WORLD-famous turntable - or 'scratch' - artist DJ Yoda admits he's never really been a fan of his stage name.

"It was named upon me by friends because I had this big Yoda toy on my turntables," laughs the 37-year-old DJ - whose real name is Duncan Beiny.

"I never chose it and weirdly it’s not something I’ve ever liked but I’ve kind of stuck with it."

But, in spite of the dubious Star Wars-inspired title, it seems the force has been very strong for the north London-born DJ, who achieved phenomenal success following the release of his debut album How To Cut And Paste in 2001.

Now he is on the bill at a host of major festivals, is in demand to perform at exotic locations, and has in the past been included in Q Magazine's "ten DJs to see before you die" list.

And the seminal DJ - who makes music by 'scratching' with vinyl records on turntables - is coming to Standon Calling festival near Ware on August 1.

But it all began back in Yoda's bedroom, when, as a teenager, he learned to scratch on turntables he had saved up for.

“If anyone had a house party I would DJ at that," he remembers. "I had a little sort of record room in my parent’s house and even made my first album in my bedroom in North Finchley.”

It wasn't until he left home to study for a degree in English and American Literature at Warwick University that the young musician began playing regularly at club nights to crowds of people.

Pioneering a distinctive style of DJing using sample tracks and sounds from a wide range of sources - from films to random everyday noises - Yoda steadily built his career as a professional musician.

In 2002, around two years after graduating from university, the hip hop DJ took the plunge and went full-time as a musician and has never looked back since.

“I was thinking that maybe if I kept music as not my main job it wouldn’t ruin it for me," explains Yoda, who remembers playing gigs in Manchester on a Thursday evening, and going into work his day-job the next morning. "But it just didn’t make any sense, I was too busy with it."

However, keen to maintain his interest in working as a full-time DJ he is always on the look-out for new projects.

From playing atop an old American-style school bus to diversifying sample sounds he uses in his music (he once used the noise of a projector clicking through slides on a track) the BBC 6 Music DJ says he seizes the chance to do different things.

"I try and consciously try and work on stuff that won’t ruin it for me, so by doing all these different collaborations every year and taking DJing to interesting places so I’m not treading water," he says. "I don’t ever want it to feel like work, and luckily it never has done."

And he had continued to challenge himself with his latest album - entitled Breakfast of Champions - which has seen him work with a band for the first time.

Organised through Manchester music venue and arts project Band On The Wall, a group of ten musicians were selected to create the album with Yoda and the finished product was released in March this year to widespread acclaim.

Despite his success, Yoda remains grounded in reality and says he could never have predicted to achieve the success he has.

“I never was like: 'I’m going to be a professional DJ and travel the world.' It just kind of turned out like that," he explains. "I love it – I wouldn’t change it for the world."

Standon Calling, Colliers End, near Standon, Ware, July 31 to August 2. Details: standon-calling.com