Aim
Biography
Andy Turner (Aim) grew up in the small coastal town of Barrow-in-Furness, England. A child of the 70โs, he sought escape through a combination of obscure video nasties, US TV classics like Quincy and Starsky & Hutch, and through bands like Adam And The Ants and Tubeway Army. Later came The Smiths and The Wedding Present and before long Andy was playing drums and writing songs for his band The Chelsea Flower Show.
During the late 80โs / early 90โs, Andy was drawn to underground clubs and warehouse raves where he was in awe of tracks like Psychotropicโs โHypnosisโ and Unique 3โs โThe Themeโ. He soon ditched his drum-sticks for decks and started out as a DJ, making regular trips to Manchesterโs Eastern Bloc and Spin Inn Records, and putting on basement parties in his home town.
In 1990 he opened Speed Limit Records, his own vinyl only specialist record store, selling up-front UK white labels and US & European imports to DJโs from across the north-west. Through Speed Limit distribution contacts Andy had access to just about any record released at the time. Fatefully, this was hip-hopโs โgolden ageโ and week after week he would be sent boxes full of life-changing hip-hop LPโs and 12โณs by the likes of Nas, A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock, Diamond D, Souls of Mischief and Main Source. Inspired by these masterpieces, Andy bought a Commodore Amiga and started making beats.
A demo found itโs way to Manchesterโs Grand Central Records who signed him immediately. During his 8 years with the label he released the acclaimed albums โCold Water Musicโ, โHinterlandโ and โMeans of Productionโ, along with a number of sought after 12โณs including the โPacific North West EPโ and the โLoop Dreams Remix EPโ.
In 2004 Andy left Grand Central and, along with Niko and ex GC label manager Iain Cooke, set up ATIC Records. He released the fourth Aim album โFlight 602โ in 2006 and toured extensively with his live band, selling out Shepherdโs Bush Empire and smashing Glastonbury along the way. โFlight 602โ cemented Aimโs reputation as one of the UKโs leading underground artists, achieving a kind of cult following, whilst straddling the impossible void between creative independence and inescapability.
2014 saw the release of the first ever Aim โbest-ofโ compilation. โDrum Machines & VHS Dreamsโ dropped to universal acclaim, MIXMAG called it โa timeless retrospective of [Aimโs] best beatsโฆ reminding us of the haunting crisp aesthetics and cinematic breaks and samples that defined an era,โ whilst Record Collector said โas we reach the mid-point of the album, it [Cold Water Music] rises from the surrounding countryside like a national monument to melancholia.โ
In 2015 ATIC Records released what is arguably Aimโs best work to date. The long awaited full-length collaboration album โThe Habit of a Lifetime (And How to Kick it)โ saw Aim team up with long time friends and Long Island legends QNC over eleven classic hip-hop tracks. Again, the reviews were amazing. Mixmag called it โa testament to the best that hip hop can still offerโ whist both Dan Hegarty of RTE 2fm, and the popular beats and breaks site โmonkeyboxing.comโ awarded the record their coveted โAlbum of the Yearโ accolade.
2016 sees Aim keeping up the pressure with a vinyl re-release of his debut album โCold Water Musicโ which has been fully remastered from the original DAT tapes, production work on Nikoโs upcoming EP and the first drop from his exciting collaboration with legendary Chorley MC Mikey DON (Krispy 3).
To book Aim (DJ set) please email info@aticrecords.com
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How It All Got Started – Curt Cazal Remix EP
£1.99 – £16.99 View products -
Aim – Cold Water Music (Remastered)
£4.99 – £28.99 View products -
Aim – Drum Machines & VHS Dreams
£6.00 – £10.00 View products -
Various – ATIC Sampler Vol. 1
£3.00 – £8.00 View products -
Aim – Means of Production
£7.00 – £10.00 View products -
Aim – Flight 602
£5.00 – £24.99 View products -
Aim – Cold Water Music
£7.00 – £10.00 View products -
Aim – True to Hip-Hop (Remix) feat. AG of D.I.T.C.
£1.50 – £10.00 View products -
Aim – Birchwood EP
£2.00 – £8.00 View products -
Aim – Hinterland
£5.00 – £10.00 View products -
Various – Follow the Outline
£5.00 – £8.00 View products
Videos
Aim – True To Hip-Hop (Remix) feat. AG of D.I.T.C.
Aim – Hinterland