Val Saunders a.k.a. Digital English was born in (Harlesden) London, England and grew up taking the music of his parents seriously. While attending secondary school in the 70’s, each week he took his lunch money and purchased a single or two from then PAMA Records. In 1972, he and his friends built a sound and called themselves “The Mighty Conqueror”. In the early 70’s the craze for reggae music was tremendous. The demand for reggae artists such as Dennis Brown, Delroy Wilson, Big Youth & Johnny Clarke throughout England was extremely high.

Digital English left England in 1977 to reside in New York, which is the cultural capital of the world. In New York, his focus on reggae music intensified which allowed his record collection to multiply. While attending college, he secured a part time job with Keith’s Records store, owned by the one and only Germaine. His job at Keith’s allowed him to meet most of the reggae artists and get even more deeply involved with the music.