Clail worked originally as a roofer,[2] but during the mid- to late 1980s, based in Bristol, he became a warm-up act for On-U gigs.
[3] "Television: The Drug of the Nation" by The Beatnigs was remixed by Clail, Adrian Sherwood and Mark Stewart, on the Alternative Tentacles record label in 1988.
[4] In 1989, Clail, billed as Gary Clail & On-U Sound System, released an album on the label On-U Sound, marking his entrance to the electronic underground scene in Bristol, eventually leading him to work with RCA a couple of years later.
This output incorporated several singles and EPs, as well as the Emotional Hooligan album (1991).
[3] Clail released a further album on Yelen Records, entitled Keep the Faith (1996).