Business Biography
'Industry guru', Resident Advisor, January 2012 (click for more)
'Brilliant analyst', SWMC, January 2012 (click for more)
"Dance music mogul", DJ Magazine (click for more)
"Polymath", Dancetrippin, January 2012 (click to listen to a pre-SWMC DJ mix)
Pioneering electronic dance music (EDM) journalist and blogger, Jonty Skrufff is an international music conference consultant, with unrivalled expertise and experience in both the business and creative sides of global club culture, producing music and DJing worldwide since 2004.
As a DJ, he’s held residencies at Pacha Ibiza (for David Guetta’s F**K Me, I’m Famous events, 2009) and London’s Fabric (DTPM, 2007)and performed in 30 countries from the Balkans to Brazil . He’s also produced and presented weekly shows for Ministry of Sound Radio (2004-2008) before leaving London for Berlin where he’s since joined BLN.FM, delivering Germany Calling every Friday evening during the station’s key prime time slot (20.00 CET).
As a producer, he has recorded and released tracks with Radio 1 DJ Judge Jules and won a Qwartz Award (equivalent to a French Grammy) for his first remix in 2009. The remix, a production of Motor’s Death Rave, came out on Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records and T Raumschmiere’s Shitkatapult Records.
As a highly experienced music journalist, he helped launch ground breaking British magazine Muzik in 1995, leaving two years later to found EMI’s first global dance music portal Dancesite.com.
Share Conference, Serbia 2012 "Jonty is a mystical personality of global club music, known for his influence on either business, media or art." Click for more
Going fully independent in 2001, he next set up his own press agency/ consultancy Skrufff Media, syndicating content to a global network of dance music portals including clients such as TrackItdown.net, Pacha.com, InTheMix.com.au, HKClubbing.com and Higher-Frequency.com) as well as publishing his weekly e-zine Skrufff-E. He started his daily blog Skrufff.com in 2010.
Specialising in stories about cutting edge club culture, trends and the weirder and wilder elements of nightlife and EDM, the network, blog and e-zine continue to be supported by an elite audience of tastemakers, artists and music industry heavyweights including the likes of the Pet Shop Boys, Danny Whittle (Pacha, Ibiza), Laurent Garnier and Dusty Kid.
With Stacey Pullen & Tommie Sunshine, ADE 2009
Since 2010, Jonty Skrufff became a moderator/ consultant for the Amsterdam Dance Event, programming and hosting panels for the world’s number one EDM summit. He’s since joined Russia’s leading nightlife/ EDM/ technology event Sochi Winter Music Conference (SWMC) in 2011, to create and develop an international program of panels and seminars.
As SWMC’s first international representative, he’s responsible for both conceiving panels and selecting and inviting international speakers to visit Russia. As a consultant, he is advising on marketing and expanding SWMC internationally.
Having collaborated with Serbia’s Exit Music Conference since 2010, (hosting panels, interviews and delivering a media Master class presentation in 2011) he continues to expand and build on his role as one of dance culture’s most experienced, multi-talented and committed champions and tastemakers.
With ADE general manager Richard Zijlma @ SWMC 2011
Selected Business/ Tastemaker Recommendations
“Since joining Amsterdam Dance Event in 2010 as a moderator/ consultant, Jonty has become a vital member of the team. His vast experience as an international DJ, producer and multi-media journalist mean he’s also an accomplished moderator and talented interviewer, and he has quickly become central to ADE’s ongoing development.”
Richard Zijlma, Amsterdam Dance Event, General Manager, Netherlands
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“Jonty is one of the most persistently positive, curiously articulate, passionately enthusiastic, dance music writer, journalist, advocate that I’ve ever met. The pioneering work he did at EMI and Virgin was groundbreaking and still reverberates. Jonty has a vision and all the practical skills and talent to implement it. It’s great to see him continuing to pursue something that he has been so instrumental in creating.”
Jeremy Silver, former Vice-President New Media, EMI Recorded Music Worldwide, Chairman at Musicmetric, and is a senior advisor to the Featured Artist Coalition, UK
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“Skrufff covers the three things I’m most interested in. Music, Clubbing and Human Rights. An excellent mix.”
Chris Lowe, the Pet Shop Boys, UK
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” I always log in on a Friday evening to see what’s happening in the more Skrufffy side of life. Entertaining and fun.”
Mark Broadbent, We Love @ Space Director, Ibiza, Spain
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“If I read one thing every week about our industry and more, it’s Skrufff.”
Danny Whittle, Director, Pacha Ibiza, Spain
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“From Amsterdam to Buenos Aires and beyond, Jonty always brings his unique take on the dance-music industry and we’re all better for it. As evidenced by his tireless work on Skrufff.com and his outstanding contributions to industry confabs like A.D.E., Jonty remains a passionate and informed musicologist, someone unafraid to tell you what time it is, someone all too happy to share his latest musical discovery.”
