Goldie and Doc Scott pay tribute to the D&B original.

Mark Goodings, one half of ‘90s Metalheadz outfit Hidden Agenda, died last night (November 29) after an illness.

Goldie paid tribute to the drum and bass artist on Facebook, saying: “It comes with great sadness that I share with you the news of Mark Goodings of Hidden Agenda’s passing at 11:30pm last night.

“He was with close family and friends when it happened. I have a new respect for what it means to brave after Mark’s decision to pass to the next life.

“Hidden Agenda’s legacy to UK underground music really cannot be underestimated. We will be announcing a gathering to celebrate Marks life and legacy soon. Headz family forever.”

Based in Gateshead, Goodings and his brother Jason were members of the OCP collective in the early 90s and spent several years working as a mixing and production duo before releasing their first 12″ as Hidden Agenda, released on Metalheadz in 1995.

With Jason as the DJ front of the operation, Goodings focused on studio production, bringing jazz and rare groove influences into their meticulously crafted take on drum and bass, as you can hear on 1995’s ‘Pressin’ On’.

The duo were prolific throughout the mid-to-late ‘90s, putting out a dozen 12″s and EPs on labels including Creative Source and Reinforced, and one full-length, 2000’s Whatever Happened To. In 1998, Mark relocated to Zurich, Switzerland to launch his own label Zest, making broken beats under the name Max Fresh.

Doc Scott, Lee Gamble and Lenzman also paid tribute to Goodings’s influence.