Having emerged from a small and local Yorkshire scene a few years ago, DJ, producer, promoter, presenter and label boss Doorly had a great year in 2011. Not only did he undertake a nine-month tour of the planet, but so too did he play almost every club on the island of Ibiza (his summer home for the last 5 years), act as tour DJ for r&b megastar Usher and continue his close relationship as resident, host and frontman with the illustrious Ibiza Rocks. It’s clear to see, then, that what separates this man from the crowd is his ability to play – and fit in with – any line-up of talent no matter the style of music.

As well as DJing, the staunchly genreless artist also collaborated with stars as diverse as Grandmaster Flash, Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears and vocal manipulator Beardyman, all due for release in the coming months. At the same time, Doorly has thrown huge parties in abandoned warehouses in downtown LA alongside barmy bass hound Toddla T and, since first emerging, has been asked to do not one but two Essential Mixes for Radio 1, has remixed Prodigy, Dizzee Rascal and Basement Jaxx and has played on the same bills with acts as diverse as Prodigy (at their 65, 000 strong Milton Keynes Bowls gig), Azari & III, Skrillex, Tiga, Friendly Fires and even The Specials.

Says Doorly of his setup (4xCDJs plus 2 samplers / EFX units and a mic)… "DJing should be about a LIVE & visually exciting performance, not the back of a laptop! I bring as much equipment and broken down parts of tracks with me as possible to give me the ability to remix on the fly and involve as much scratching, looping and turntablism as possible"

A keen proponent of all and any genres from house to bassier dubstep and jungle sounds to hip hop, techno, funky and more, Doorly champions such sounds on his own Pigeonhole this label. He’s recently signed auspicious young Huddersfield act Extra Curricular (debut collab EP with Doorly himself out soon) and hopes to continue to showcase a wide remit of sounds in the year ahead, all of which will be cemented with a series of label parties in London and further afield.

On top of hosting regular slots on cult London radio station Rinse FM, Doorly continues to program his own huge Afterparty warehouse events in Huddersfield where the likes of Annie Mac, 2manydjs, Fatboy Slim and Nero play on a regular basis to thousands of adoring ravers. In fact, Doorly actually went on tour with Fatboy Slim in December 2011, playing in mad venues like Bridlington Spa and Southend Cliff Pavilions.

Before that, the new school star confirmed himself to be someone much in demand across the pond, too, as he completed a 22 date US tour with dubstep superstar Rusko followed by another 15 stateside festival dates including the Identity Tour and the Holy Ship cruise run by the HARD crew. Also in the lead up to summer, Doorly will be spending a further month in the US & Canada on his own solo tour.

“I’ve spent a hell of a lot of time on transatlantic flights and tour buses this year” says Doorly. “But what’s happening in America right now is so exciting for our scene and the world of music has all of a sudden become a much smaller place.”

Given Doorly is known as something of a dexterous talent behind the decks – whether playing to 65 in a sweaty basement or to 50, 000 in an American arena – it’s no wonder gear giants Pioneer have him road testing and giving design input on their kit (as a Pro-DJ along with the likes of James Zabiela) months before it comes out. Now settled back in London, Doorly’s plan for 2012 is to continue writing, playing and unearthing the freshest electronic sounds from across the board… you’d be mad not to join in.

Doorly on DJing for USHER…

“The usher team initially came to me as they had seen my skills as a DJ so wanted me to play his backing tracks while he sang but once we got together I ended up re-producing, mashing up and re-mixing all of his tracks and we spent a few days rehearsing an insane collaboration show of turntablism and energy all matched up to Ushers panty dropping voice and moves!”

Doorly on AFTERPARTY…

“We're now into our 6th year with these parties and along the way we seem we seem to have won every award and critical acclaim possible. A highlight was when I did my first essential mix live from the warehouse with radio 1 broadcasting it to the world, Pete Tong as my warm up and introduction! We have no musical or money driven agenda or clique, and I generally only invite my mates to come and play so it is ALWAYS about the fun and our crowd are in my opinion the best in the world!”