Born and raised in Nottingham,[1] he was introduced to extreme music whilst playing in local bands, one of which being DIY punk band Scum Dribblurzzz, who never released any records or accepted payment for playing shows.
He started releasing Flexi discs, and then moved on to putting out a split between Concrete Sox and Heresy, and an album by The Accüsed.
In 1987 he compiled two sessions by different line-ups of the band Napalm Death, and released them as the album Scum.
7 on the UK Indie Chart and receiving airplay on John Peel's show on BBC Radio 1.
Pearson is responsible for signing many pioneering heavy bands including At the Gates, Bolt Thrower, Carcass, Cathedral, Godflesh, Anal Cunt, Entombed, Morbid Angel as well as Deicide, Mortiis, and The Berzerker, as well as releasing more techno-oriented music, and reissues of the label's earlier albums.