Jamie Jones, owner of record label Hot Creations and co-founder of dance music giants Hot Natured is currently one of the most prominent figures in electronic music.
Recently voted 9th in the Resident Advisor’s “Top 100 DJs of 2013”, he has become an unmistakable face in the clubbing community. However, it has been revealed that it is actually a face we all should recognise for other reasons.
An undisclosed source recently released images to the press of Jamie, returning to his hotel after performing at BPM Festival in Mexico, removing his famous afro wig and make up to unveil none other than the host of TV series Robot Wars’ Craig Charles.
The star of award-winning television programmes Takeshi’s Castle, Red Dwarf and Coronation Street, it has been known that Craig Charles has also been involved in music for some time. His Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club act has appeared at festivals and nightclubs throughout the UK since it first featured on Charles’ BBC Radio 6 show back in 2002.
Since the damning evidence surfaced, Craig has made an official press release, explaining his motives behind the Jamie Jones alias:
“It had to stay covert, nobody could ever know. I started around the time I was doing Radio 6 in 2002. The Funk & Soul Club was always fun, but it just wasn’t enough for me. I was getting bored of telly, I’d done all the big appearances; The Bill, Eastenders, Holby City.”
“I decided to do something about it and take a new direction. I got a few releases around 2003 under the name Jamie Jones. I took the name from Leyton Orient’s goalkeeper when I was at the bookies one day.”
“Then the crack cocaine days came at about ‘06, and that’s when it took off for me. In the public eye, Craig Charles was hated; I was kicked off Corrie and the BBC wanted nothing to do with me. But the music I was coming up with was better than ever. That’s when I realised that Jamie’s true identity would have to stay secret. There was no way that I’d keep my residency at DC10 in Ibiza if everyone knew I was the annoying voice of Takeshi’s Castle.”
“Even Lee Foss didn’t know until we’d done a few gigs together as Hot Natured. It wasn’t until after a night in Miami; we were at the hotel and I set my afro alight trying to smoke a crack pipe. I had no choice; I had to take it off. Lee was stunned, but once I told him the story, he was fully supportive.”
Craig announced that he plans to continue performing under both names, “hopefully the fans can understand why I did what I did. It was all for them. I didn’t want pretentious house and techno heads knowing they were paying big money to go to ridiculously flashy events to see a soap opera celebrity. Nobody’s ego should be damaged like that.”
