(Rapper, b. 1985) Dizzee Rascal (real name Dylan Mills) has become known as something of a young godfather of the emergent ‘grime’ music scene, swiftly delivering a new kind of rap, quickly spoken and aggressive, over synthetic, staccato rhythms. His critical acclaim stems from a wide understanding of music (he cites Nirvana’s In Utero as his ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1999–present) Leaning more towards pop, Jay DeMarcus (b. 1971) and Joe Don Rooney (b. 1975) already knew each other when they played a gig with Gary Levox (b. 1970), the second cousin of DeMarcus, and the trio – 2002 CMA Horizon Award winners – began. Songs like ‘Bless The Broken Road’ and ‘Fast Cars And Freedom’ ...
(Dance group, 1994–present) Producers, DJs and remixers Basement Jaxx (duo Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe) rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, on the back of initial success at various south London club nights – most notably their highly eclectic but always uplifting Rooty evenings. On record, their sound lies somewhere between a carnival sound system and more ...
(Vocals, b. 1984) Scottish DJ Harris (real name Adam Wiles) made a big wave in British disco in the latter half of the Noughties, filling club dancefloors with tracks like ‘Acceptable In The 80s’ and ‘Dance Wiv Me’ – his collaboration with Dizzee Rascal. He courts controversy, voicing his opinions via social network site Twitter, but his ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1981) The daughter of a French poet mother, this singer was born Dido Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong on Christmas Day. She waited on the sidelines while her musician brother, Rollo Armstrong (of the band Faithless), achieved pop success in the mid-1990s. But encouraged after providing vocals for some of his tracks, her own songwriting ...
Adele’s initial break came after she recorded a trio of demos as part of her final year’s coursework at the beginning of 2006. A pal uploaded them on to Myspace, and very soon they attracted views and the attention of record companies. The only label Adele had heard of was Virgin and naturally, an email from a rep at ...
Bowie’s mega-success with his artistic low point was followed by what can only be described as a lost decade. A Homeland No. 1 At Last In 1979 Bowie had a non-album UK Top 10 hit with ‘John I’m Only Dancing (Again)’, a song that – the old rascal – bore no relation to his 1972 non-album No. 12 hit ‘John I’m ...
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An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.