Fabio

Fabio is the DJ name of Fitzroy Heslop, who was born in Brixton and grew up in London. He originally wanted to be a singer, but began DJing after Colin Dale asked him to cover a pirate-radio show. Dale taught him to mix and lent him records, and Fabio started out playing funk and soul on pirate radio. Fabio and Grooverider began working together after playing an after-party linked to The Trip and Spectrum; they first teamed up on Phase One in 1987. Fabio hosted shows on Phase One, and the pair later presented programmes on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and Rinse FM. Fabio was born in September 1964 and is an occasional producer as well as a DJ.

Fabio and Grooverider helped establish jungle through their Rage club night at Heaven in London, which ran from 1988 to 1993. They were part of the transition from rave and hardcore towards drum and bass, and helped bring the music into British clubs. Fabio founded Creative Source, supporting early releases by Alex Reece, Wax Doctor and Hidden Agenda, as well as music by Calibre, Commix and Lynx. He championed liquid funk, a style he promoted with Sarah Sandy, and released a compilation titled Liquid Funk on Creative Source. Fabio recalled that drum and bass began to replace the term jungle partly because press coverage had given jungle a negative image. He placed that shift in terminology around 1996. In 1999, he and Sarah Sandy were championing liquid funk.

As a club promoter and resident, Fabio ran the Wednesday night Swerve, where DJs relied on selection and musical skill rather than MCs. His residencies also included Speed, Tempo and Promised Land. A 2003 mix, FabricLive.10, came out on fabric Records. Fabio and Grooverider remained closely associated, appearing together in a 2022 RA Exchange.