b. 7 January 1964, Hackney, London, England. Nelson is one of the most high profile and influential figures on the UK’s soul and R&B scene, partly because of his Rhythm Nation show on BBC Radio 1. His rise to national fame began in 1986 when he became one of the founding DJs behind the pirate station Kiss FM. Nelson remained a popular DJ at Kiss (which became legal in 1990) for 10 years, and also worked closely with Jazzie B. of Soul II Soul. In the early 90s, Nelson was hired as club promotions manager at the EMI Records’ imprint, Cooltempo Records, and soon progressed to head of A&R. In 1996, Nelson moved to Radio 1 to present Rhythm Nation and was voted Best DJ at the first MOBO (Music Of Black Origin) awards in London. He has subsequently appeared on MTV presenting The Lick and on BBC Television fronting his own Urban Choice, although he cites his greatest achievement as gaining ‘more of a profile for black people in radio’. He names Stevie Wonder, Prince, Chaka Khan and D’Angelo as the artists from whom he draws the greatest inspiration. He continues to work as an in-demand club DJ all over Europe and promotes his own events in the UK.