Gifted, young and jazzy as hell, Andy Ash has turned promise into purpose as his music is deservedly reaching record shops for the first time. Already a firm fixture in the sets of those that know, now the world is ready to get into his groove.

Andy Ash is certainly not the first person to get their hands on a pair of decks aged 12. Statistics say that more pairs of turntables are sold than guitars, but how many of those budding young disc jockeys debut gigs involve mixing house music to 800 people at the tender age of 15? The prodigious Andy Ash who spun alongside Yousef, Lottie and Paul Woolford in his formative Cambridge clubbing years has matured into a purveyor and producer of exquisite house, hip hop and soul in his adopted home of Liverpool.

Mixing up jacking and jazz into a perfect fusion in the studio and on the decks, Andy is now gaining kudos from respected global players. Releases are lined up on a subsidiary of Still Music over in the States after Andy's work caught the ear of Chicago's Jerome Derradji, before Andy's sounds hit the fledging label SOUL (Sound of Underground Liverpool) right on his doorstep in the Capital of Culture.

It is in Liverpool's cosy yet crazy Dragon bar where Andy Ash runs his club night with fellow young soulster Ryan Turner. The pair are like a battling Frodo and Sam, fighting against the impending audio doom ushered in by marauding superclubs and glitzy bars. Our heroes' weapon of choice is Playground, an intimate party where soul, techno, hip hop and jazz get along together just fine. Andy may not realise it, but he is helping push forward a new musical agenda in a city that follows formulas with its nightlife; where energy is often mistaken for soul and tempo can dictate tastes. A new niche in Liverpool's musical heritage is being bravely carved by Andy Ash alongside contemporaries and collaborators like Chris Barker, Tim Scott, DJ Conrad and Si Murray, who are all reading from the same hymn book. Or should that be iBook?

In both Andy Ash's productions and DJ sets the influences are clear: the vibe of Madlib and the Mizells, the expression of Herbert and Coltrane, the knowledge of Quincy and Q-Tip. Learning the lessons taught by these greats while filtering it through his own misspent musical youth makes for a refreshing sound that always has at least one foot on the dancefloor. Still in his early twenties, Andy has a bright future on the eclectic side of things. Based on this evidence, all 12 year olds should be offered turntables and tunes instead of recorder lessons. Maybe then we could unearth more suburban soul superstars like the mighty Andy Ash.

Bio Written by: Phil Charnock