In 1986, whilst working in Fon Studios, Sheffield, in a 54-hour marathon session he engineered and mixed the Age of Chance – Kisspower Remix (the first UK cut’n’paste record, beating “Say Kids, What Time Is It?” by about six months).

Between 1986 and 1992, he was part of the Indie C&W outfit, Don Valley & The Rotherhides (in which all the members were named after areas of Sheffield), whose songs included “Thatcher’s Dead”. He also played guitar and performed backing vocals in the 1990s Sheffield guitar band Seafruit. Seafruit’s single “Looking For Sparks” was used for a while on Sky Sports’ football coverage.