RIP Mark Barnes aka Mark B – Very sad news and a genuine shock. I did a bunch of covers for him in the 90s when he and DJ Vadim started Jazz Fudge, he knew what he wanted but was always open to new ideas. (Mark above with Blade in DJ Vadim’s old studio, Kingston, late 90s) A talented producer who was at the forefront of the UK Hip Hop production scene with a wealth of knowledge, especially on Library music. I remember accompanying him and (I think) Joel Martin to a lock up in Wembley one day when the Bruton and Chappell catalogue was housed there, researching for a compilation. They went through master tape reels and vinyl LPs whilst I took photos for what would have been the cover but there were gaps, someone had been and cherry picked it already and the comp never happened in the end. One of the only people I knew to have an original copy of ‘Beat Bop’ on 12″ in the 90s and appeared on Top of The Pops when his album with Blade blew up. Always humble, even when KRS One freestyled over his beats on 279‘s radio show that time…