Centreforce was built by DJs who learned on the pirates and in the raves. Our mentors carry that same culture: working DJs and producers, not classroom teachers, spread across the UK so you're matched with someone near you for one-to-one lessons.
The people steering the Academy and keeping it true to the culture.
Academy Director
Stuart Norbury, aka DJ Essex, is the Academy Director. A lifelong raver and DJ, he built the one-to-one teaching programme that the Academy runs on, and now brings it together with Centreforce's heritage and network.
His mission is simple: give anyone who loves this music a proper route in, taught by the people who made the scene, with a real stage and real airwaves at the end of it. He's also one half of The Essex Boys with his son, DJ Archie.
Centreforce Founder & Presenter
Mr Pasha is one of the founders of Centreforce, and he's still on air today, bringing house music to Centreforce 883 on weekday mornings.
A proud supporter of the Academy, he backs the next generation on air, and his son Danny, aka Master Pasha, is one of our Ambassadors.
Ambassador
DJ Archie is the Academy's Ambassador. A Guinness World Record holder as the world's youngest club DJ, he's also the youngest DJ ever to play Glastonbury, aged 8, and Tomorrowland, aged 9. He's living proof that nobody is too young to start.
Archie has already played some of the biggest stages in the world and even shared the Centreforce 883 airwaves. He reminds every student that age is no barrier and that the decks are open to everyone.
Ambassador
Danny, aka Master Pasha, is an Academy Ambassador and the son of Centreforce founder and presenter Mr Pasha. He's been a voice of the Academy on Centreforce 883, fronting its radio campaign.
Working DJs from pirate radio, the rave era and today's scene, matched one-to-one with students near them.
Lead Instructor
Marvellous Cain is an established name in UK jungle and drum and bass, with decades as a DJ, producer and influential voice in the genre.
Known for his distinctive jungle sound, he brings a wealth of real-world industry knowledge to his mentoring.
Lead Instructor
Jay Skinnfella learned the original way in the mid-90s: vinyl, instinct and endless hours on the decks, raised on Coventry's legendary rave scene of The Eclipse and Amnesia House.
He has played Ministry of Sound, Café Mambo and Es Paradis in Ibiza, and has deep experience in radio, promotion and large-scale sound production.
Lead Instructor
DJ Millz is the Academy's Lead Instructor, a drum and bass DJ from a family steeped in music who caught the bug young.
A second-generation raver, Millz carries the scene's spirit into every lesson. Her energy and teaching style get students mixing with confidence and loving every minute behind the decks.
Lead Instructor
Keiron Kincaid is the founder of FME House and plays rave house, tech house, drum and bass, garage and disco. He's a former HedKandi resident who has shared stages with Slipmatt and Ratpack.
With global gigs and a run of successful FME House boat parties behind him, he helps students master a range of genres and take their DJing to the next level.
Floyd T made his name on London's pirate radio scene and is known for seamless, quick-fire mixing across minimal, tech house, UK garage and more.
He has played Creamfields, Elrow, We Are FSTVL and Abode, co-founded New World, and played Ibiza's O Beach and White Isle.
Paul Ranger is part of the Centreforce family, with a popular show on Centreforce 883. He has been DJing, hosting and compering since the early 90s, from clubs and festivals to corporate events.
Since 2023 he has edited DJWORX, a leading DJ tech platform, and his 370-plus podcast episodes rank in the global top 10. He knows radio, kit and the industry inside out.
Theo Boyesen, aka Tesen, is a London drum and bass producer and DJ known for energetic productions and fast mixing, with releases on Technique Recordings, Low Down Deep, Basslayerz and Crucast.
Backed early by DJ Hype and Nicky Blackmarket, with tracks supported by Dimension and Noisia, Tesen has played Fabric, Ministry of Sound, Rampage and Warning. He brings that front-line experience to every Academy session.
Simon Exile is a DJ and producer covering jump-up, liquid, jungle and beyond, with releases on Dispatch, Viper and Rebel Music and a Best Breakthrough Producer nomination at the 2024 DNB Awards.
Starting out in live music before moving into electronic production, he has worked with Nicky Blackmarket, Mark XTC and Inja & Jenks. He's passionate about passing the craft on to the next generation of DJs and producers.
Bristol's Burt Cope blends garage, bassline and drum and bass into a sound that's instantly his, with big tracks like "Rambo" on Invicta Audio, "Time" on DNB Allstars and his remix of Spice's "So Mi Like It".