Jim Tremayne, Editor, DJ Times, US
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“Sometimes even we feel the need to know what’s currently shaking hips and heads. That’s when we turn to Skrufff, and we are never disappointed.”
Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, Tom Tom Club/ Talking Heads), US
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“I read Skrufff religiously. With so much music ‘journalism’ these days being rehashed press releases, it’s great to see someone finding their own stories and covering them from a new angle. Recommended.”
Grant Heinrich, Partner, Agency X, UK
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D-Edge, Sao Paulo
“Jonty Skrufff’s E-zine is a bloody marvel. In just ten minutes it tells me every last thing I need to know about current club culture around the world. No more late nights, no more drugs, no more 3am vomits in the gutter – I can now stay home and do it alone vicariously. All you need is Skrufff.”
Simon Napier-Bell, CEO, Nomis Management Ltd (author of Black Vinyl, White Powder, former manager of Wham, Marc Bolan, the Yardbirds, Japan) Thailand
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“I always read Skrufff – without fail. No one else gives such an intelligent and readable commentary on global electronic music, while also highlighting social and political issues I always find relevant. Skrufff is a perfect balance of serious subject matter, music and humour, delivered in bite sized nuggets that even an overworked individual like myself can digest.”
James Hamilton, Managing Director, Sliding Doors Publicity, UK
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Daily Star
“Skrufff is an addictive e-zine, a window to the wider clubbing world. It’s the only weekly mail-out I always read from start to finish, an essential feed of information and entertainment always served up with knowledge, irreverence and wit.”
Mark Kavanagh, Assistant Editor Irish Daily Star, Eire
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“I can tell you that Yoko was very impressed with your work, and what you are doing. Keep up the good work. We both agree that you are on to something special.”
Yoko Ono’s PA Robin Mervin, US (March 2003)
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“I must say, next to Bob Lefsetz’ e-mails Skrufff-E is a MUST READ and I would recommend it to anyone.”
Björn de Water, Owner, De Water Inc Productions, Holland
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“I always read his Skrufff e-zine every week without fail. With a discerning grasp of social issues around the world, he seems ideally placed to expand Skrufff Media into a bigger global concern – which I’m sure he’ll do with integrity, as well as innovation.”
Carl Loben, Deputy Editor, DJ Magazine, UK
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“If I was stranded on a desert island, all I’d need to survive would be Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On”, the works of Bowie (circa 1969-1980), a jar of Marmite, several barrels of Doombar fine ale and the latest Skrufff.”
Danny Howells, DJ, UK
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“It’s the only music related periodical I read each week.”
Dave Clarke, DJ, Holland
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“Everybody has blogs, everybody is a DJ, especially nowadays, but not everybody has credibility, knowledge and an extensive background; these are certainly the most important things when you write about arts and music: Jonty owns them all.”
Dusty Kid, DJ/ producer, Italy
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Urban Bug Magazine, Balkans
“Jonty Skrufff is one of the mythical characters of global club culture, who’s renowned for being both an innovative and brave DJ and hugely influential (and bold) journalist.”
Rajko Bozic, PR Director, Exit Festival, Serbia
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“There’s just one place for everything you need to know about music and clubbing scene worldwide, that is Skrufff.”
Davide Culzoni, manager Dusty Kid/ Marascia, Italy
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“Working with Jonty has been a pleasure. He’s been courteous, authentic, a complete stand for total Integrity.”
Gladys Pizarro, Launch Entertainment (formerly Strictly Rhythm A&R), US
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“Jonty was an incredible asset to Ministry of Sound Radio when he joined in 2004. The Skrufff show brought a brand new alternative sound to the station combining new cutting edge tracks and guest DJ mixes with the latest club news covered in the Skrufff e-zine.”
Rob Sharp. MUZU, formerly head of Ministry of Sound Radio, Ireland
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“When key events happen in the nightlife and club scene around the world Skrufff is always one of the first to write about it, with clear structure and entertaining articles that have clear relevance to what you need to know about the patricular subject.
For the interviews in particular Skrufff really gets those intereviewed to comfortably open up and give their real opinion on the industry and what its all about, where it’s just not a couple of sentences but a full proper indepth article each and every time.
Nick Wilsher, publisher, HKClubbing.com, Hong Kong.
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“Jonty did an outstanding job developing set of interviews, panels and master classes thus making Exit Music Conference 2011 a better experience for everybody involved. Participants and audience alike commented that his events were by far the most useful and practical.”
Dejan Tomka, Exit Music Conference (EMC) Program Manager, EXIT festival, Serbia
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