Mr Scruff set to brew up more tidy shows during 2012

On paper at least, naming yourself after your facial furniture, possessing a love of fish, being an able cartoonist, crate-digger and DJ, all sounds as palpable as England winning some football trophy. Mr Scruff is that palpable though - to cap it all, his interest in the tips of the planet's finest Kenyan or Indian shrubs inspired him to start up his own online mail-order Fair Trade tea company (Make Us A Brew, charmingly branded with Scruff's simplistic and unique line drawings and character-full cartoons, natch.

Mr Scruff has been an integral part of the British club scene for almost 20 years now, during which time he has single-handedly put the fun back into funk and the trouser back into jazz (to paraphrase one of his albums). From his first cut-n-paste 12" 'Hocus Pocus', released on Rob's Records (founded by the then New Order manager, the late Rob Gretton), to his later flirtation with established indie heavyweight breaks 'n' downbeat specialists Ninja Tune, Scruff's music is what so much dance-music wasn't in the mid-'90s - danceable and enjoyable. Pick any one of his clever tunes and you get equal measures of Charlie Parker, Charlie Chaplin and Charlie Brown, with a thorough dose of Scruffy trademarks such as samples, samples and more samples.

With the albums 'Trouser Jazz' and 'Keep It Unreal', Andy Carthy created a template that borrowed from the past and gave to the Fatboy Slims and Lemon Jellys of the future. Check out the toe-tickling 'Get A Move On' - see? Can't keep still.

Mr Scruff will be playing out at several festivals during the summer months, including Mostly Jazz in Moseley (tomorrow, 29th June), Green Man, Festival No.6 and Tramlines as well as a monthly residency at local hop, Band On The Wall in Manchester (his next one is on 14th July - £10). In October he'll be playing a short tour which covers Norwich, Oxford and Camden, all of which will be available to buy from us from 9am Friday 29th June - tickets cost £12.50 upwards. Go on - get your Scruffage!

Paul Pledger