Breakbeat history gets the insider treatment as Justin Rushmore — co-founder of Finger Lickin' Records and one half of Soul of Man — sits down with Deckard for a deep dive into one of the most important independent labels in UK dance music.
Justin traces his path from discovering Street Sounds Electro compilations as a teenager to throwing "French Kissing Balls" at 16, organizing acid house revival raves, and eventually meeting Jem Stone through a serendipitous connection that launched Finger Lickin' Records in 1997.
This episode covers the full arc — how hearing the Freestylers' Essential Mix crystallized the Finger Lickin' sound, why the label became an "umbrella for no rules" in an era of chin-strokey dark breaks, and how Justin pushed Plump DJs to release A Plump Night Out when they resisted. He explains the Dog Star and Bar Vinyl as ground zero for the Brixton breakbeat scene, what it was like selling records out of the back of vans to the same shops he'd been shopping in, and how running a record shop became the social hub that attracted Lee Coombs, Krafty Kuts, and the wider Finger Lickin' family.
Justin shares incredible stories from the road — getting kidnapped in an RV after a Mighty party in San Francisco, pulling back a curtain to find Lee Coombs DJing alone at his own after-party, and the night Norman Cook got on his knees backstage in Barcelona bowing down to Soul of Man (and later had zero memory of it).
The conversation goes beyond nostalgia into what happens when a scene runs its course. Justin talks about the conscious decision to end Finger Lickin' after 10 years and 100 singles, the transition into Bug Club — his fleet of VW camper van DJ booths that have done over a thousand events including the London Marathon and Formula One — and the question that defined his post-label life: how can a DJ age gracefully?
With Finger Lickin's 30th anniversary on the horizon for 2027, Justin hints at big plans to reconnect with the global community the label built.
This episode directly connects to Ep 6 and Ep 10 (Lee Coombs), Ep 9 (Jem Stone), Ep 11 (Krafty Kuts), Ep 14 (The Freestylers), and Ep 15 (Plump DJs) — making it one of the most cross-referenced conversations in the series.
Topics: Finger Lickin' Records history, Soul of Man, breakbeat culture, Brighton DJ scene, UK breaks, independent record labels, Bug Club, Bar Vinyl, Dog Star Brixton, Fatboy Slim, A Plump Night Out, acid house, rave culture, DJ entrepreneurship
00:00 Introduction to Justin Rushmore02:00 Musical Beginnings and Influences05:40 Transition to DJing and Early Parties10:52 The Rise of Breakbeat and Acid House18:11 The Birth of Finger Lickin' Records25:35 The Big Beat Scene and Community Dynamics32:20 Soul of Man's Place in Breakbeat History37:17 Pushing for Albums and Collaborations41:08 The Evolution of a Music Collective45:12 Navigating the Digital Shift in Music47:04 Personal Growth and New Ventures52:52 The Future of Bug Club and Events57:33 Reflecting on the Past and Celebrating the Future
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