26/08/2026
The Slapin' South! - Back 2 Business Q&A's with MC Wingman -
"Having left home, and living with my grandparents for a lot of my childhood from a young age, I also lived with one of the scenes most beloved ravers 'Dave the Rave'/'RaverDave' Clarke, who was my uncle. back in them days there was not a rave he didn't attend , and certainly not a tape pack he didn't own. He had me hooked from as early as I can remember (my early days in primary school). I was always in his room belting out the sounds of Hardcore, having a little rave up.
From the age of 8, I started borrowing his tapes and listening to them on repeat. We used to get the bus into Salisbury so I could go to primary school, and he could go to work. We used to both be blasting out the sounds of Hardcore in our Walkman's. Obviously everybody on the bus was jealous they weren't sat closer to the cool kids 👀 (I jest 😂).
I had this big red karaoke machine with a twin tape deck, I used to get tapes without an MC on and waffle some crap over them on record, then hand the tape to friends at school and tell them it was all me, this made me feel cool! However the joke was on me as they knew what I had done! However at this point I didn't know that an MC was what I wanted to be if I ever grew up, it was just fun!
My Dad was also massively into his Dance music, more trance and clubland than Hardcore. He used to buy me the annual compilation and clubland CD's from as early as I can remember, this massively influenced me into the dance scene as well as my uncle Dave.
At the age of 12 Dave bought me my first proper tape pack, it was Slammin Vinyl's NYE at the NEC 03/04, this was the start of the proper obsession. Instantly I was hooked!! Those tapes all got absolutely battered, pretty sure the Hixxy and Whizzkid tape just gave up in the end from constant abuse!
At the same age of 12, Dave took me to CyberDog for my first rave experience. He needed to pick up a DVD player from London he told me, little did I know I was going to Frantic's pre-party with DJ's like Rob Tissera and a host of others! I thought to myself 'I get it now, I want to do this too!'.
Fast forward to 15 years old, Dave, my Grandparents and I went to London for the weekend to watch Phantom of the Opera in the West-end. On the Saturday night Dave told my Grandparents he was taking me to the cinema, so off we went. Dave said lets see if you can get served! First pub was a success, second pub was a fail and the third was also a success. I looked older but not 21. Dave said "that's good enough, there is a rave on in Vauxhall let's see if you can get in" so we jumped on the tube and it was Happy Nation at the Factory. I walked straight in no questions asked and Rizla Dizla was on the mic, that was when I was truly hooked on the art of MCing! It's fair to say Phantom of the Opera was a struggle the next day and my Grandparents just knew 😂
In 2008 I was 16 and my friend had a ticket for WestFest going for £25, just in hope I bought it and off I went! 25th October 2008 changed my life!! I experienced my first 'proper rave' and I was sold forever! Little did I know one day I would grace that same stage as a performer myself, 16 year old me would have laughed in your face if you told him that!
6 days later I went to Oxygen in Westbury and met all my favorite artists, Gammer, Whizzkid, Storm, Vibes & LiveLee to name just a few! This is when I also realised my uncle was a bit of a big deal in the scene! They all had the nicest words to say about him and treated him with the upmost respect.
In 2009, last minute I said to Dave, I really want to go to Llorret for HTID 'In the Sun', and of course he made this happen! He was staying with my now very close pals MC Skatty, Michael Morgan and his sister Nic. I walked into the hotel, went to go to the toilet, opened the door and there was MC Skatty sat taking a s**t 💩 I was buzzing to meet him as I had been listening to his mix with Ricky Redhead on repeat for months prior to this trip! I let him finish his s**t but jibbing his ear off about what a don he was!
In Llorret I had to sleep on the floor in a literal draw behind Dave and Skattman's sofa bed. I did not care at all, I was in Llorret De Mar for HTID baby!! Skatty was a bit of a hit with the ladies back in these days, when he was a bit less innocent ( I jest again 😂). He liked this girl but couldn't seem to get her on her own, so turned to me and said 'Do you fancy being my Wingman? You need to keep her mate entertained for a bit' so obviously I agreed. It's fair to say the plan worked and the rest is history!! The Wingman was born!
