Bates and Niels Bjorndahl first met in 1984 when the graffiti scene was still in its infancy in Denmark.
They became fast friends and ran together thru 1986 when Bjorndahl was forced to put an end to his
graffiti career due to numerous run-ins with the local authorities.
Bjorndahl then changed his focus to abstract art while Bates continued on with graffiti.