From Ipswich, Duncan Busto began producing drum and bass in 1995 under the name Spirit. Before concentrating on music, he worked at Redeye Records, a shop tied to the town’s drum-and-bass scene. He emerged locally alongside Photek, Klute and Digital, and made his first track with Klute. Busto later released work through Renegade Hardware, Commercial Suicide and Dispatch, as well as Inneractive, the label he founded. His releases also appeared on Timeless, CIA, Shogun Audio and V Recordings.
Busto’s partnership with Digital took shape as Phantom Audio, a production project that also became a label in 1999. Spirit said the project aimed to bring a more organic feel to drum and bass, which he felt had become sterile. He and Digital also worked together as Phantom Force and later reunited for collaborations. The pair relaunched the Phantom Audio label in 2013. Spirit described his 2005 album Puzzle Box, released on Inneractive, as a full drum-and-bass album that explored deeper, techno-influenced elements. Another project, Underground Noise, began as a white-label experiment designed to let the music speak without the influence of artist names or labels.
Spirit’s tracks included “Raygun,” “Soul Survivor,” “ReDial,” “Spark” and “Disconnected”. The 2015 single The Wolf / Spiral / Mosquito paired him with Digital on Metalheadz. In 2017, he and Marcus Intalex released the single Untitled MCR / Acid Monday on Inneractive Music. Spirit died in 2018 following a cardiac arrest.
Further singles appeared after his death: C.I.A. vs Phantom Audio, a 2019 release with Digital and Total Science, and the 2021 single Spellbound (Spirit Remix) with L-Side on V Recordings. Digital joined him again for the 2024 single Digital's Dirty Dubs Vol. 2 on Function Records. The 2025 single Spirit VIP's, also on Function Records, credited Digital and Kiljoy alongside Spirit.