Supported by Chase & Status, Andy C and Wilkinson, with releases on Crucast and Kool, he has played Boomtown, Glastonbury and DNB Allstars and toured New Zealand, Australia and Asia. Now he's mentoring the next wave.
Evenstash started mixing UK garage at 14 and found drum and bass at 18. He's a radio DJ through and through, with his own weekly show and guest features alongside Uncle Dugs.
He has played Snowbombing in Austria, Nass Festival and Jungle Mania, and brings that radio-to-rave journey to the students he mentors.
DJ Annakey, "The Black Widow of Jungle", has more than 20 years of DJing and producing drum and bass and jungle, with features on BBC Introducing and Mixmag.
Her single "Open Up To Me" was picked for BBC's In New Music We Trust. Hands-on and generous with her knowledge, she's a brilliant guide for beginners and experienced DJs alike.
Alec Laing brings a teaching background and a lifelong love of music to the decks, making every lesson properly structured and properly fun.
A second-generation raver, Alec knows what this music can do for people, and he's committed to helping every student grow from the classroom to the booth.
Gareth, aka Mr Freeze, is a Preston-born drum and bass producer and DJ, backed by Crissy Criss and Fabio & Grooverider.
His tracks have been played on BBC Radio 1 and released on Suburban Base and Jungle Cakes, and he has performed at events around the world. He mentors DJing and production at every level.
Mark Armstrong is a master of the crowd and one of Liverpool's most versatile, in-demand DJs, known for reading the room perfectly.
He has played across the UK and abroad, including Glastonbury's Pop-Up Hotel, Formula One and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, plus a run of shows in Doha in 2022.
Cookie Tee is a rising drum and bass DJ from Hull with energy-fuelled sets that blend old skool jump-up, jungle and neurofunk.
Her weekly TikTok livestreams have built a loyal following, and she plays for Humber Street Sesh, Mind Over Matter, Urban Kikz, Hivemind, Renegade, Modulate Records and many more.
Jim Harvey, aka Prang8seven, is a South Coast drum and bass DJ bringing big vocals and bigger basslines. He came up broadcasting on online radio.
That led to a residency with Tribal Drum Syndicate at Suburbia and sets with On a Mission. He also co-hosts a long-running livestream that showcases local talent and rising stars.
Blake Lloyd, aka Lloydy, is an MC and DJ from Frome with more than a decade on the decks and mic, freestyling across drum and bass, jungle, 140, UKG and ghetto funk.
He founded the Bass Beatz collective and the family event Raving Rascals, opening music up to people of every age and background.
Mrs Magoo is a true jungle soldier and a trailblazer for women in the scene. Raised in Scotland on tape packs, hip-hop and happy hardcore, she fell for jungle's raw energy and never looked back.
She won Best Jungle DJ at the We Love Jungle awards, has played Glastonbury and Boomtown and toured internationally, and has gone B2B with Kenny Ken and Nicky Blackmarket. Her sets are a masterclass in crate-digging.
DJ Innovator is one of London's electronic music pioneers, the creative force behind the "10 Minute Shutdown" concept and the Dirty Phat Beats label, and son of MC Bellyman.
Carrying that family legacy forward, he teaches students to treat every track like a verse and every transition like a hook, building tension and release like a seasoned performer.
JGA, aka Jaiga, is a drum and bass DJ and producer specialising in jump-up, with a high-energy, upfront mixing style.
Since starting in 2020 he has moved fast, playing club nights and festivals across the UK. He teaches how to read a room and build sets that hit on any sound system.
George G-Force started on vinyl in the late 90s and has stayed rooted in disco and house, bringing warmth and groove to every dancefloor.
A South West regular at Glastonbury, Latitude, Wilderness and LakeFest, he has represented Café Mambo and Retrospective of House and shared stages with Judge Jules, Norman Jay and Slipmatt.
The Soul Reverend is the Academy's Cornwall mentor, offering one-to-one DJ lessons for kids and adults.
Wizhard is a 20-year-old drum and bass DJ from the South East, making a name with heavy-hitting jump-up and neuro.
He has already played across the UK and Europe, including Let It Roll-linked shows and a Hospitality afterparty in Croatia, sharing stages with Goldie, Turno, Basslayerz, A.M.C and Sigma. Proof of what young talent can do.
Mr Pink is a Leicester DJ who started on vinyl in 1995, with roots in hardcore, old skool, jungle, drum and bass, house and garage.
Now playing as Mr Pink of Epidemik Kru, he has played Ministry of Sound, Fabric, XOYO and KOKO, plus One Nation, Raindance and Moondance.
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