Born in the last months of the 1960's, J. Saul Kane's colorful personality is a product of the life he has lived thus far.

After an itinerant early childhood spent in various locations around the UK and continental Europe, a seven year old J. Saul Kane found himself landing in West London's then derelict Powis Square. Within a week of arriving, he had witnessed the infamous Notting Hill Carnival riots of 1976, and had also been exposed to the music of black urban Britain, both formative experiences. Thirty years later, he is still based in the 'Harrow Road Bronx' and it is this area that has shaped his musical growth. Living in this predominantly Afro -Caribbean enclave of West London meant that Kane's early tastes were defined by the sound of dub reggae, soul and raw US funk, programming him in such a way that he perfectly attuned to take in the sounds of hip hop and electro that hit the UK in the early eighties. It's no coincidence that it was at this point that his path was set. Total immersion in hip hop culture meant that Kane's early teenage years were dominated by tapes of Afrika Islam's legendary WHBO Zulu Beats show, house parties, trips to the Electric Ballroom's Electro Roller Disco and live performances by visiting luminaries such as DJ Whizz Kid, Hashim and The Fearless Four. Indeed, it was a DJ Whizzkid show at Acklam Hall in 1983 that turned Kane onto both scratch deejaying and beat collecting. In turn, this led to his discovery of different musical genres and, importantly, also sparked his interest in obscure film soundtracks. Having discovered Kung Fu as both a sport and a film genre at around the same time (an interest that would later find its ultimate manifestation in his involvement with the Made In Hong Kong film company), the elements that would define his sound were falling into place.

By this time, London's pre-acid house club culture was at its peak, and Kane's growing reputation as a deejay was drawing him out to the West End to play at the Wag Club, the Mud Club and Metro Warehouse parties with deejays such as Mark Moore (later to form S' Express) and Renegade Soundwave's Danny Briottet and Carl Bonny. This was a London where maybe five to ten thousand people were dedicated to a scene that revolved around throwing events in off kilter venues ranging from disused warehouses to Circle Line train carriages, events which would involve hordes of revelers and assorted freaks taking over subway trains, removing the light bulbs and installing beat boxes in each carriage; wild times that seem unimaginable in an age of generic air conditioned commercial clubs.

By 1985, Kane had not only collated an enviable armory of breaks, but had also invested in a drum machine and was being asked to program beats for various. Increasingly interested in making his own music, Kane began to formulate ideas for two different projects, Depth Charge and Octogon Man, and by 1987, was ready to roll. Some six years before hip hop had been tripped out and de-vocalized by Bristol and Mo Wax, Kane was in a West London studio working on his vision of weird-ed out, instrumental-ized 'film genre' hip hop, something he describes as 'mono-syllabic club music', 'club' referring to the prehistoric era and cave men rather than to a disco dance party. He took the fruits of his labor to Vinyl Solution, a local record store and label, who subsequently released it as the Han Do Jin 12" in 1989. As the first Depth Charge release, Han Do Jin introduced the world to Kane's brand of stripped down, sonar blip hip hop; a unique take on of the genre instantly recognizable on account of his production style and use of esoteric kung fu dialogue samples. The record, frequently played at 45 rpm rather than the recorded speed of 33rpm, became an underground hit and Jonathan Saul Kane found his calling.

After a stint with acid house pranksters Bomb The Bass, Kane decided to focus on a number of solo projects, each of which was intended to fulfill a certain function. Depth Charge would be sample based lo-fi hip hop instrumentals. Octogon Man would be sample free, jagged edged electro jams. Tet would be house based 'devil's disco', and Alexander's Dark band, a later incarnation, would allow him to realize his most deranged oddball ideas.

Nearly twenty years on, these projects have developed and mutated, each one reflecting his love of not just early hip hop innovators, but also artists as diverse as Ennio Morricone, Lee Perry, Ryuchi Sakamoto, Brian Eno and Trouble Funk. Despite this, Kane has never lost sight of each incarnation's original function, and it's this level of dedication that has helped forge his reputation as a mold breaking producer, deejay and label boss.

Despite enjoying widespread international acclaim, Kane's remaining aspirations range from the humble to the outlandish. With ambitions to release a composition of 'A-side rather than B-side' quality, and plans to take over a Kilburn bingo hall bubbling away, he never ceases to amaze. Add to all of this his extra curricular pastimes (pursuits as varied as dedication to world football, kung fu fanaticism, film collecting, bubble gum card hording and pathological loitering), and you begin to get a picture of a genuine 'one off', an underground original and a true British eccentric. It's a complex picture that might leave you scratching your head, but that's because you're attempting to make sense of J. Saul Kane, which is perhaps an attempt to fathom the un-fathomable.