Early 90s: The techno music of the early 90s was fresh enough to captivate a generation, and so it was in 1992 that a young Dave Begg was introduced to the
early techno sounds of the likes of Carl Cox and DJ Farquhar, and the fascinateing world of a brand new scene.
Catching the tail end of the rave scene, Dave picked up his first set of decks in 1992 and by 1993 had forged a strong love of the sounds eminating from early labels such as
Guerilla, Zoom, Platipus, Soma, Limbo and many others that would go on to become classics of the underground trance and techno scene.
Skank, Aberdeen: In 1994 Dave made his first dj appearance at the now legendary Skank at The Neptune Bar, Aberdeen, alongside local luminaries Jacqui Morrison and Nick Arthur, both of whom would
go on to become hugely influential, especially Nick in his role as the original Skank resident.
The mid 90s - 1994 to 1996 in particular - would be defining years for a generation of clubbers - tracks like Dave Clarke's "Red" series, Beyond "Silver", the early Hyper Hype
and Exit-EEE tracks, Slam's seminal "Positive Education", Underworld's "Rez" and "Cowgirl" amongst a raft of other tracks were all tracks that would go on to become modern classics.
A now legendary set at a Skank afterparty at the Tunnel at Aberdeen beach in June 94 put Dave firmly on the radar of Skank promoters and Aberdeen scene stalwarts Jay Allen and Bagsy, and a
residency soon followed. Alongside the likes of Nick Arthur and Ronnie Pacitti in the main room, and Brian Hutcheon in the (not so chilled out) "chillout room", Dave emerged as one of Aberdeen's
top young dj talents. Although the hedonistic vibe of the club remained in place after original resident Nick Arthur was replaced by Zammo and Michael Kilkie, the music policy of the main room was
in keeping with the "handbag" vibe of the time, which saw Dave branch out into a more progressive vibe, playing regularly alongside Brian Hutcheon, a massive influence musically, and good friend Nick Tweedie.
Many a heady night was had, dropping the likes of Sasha's mixes of the Reece Project, early UMM tracks, TTB (Richard Brown) and of course the early Hard Hands, Zoom and Guerrilla favourites.
Through his residency at Skank, Dave branched out to play regularly at clubs such as Lovechild, The CraigMyle and further afield, going on to hold down a residency at Lovechild in the later years
after its inception as Freedom, originally run by the team behind Skank.
Hook and Bellboy: The late 90s saw a move from Skank's spiritual home at the Neptune to Joy in Aberdeen, and with it a musical shift back from the "handbag house" that had become the norm for that period
(euurgh - they must have been strong!) towards a darker, trancier sound synonymous with the likes of Sasha, John Digweed, Nick Warren, Taylor, and the Aberdeen-based but globally successful
producer and dj Chris Cowie, and his labels Hook Recordings and Bellboy Records.
By the late 90s, Dave went into the studio with Chris to produce "Structured" and became the official Hook and Bellboy dj, playing internationally and representing the tough, trance and techno
sound of the time. As well as playing for Hook and Bellboy, Dave became resident at Drum and Joy - two of Aberdeen's best underground clubs.
Area 51: A lack of decent clubnights and the final closure of Skank meant by the millenium the time was right to start something new - together with brother Andy Begg, Dave launched
Area 51 at Drum in Aberdeen. With an emphasis on squarely on underground trance and techno, Area 51 fast became one of Aberdeen's most highly rated clubnights - featuring guests such as James Holden,
Lee Burridge, Kev Wright, Steve McReery, Idge as well as regular residents nights, with a focus on labels such as Soma, Fade Records, Drumcode, Minus, Eve, Platipus, and of course Hook and Bellboy.
With capacity crowds from the outset, the night was soon established as one of Aberdeen's best. After running for three years, Area 51 closed its doors after musical differences with the owner of Drum,
who chose to focus exclusively on hard house at the expense of anything else, eventually leading to the closure of Drum itself.
21st Century: By the early 2000s, Dave had achieved what was beyond the wildest dreams of most young djs starting out: "Structured" went on to feature on the Essential Mix and topped
the charts of most of Dave's most idolised DJs, whilst dj appearances worldwide at the likes of the Melkweg (Amsterdam), Password (Moscow), Cacao Beach (Bulgaria), NightTown (Rotterdam), Klatka (Warsaw) saw
Dave play alongside such influences as John Digweed, Billy Nasty and James Zabiela.
Edinburgh: Sadly not long after settling in Edinburgh after moving in 2000, seminal club Sublime with its legendary residents Kev Wright and Idge, closed its doors after
a visit from Lothian and Borders finest saw it move from its true home at Wilkie House. Playing at Sublime with Kev in summer 2000 was one of Dave's most memorable gigs and a true honour - only a handful of
Scottish guests ever graced the hallowed turntables of Sublime.
Appearances at a host of other clubs saw Dave's biog read like a "who's who" of the Scottish club scene - guest appearances at Progression, Stereotype, Musika, as well as residencies at Beatroot with
Ricky Palys and Ryan Turner - a proper underground house and techno club in Edinburgh, held in high regard by its regulars as one of the best clubs this side of Sublime - as well as a residency at Taste with
Scottish stalwarts Fisher and Price.
Further afield saw Dave play guest slots at the likes of Colours at The Arches, Deep Space Nites in Exeter, as well as regular gigs on the West Coast at the likes of Dornie, Kyle Of Lochalsh and the
Skye Music Festival with Scot MacLean, Ali MacLennan and MacFly.
Having recently moved back to Aberdeen in 2010, Dave continues to be as passionate as ever about djing and the world of the underground house and techno scenes. Although now as a veteran of the scene
he is as comfortable with the laid back, deep house vibe as he is blasting Berlin influenced techno at 4am, there is still more to come..... watch this space :)