Emerson began mixing hip hop records at the age of 14, and by 16 was DJing regularly at local venues. He began to explore house music and quickly acquired a reputation as one of the top British DJs, and demand for his services saw him playing at top clubs such as The Milk Bar, Limelight, and Venus. Emerson has garnered several accolades such as "DJ of the Month" in The Face and i-D magazines.
In 1990, Rick Smith and Karl Hyde relocated to Romford, where Martin Prudence, brother-in-law of Smith, introduced Emerson to him, with Hyde inviting Emerson to become the third member of techno band Underworld. Emerson’s experience DJing in London clubs was an inspiration for Smith, who began making music inspired by the sounds of the then burgeoning British electronica scene. With Emerson onboard, Underworld completed their transition from the synthpop sound of their first two albums to the techno and acid house sound of subsequent releases. Underworld's first album to feature Emerson, 1994's dubnobasswithmyheadman, was their commercial and critical breakthrough, being called “The most important album since The Stone Roses and the best since Screamadelica…" by Melody Maker.
In 1995, whilst working on their second album, Second Toughest in the Infants, they released the single "Born Slippy .NUXX", which was then re-released in 1996 and became a hit following its inclusion on the soundtrack to Trainspotting.

Return to Darren Emerson Autograph Profile