Jem Stone (Jem Panufnik) grew up the self-described black sheep of a classical-music household, the son of a composer, gravitating first to drums and punk before working through funk, house and breaks. Trained in graphics and animation at Camberwell, he spent years torn between art and music until meeting Justin Rushmore resolved the conflict. Together they co-founded Finger Lickin' Records, conceived as an umbrella "vehicle for us to experiment" that became a defining home for funky UK breaks.
Recording as Soul of Man from a bedroom studio with an Atari, a sampler and a Juno, he produced the label's signature loose, sample-heavy sound and drew its instantly recognisable sleeve art. Finger Lickin' signed Lee Coombs, the Stanton Warriors and the Plump DJs, and Jem heard Fatboy Slim play his track "Between the Eyes" to 3,000 people at Glastonbury in 1999.
Later projects include Bush Doctors with Rennie Pilgrim and the ambitious album-and-book Captain Carnival, released on Velocity Press and his own Bonafide label.