Funk Republic and many others.
You can find our productions on various record labels including: Emotive Sounds, Universe Media, We Continue, Ecology, Steal the Love, Pete Tong's Bedroom Bedlam & EMI Music Publishing.
Recently, we have been concentrating on remixing artists in all genres. We have recently enjoyed working on tracks by Black Eyed Peas, Sugababes, Bloc Party, White Lies, Keith Thompson etc.
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Here is some personal background on both of us, written not by a third party, but by each other:
Ryan arrived in the World on a Winter's day in '79. Growing up in Basildon in Essex, initially he found joy in late 80's pop music. He quickly became a fan of local heroes, Depeche Mode, who influenced him greatly. As he grew older, he found himself turning on to new sounds in the form of 90's rave, through to soul, funk and retro disco. Realising that he wanted to share this music with others from a young age, he set about DJing at local weddings, birthdays, hospital radio & anywhere they would let him play music. During this period, he heard dance music being played locally & it made him hungry to hear more. After saving to buy his first pair of record decks, he handed out mix tape's to everyone he could. Shortly after, he was selected by a talent scout who offered him a resident DJ slot in a bar in Corfu, Greece. After playing two seasons in Corfu, Ryan returned to Basildon to work as a mobile DJ. After DJing to drunken party goers at karaokes & discos in his hometown, Ryan began losing faith in the music he loved. Several years later, we both met by chance on a cruise ship in the Carribean where Ryan was DJing. Soon after, we began work as a duo. Ryan has DJed across the World, from the Carribean to Clapham, Ibiza to Ipswich & continues to enjoy opening minds to different sounds.
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Scott was born in Dundee, Scotland in the midst of a Thatcherite Britain. He was brought up in a small village, several miles West of Dundee. Musical talent runs in his family as Scott is the Great Nephew of Country music legend Glen Campbell, best known for hits including 'Rhinestone Cowboy' and 'Wichita Lineman'. He is also the cousin of South Africa's premier DJ 'Kid Fonque'. From as early as two years old, Scott would entertain his family with singing, dancing & magic tricks on a Saturday night, often charging them admission to sit in their own front room. At the grand age of three, he became obsessed with the music of Kylie Minogue & Michael Jackson. As Scott's taste developed, his love of entertaining didn't diminish. Scott's early obsession with magic tricks lead to a stint on Barrymore's TV show 'My Kind Of People'. Owing to his persistence, he began DJing for the family run entertainment business before he became a teenager. With his family for company, he played at venues & events throughout Scotland up until the untimely death of his mother, in 2001. After leaving education, he found solace in music, realising he wanted to persue it further. After becoming part of the Serotonin Thieves in 2002, he decided to relocate to London, England where he has based himself for the past six years. After teaching himself music production, he set about honing his skills in several recording studios. Scott has since played DJ sets & held residencies in many venues within the Capital. He mans the controls during our productions, often adding his vocals to our tracks & is normally found in his own recording studio working fevorishly on productions & remixes.
Please remember Google users: Serotinin Theives / Seratonin Thieves is not how you spell our name...
