Treva began his musical career behind the counters of the fine record shops in the north of England where he helped compile albums for the likes of the Manchester based Fat City label. He was also spotted behind the decks alongside a young Andy Carthy, now known as the cheeky Mr Scruff, a partnership that still holds strong to this day.

Treva made the natural foray into his own music productions soon enough, some being picked up by DJ Morpheus for his Freezone series, London club Off Centre for their comp of the same name and the Brighton based Tru Thoughts label. Treva also had dealings with the Skint label, but things didn't work out as planned. Skint's loss was Ninja Tune's gain and so a new home was found for the travelling northerner.