Spectro presents Jehst
with Micall Parknsun & DJ Jazz T
+ Ricta + sonofsamsounds
Friday 23 September : 8.30pm
£8.00 adv : £10.00 door
Often an artists biography is full of buzz-words, wildly sweeping statements & unabashed claims of influencing a generation or changing the face of their chosen genre. Very few can say it with the conviction and sincerity of British born lyricist & producer Jehst. With a sound comparable to none, Jehst’s entrance onto the domestic Hip Hop scene truly gave birth to a new breed of wordsmith.
His debut release Premonitions (1999) on his own YNR (Young N Restless) Productions imprint instantly allowed the then 19 year old to establish himself as a fiercely independent artist with an unparalleled grasp on language. Painting vivid images with a turn of phrase so many since have tried and fallen short of replicating.
With the arrival of The Return of The Drifter (2002) Jehst truly became one of the seminal figures in a flourishing scene, spearheading a movement of artists that would kick open the doors for homegrown Hip Hop to become as vibrant & healthy as it is today. His debut full-length release Falling Down (2003) is widely recognised as one of the most-influential Hip Hop albums to ever come out of the UK.
With a captivating stage presence to match his studio persona the self-styled High Plains Drifter fast became a cult-phenomenon on the live-circuit, garnering a reputation that would go on to see him billed alongside some truly iconic artists; from living legends of Reggae Lee Scratch Perry and Max Romeo, to Hip Hop pioneers KRS One and De La Soul and todays Dubstep super-stars Skream and Benga, to name a select few. It was during a run of relentless live-performances that Jehst released his next solo outing Nuke Proof Suit (2005). Despite its brevity, this 8-track milestone spoke volumes, not only about Jehsts own musical direction but also the tense atmosphere of post 9/11 London.
This was swiftly followed by his highly anticipated production project Underworld Epics Vol. 1 (2006) which showcased the lyrical skills of peers and pioneers alike while solidifying Jehsts own reputation as a producer in his own right. This period signaled a shift in focus for Jehst as he turned his attention from the rhymes to the beats, establishing his own studio and developing the YNR roster while continuing to tour intensively.
Now, in 2011, Jehst is back in the spotlight with his new album The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family a welcome return for a bonafide UK legend. Far from just a local hero, Jehst is a name known globally with an influence reaching far and wide from Americas underground to Australia and back again, with fans including everyone from Pharoahe Monch and Gilles Peterson to Rusko and Hudson Mohawke. The lead single Starting Over is already a talking point with its iconic video and viral campaign and with the imminent album launch party at London’s prestigious Fabric, a gatefold double-vinyl package for the dedicated crate diggers and the debut of his full live band set-up planned for this summers Outlook festival, its set to be yet another big year for Billy Brimstone!
Micall Parknsun has come a long way since he burst onto the scene with his widely acclaimed debut album, The Working Class Dad, in 2005. His first full-length work gained him a healthy buzz across the radio waves, including airtime on XFM, KISS and Zane Lowe’s show on Radio 1.
Parknsun’s reputation as a lyricist of the highest order was further cemented by his stage-crippling anthem Dunya (My World), the lead single on Underworld Epics Vol. 1, produced by Jehst and released in 2006. The Interview Mixtape released in the same year, mixed by LG and Lopez, with cameos from Jehst, Kyza Smirnoff, Klashnekoff, Asaviour and Skriblah Dangogh, to name just a few, makes up his back catalogue. What makes Parky unique when holding his work up against a lot of the hip hop around right now is, and always has been, his feet on the ground philosophy and honest quality of music, epitomised in the title of his first album.
He claims that his strongest influences, other than his peers, are artists such as CL Smooth, Pete Rock, and De La Soul, who made waves in the Golden Era of East coast hip hop. In terms of beat-making, the work of production legends such as Jay Dee (R.I.P), Madlib and 9th Wonder have been an inspiration to him.
His groundbreaking new album, First Second Time Around is out now on YNR Productions, and in an era when MCs spit aggy styles over grime and flirt with the trendy dance floor crowd, this ‘back to the roots’ work promises to catapult him into the realms of hip hop timelessness. Words by Andy Patton
Ricta will be performing with Idyllic and DJ Loop Skywalker.
Plus Beatniks Record Shack in the foyer and Spectro DJs in the bar.
Alcohol Author
