A lifelong music fan, his obsession with rhythm and sound, started early whilst listening to his parents The Beatles and The Beach Boys records, when his family lived in Italy. On returning to England at the age of 8, he discovered the pop music of the day, and started collecting his own records. From there, he moved on to the more obscure sounds of groups like: Kraftwerk and Pink Floyd, and then into punk, new wave, synth pop, jazz-funk, electro, hip-hop, house, and of course tech house.
In 1986, went traveling to India and stumbled across the party scene in Goa. It was a major turning point, that not only introduced him to the concept of all night parties, but also made him realise the full potential of electronic dance music. ‘The music was a mixture of 1980s synth pop, Ital disco and obscure Hi-N-R-G, which probably sounds dreadful now, but at the time it was amazing’ he says. ‘It was all instrumental and the vibe and the energy of the crowds dancing under the stars, changed my outlook on life for ever. I still listen to some of old the tapes even now’.
After returning to Goa the following year, he found things were kicking-off back in England, when he arrived home. He soon became a regular at clubs like Spectrum and The Trip, but it was not until a couple of years later, that he fell into DJing. ‘I had loads of mad techno records, by groups like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb, and someone offered me a weekly slot at a night called The Hard Club, at Gossips in Soho. I used to try and mix them with Detroit techno and early house stuff, and even thought I did not have a clue what I was doing. When I saw the effect that you could have on people, just by playing records, I was totally hooked’! His 1st residency was at the legendary Hard Club, in London’s Soho, where he played EBM (electronic body music) and new beat (Belgian electronic dance music genre).
From there he moved on to a residency at the London club Browns, where he stayed for 2 years. ‘I used to do 3 nights a week, and play the whole night myself. It was hard work sometimes, but it taught me a lot about building the mood of a night, and learning to work a crowd. It was an apprenticeship really, and I am really glad I did it’.
In 1993, he started working at Swag Records in Croydon, gave up Browns and started to play at underground parties like Heart & Soul and later Wiggle. It was there, that he really started to develop the sound he is now known for. Mixing raw, funky house grooves with lush melodic techno and booming electro, he quickly became 1 of the major players, on the then still developing London tech house scene.
Since then he has been a regular at nights like: Subterain (The End), The Bomb (Nottingham), Ministry Of Sound (London), Bed (Sheffield), Check Point (Reading) and Fabric (London), and has played just about every major club in London, whilst still holding down residencies at underground events like Whoop Whoop, Positive Sound and The Laundry.
Around 1997, saw Dave traveling around the world, taking his unique sound to parties and clubs in over 50 different countries like: Spain, Holland, Belgium, Croatia, Turkey, France, Israel, Australia, Malasia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, USA, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Canada and Italy. As well as doing major festivals like Homelands (England and Scotland), Impulz and Dance Valley (Holland). Also played at premier clubs like The Twilo and The Arc (New York), Spundae (Los Angeles), The Zouk (Singapore) and Propaganda (Moscow), and was voted best visiting DJ of 1999, after a 2 week tour in New Zealand.
Since 2000, Dave Mothersole has steadily become 1 of London’s biggest, best loved underground DJs. Known for his smooth mixing skills, dynamic flow and deep, ultra funky interpretation of house and techno, and rose through the DJ ranks, to become a regular fixture at clubs and parties all over the UK, and oversees.
In 2001, Dave was given his own weekly ‘Late Night Sessions’ show on London’s Kiss 100 radio (Tuesday’s 2–4am), and has quickly gained a fine reputation, for his laid-back presentation and non-stop 2 hour mixes.
Still as happy playing unannounced at free parties on the beach in Brighton, as he is spinning in front of 3000 clubbers at Amnesia in Ibiza. He remains 1 of the most down-to-earth DJs around. ‘I love what I do, and still feel I have got so much to learn’ he says. ‘The most important thing I have learned so far, is that it is easy to please the crowd, and it is easy to please yourself. But the hard thing to do, is please both at the same time, and that is what it is all about. DJing for me, is about entertaining people, whilst letting them know where you have come from, and where you are going’.
Production wise released over 20 records on labels like Eukahouse, Intrinsic Design, Bleep43 Recordings, and has put out 4 groundbreaking mix compilation CDs.
Dave is also a talented music journalist, writing monthly techno columns, who has written for publications like Jockey Slut, Mixmag, Melody Maker, and Muzik.
Maker of a fine mix ‘Unveiling the Secret – The Roots of Trance, 14 April 2014, Bleep43’, that is very important in terms of music history, that is so easily and often forgotten, with an accompanying essay.
Between 2009–2016, he has been hosting regular mixes on Proton Radio, and lives in Worthing, on the South coast, United Kingdom.