BIOGRAPHY

Mr Switch aka Anthony Culverwell is one of the most accomplished & talented DJs ever to come out of the UK – as a 4 times World DJ Champion, 7 times UK champion, and the first DJ in history to have performed at the BBC Proms, he’s achieved a lot more than most!

Anthony started DJing aged just 11, fascinated by the mysteries of scratching records. Initially naming himself DJ Switch, his skills & reputation as a world-class DJ & turntablist were forged through various DJ competitions. He won his first world championship – the DMC Battle For World Supremacy – in 2008, at the tender age of 19, and defeated contenders from 22 countries. He successfully defended the title for 3 years running (2008, 2009 and 2010) – the first DJ ever to do so. After changing his stage name to Mr Switch, he returned to battling one final time in order to take on the world’s longest standing DJ competition, gain a 4th world title, and become DMC World DJ Champion in 2014.

Constantly seeking ways to explore the versatility of scratching, and using turntables in unusual ways, Mr Switch was surprised & intrigued to be offered the chance to DJ within the world of classical music. But not simply spinning beats – Gabriel Prokofiev’s “Concerto For Turntables” features the DJ as the soloist with a traditional orchestra, scratching classical sounds taken exclusively from the orchestra (strings, brass, percussion, etc.), and melding the worlds of hip hop & classical.

Since debuting the piece at the BBC Proms – becoming the first ever DJ to perform at the UK’s largest classical music festival, in its’ 120+ year history – he has played the piece more than 70 times, and performed as a classical soloist across 20 different countries. This has led to numerous spinoff projects – several new pieces written by Prokofiev for Switch; a recording of the Concerto set for release in 2020; a unique “Turntable Orchestra” project; Mr Switch’s own orchestral group “Symphonica”, which fuses classical music with dancefloor destroying beats & Switch’s scratch skills. Expect many more things to come!

But Mr Switch is not just renowned for his technical wizardry… He is an expert party-rocker, who spins multiple music genres & always entertains the audience. A typical DJ set can cover anything from hip hop, funk, garage, glitch hop, grime, house, soul, jungle, drum & bass, reggae, trap, future… with several surprises along the way! Or he can spin within a single genre. As a festival favourite, he has provided closing DJ sets at Bestival, Shambala and Glastonbury.

Switch marks himself out from other DJs as being truly unique – able to be creative & perform in any environment. He has collaborated with other DJs & orchestras; bands, beatboxers & breakdancers; singers, tabla players & tuba players… Spun tunes in every conceivable kind of venue – clubs, cinemas, circuses, conferences, cricket matches & churches!… and played in a literal A-Z of countries – America, Brazil, China, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Korea… and so on.

Switch has worked closely with several leading DJ brands, including Pioneer, Rane, Denon, Stanton, and Allen & Heath, with extraordinary videos that showcase exactly what the DJ gear is capable of. He attained viral video status for his 4 turntable collaboration with fellow turntablist JFB & their remix of Fatboy Slim’s “Right Here Right Now”, currently clocking over 3 million views.

Numerous TV appearances include BBC Breakfast, Go For It (ITV), I’ve Never Seen Star Wars (BBC) & Blue Peter. Radio credits include DJ mixes & performances for Radio 1 (Ras Kwame, Rob Da Bank), 1Xtra (Mistajam, DJ Semtex, Sarah Love), Kiss FM, Itch FM & BBC Asian Network.

DJ Mr Switch is truly a one-of-a-kind. Known worldwide for his astonishing scratch skills, multi-genre mastery, party-rocking vibes & unique versatility, he is able to take any challenge thrown at him.

PRESS QUOTES

Kristan Jarvi:

“Mr Switch owes his reputation to his virtuosity, perfect party pitch and ability to create mash-up sets that can break every musical barrier.”

Birmingham Notes:

“Gliding between records with ease, scratching and manipulating beats & sounds with a look of complete relaxation. His fingers are operating the instruments at his disposal as naturally as most people use a knife & fork, and he looks like a Zen master making something so complicated look easy”

The McMash Clan:

“The DJ’s DJ”

The Cusp:

“I happen to be mesmerised by Mr Switch every time I see him play… at his cutting, twisting, inverting, spitting, distorting, teasing, and virtuosic (in the traditional sense) best”

The Guardian:

“Relishing his role as concerto soloist, Mr Switch’s takes on the classical show-off cadenza were breathtaking in their dexterity”

The Independent:

“…scratching and mixing between his turntables in a series of itchy hip-hop, beatbox, manipulations… the funky interplay between the two was like flicking a time-switch between the 20th and 21st centuries”

Arts Desk:

“the soloist, the swift-fingered Mr Switch… undertook a virtuoso display of mixing in duet with the textures of the orchestra”

Leftlion Magazine:

“…turning those tables mad fast, crossing his hands and spinning round in between scratches. Smooth. Criminal.”