That same year I went to a festival on the south coast called 'Southern Sound' and Skatty turned and said to me "Why don't you try MCing?" and I thought to myself 'yeah why don't I!?' So I did. I wrote some pretty crap bars but I stuck at it, slowly getting a bit better!
2011 was when I first picked up a mic and that was the true realisation that this was exactly what I wanted to do, who I wanted to be!
2012 I did my first big set with Joey Riot, in my hometown to a sold out Chapel nightclub. The buzz I felt coming off of that set was simply indescribable! (This was Kieran McMenamin's memorial rave, RIP to Kieran, gone but never forgotten 😇)
My biggest goal moving forward from this point was to do a set with my favorite MC, Whizzkid! Then in 2014 my longtime friend and now promoting partner Jorden 'Wee-man' Weeks and his sister Jade booked me to go b2b with Whizzkid for their joint birthday party and I couldn't believe my luck! I cringe when I listen back, I wasn't amazing but who cares, I went b2b with Whizzkid!
In 2019 the most tragic thing happened, for my family, and also the scene, Dave died. Words could not come close to explain how this felt, a little bit of me died that same day and I know it did in the scene, certainly on the Southcoast.
In that same year I went to Kavos for 'Unity in the sun' and my dream happened once again, Whizzkid asked me to go b2b with him in the club, after we just hosted a boat party with MC Jack. The words he said about Dave made me ball my eyes out, I knew the fact he was gone, did not mean he was going to be forgotten.
I had never felt so sure of my purpose that year, it was to give Dave the send-off he truly deserved. This is when I booked The Old Fire Station in Bournemouth. They wanted to know what raves I had put on etc. I simply just did not take no for an answer... "I need to use your club, it is 100% going to be a success and I do not care how much it costs!!' That's when I started to promote Rave for Dave and what a send-off it was! Way too many artists to mention (43 I think it was' but a special shout to Jon Doe who put in some mad effort to do a tribute for Dave, in which Ian Van Dahl even came on the screen and dedicated 'castles in the sky' to Dave, which was his favorite tune. The place absolutely erupted and I felt the pure love for him, I knew I achieved my mission, with the help of many many people to make it a success.
From that moment, although raves never truly felt the same, I knew I was going to make him proud!
I don't want to ramble on about all my achievements since, however the stand-out ones for me have definitely been MCing for my favorite DJ's... Klubfiller, Andy Whitby, Jakka B, Joey Riot & Kurt multiple times, alongside Scott Brown, Vibes and to be honest too many to even mention! Played most of my favorite venues and festivals, done many b2b's with my bro and early mentor MC Skatty! Even played out in Magaluf in Bananas for Ravers Reunited!
Most recently last year in 2025, they announced the last ever WestFest! I was crushed, that was my biggest dream to date, and last achievement I NEEDED to achieve. I had fully accepted it wasn't happening until a few nights before, I was chatting with my pal MC Enemy... He said "I need someone to cover the first 5/10 mins of the last set as I'm in main room right before with Joey'. I couldn't believe it! 5 mins was all I needed, I was picking up and speaking on the mic at WestFest, a sold out WestFest, in the original Hardcore Heaven arena!! The little rascal never told me I could end doing the whole bloody set or I would have been more prepared, however definitely more nervous/scared so it all worked out in the end! DJ Kurt and myself closed the last ever WestFest, goals right there!!
So if you have got this far and worried your dreams won't ever come true... Please just trust me when I say... If I can do it then so can YOU!
Thanks for listening and I will see you on a dancefloor soon 😎
- Ben
Witness the FIRST EVER Hardcore rave in Windsor for only £10! But be quick as there is only 3 left at the price!!
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https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Slough/The-Scotch-Windsor/Slapin-South---Back-2-Business/42334981/
