Johnny Scratch

Johnny Scratch’s love of electronic music began at a very early age. His dad’s passion for Kraftwerk and Jean-Michel Jarre introduced him to what Johnny remembers as “strange, spacey music” sounds that immediately captured his imagination.

Fast forward to the early 1980s and Johnny discovered a whole new kind of spacey music, this time through the groundbreaking Street Sounds Electro albums. It was the beginning of a lifelong passion for Electro and Rap.

Being a self-confessed “non-arty” type, Johnny quickly realised that a career as a graffiti artist probably wasn’t on the cards. Breakdancing wasn’t exactly his forte either. But there was one part of the culture that immediately felt right…the turntables.

DJing became Johnny’s “thing”, and more than 35 years later, it very much remains so.

Over the years, Johnny has DJed extensively throughout the UK and has spent the past 20 years as a professional DJ tutor, passing his knowledge, skills and enthusiasm on to the next generation of DJs.

Perhaps what Johnny is best known for, though, is his remarkable record collection, specialising in ’80s Rap and Electro. Decades of collecting have given him an incredible archive from which to draw, from much-loved classics to records rarely heard anywhere else.

On Street Sounds Radio, The Essential Electro & Rap Show with Johnny Scratch gives Johnny the opportunity to dig deep into that expansive collection.

Expect the classics, forgotten gems, genuine rarities and amazing brand-new music, presented with the same spirit of musical discovery that Johnny admired in two of his broadcasting heroes, John Peel and Mike Allen.

For lovers of Electro and Rap and anyone who enjoys discovering something they haven’t heard before, The Essential Electro & Rap Show with Johnny Scratch every Wednesday, 9:00pm-11:00pm is essential listening.