RELEASES
DEF TEX
Serene Bug album
Son 018 / May 2001
Def Tex – old school veterans? Well, you could call them that. Originally formed in 1987, they’ve been cutting their teeth on the mic, turntables & sampler for as long as they can remember.
The early line up was CHROME, SURE DELIGHT & ROXKI (now known as R-KEY) back in the days when they took the Brixton ‘Illin Rap Clash’ by storm, and won hands down (a legendary tale!). After those days of being the consummate pub rap band came the ill-fated deal with Ten records (Virgin dance subsidiary, which at the time was home to Soul II Soul, Mantronix & Loose Ends. Although nothing was ever released, this was a good experience of what the business was all about, and whether they could hack it. Highlights of this period were the first tour with De La Soul (cut short by Chrome’s illness) and numerous gigs with the likes of BDP, Cash Money & Marvellous, & the Demon Boyz. It was also around this time that THE ANTHROPOLOGIST (originally part of the Def Tex dance crew, ‘2 True’) first picked up the mic, and the early Ten records tracks came out on the Soundclash label.
The ‘Master Blaster’ EP became the blueprint for the Def Tex sound: hard, but musically thoughtful, and a touch abstract – a word that always springs to mind with their current sound. So we’re now talking about the dark days of the UK hip-hop scene, no industry interest saw most groups putting out their own budget material., And struggling to keep it going. Def Tex were no exception, notching up a total of 8 EPs, and a gang of rave reviews: ‘a drop dead piece of cold sweat funk’ (Blues & Soul on ‘Herbs & Verbs’); ‘radically fresh & original’ (Sky magazine on ‘Tutorial Sessions’) – just a couple of quotes out of many. The boys proved they were in it for the long term. But it was never easy.
So, with all this vital experience of putting out records, working with various musicians to create different incarnations of the Def Tex sound sees us up to the first link up with SON Records, the ‘Poetic Speech Techniques’ EP (1998). Working with drum & bass producers, the E-Z rollers, saw their sound move on to the next level, and confidence running at an all-time high. This was just one look at where the country’s hip-hop movement was going. With the next release on SON, the ‘Synchronise’ EP (Muzik & DJ’s hip-hop single of the month), things were just getting better. Then, hooking up with 3 musicians, Matthew Jefferson (bass),Jasper Williams (drums) & Toshi Matsunaga (guitar) meant that live performances were elevating, along with the recordings. Just ask anyone lucky enough to check their shows (the band recently got a 5 star live review in Melody Maker).
So here we are – the year 2001, no space suits or hover cars, just the first full length album from Def Tex. After 13 years of making music, the boys are ready to release a spanking new selection of songs, and their best work to date. Featuring the lyrical brilliance of HUNTKILLBURY FINN, TY, JUICE ALEEM, EZRA of VINYL DIALECTS, CAPPO & DPF & the turntable wizardry of PLUS ONE, ‘Serene Bug’ looks set to reaffirm where Def Tex are coming from – more lyrical mystics and out-there soundscapes to open up the grey matter.
DEF TEX are:
ANTHROPOLOGIST: MC
CHROME: MC
R-KEY: PRODUCER
SURE DELIGHT: DJ
TRACKLIST:
1. POETIC SPEECH TECHNIQUES
2. HEY TUNE IN (FEAT. DPF)
3. NORTH WESTERLY WINDS (FEAT. JUICE ALEEM)
4. THEY KNEW US
5. WHAT'S THE SITUATION
6. SYNCHRONISE (FEAT. DPF)
7. RARE RIDE
8. BREATHE DEEP
9. FRESH AIR (FEAT. CAPPO & EZRA)
10. TOES ARE SINKING
11. HOLD THAT THOUGHT (FEAT DPF)
12. INTO THE FUTURE
13. TURNTABLE 4 2 (FEAT DJ PLUS ONE)
14. I DON'T KNOW
15. ROCK THE BEAT (FEAT. HUNTKILLBURY FINN & TY)
16. SING SAD SONGS
ALL TRACKS PRODUCED BY R-KEY EXCEPT
4. PRODUCED BY ANTHROPOLOGIST
9. PRODUCED BY ANTHROPOLOGIST & R-KEY
13. PRODUCED BY SURE DELIGHT & R-KEY
16. PRODUCED BY THE LARGE LEFTIES
