cDr|m's

artist    :: Def Tex
release   :: Serene Bug
year      :: 2001
genre     :: Hip-Hop
label     :: Son Records
catalogue :: SONCD08
website   :: http://www.sonrecords.com/

ripper    :: HEiJOPEi
date      :: 21-jun-2001
quality   :: 192kbps/44,100hz
source    :: Compact Disc

01 Poetic Speech Techniques                                    5:15
02 Hey Tune In (featuring DPF)                                 4:17
03 North Westerly Winds (featuring Juice Aleem)                4:26
04 They Knew Us                                                3:24
05 What's The Situation?                                       3:55
06 Synchronise (featuring DPF)                                 5:06
07 Rare Ride                                                   3:57
08 Breathe Deep                                                2:49
09 Fresh Air (featuring Ezra & Cappo)                          4:56
10 Toes Are Sinking                                            5:07
11 Hold That Thought (featuring DPF)                           1:30
12 Into The Future                                             3:15
13 Turntable For Two (featuring DJ Plus One)                   3:37
14 I Don't Know                                                4:27
15 Rock The Beat (featuring Huntkillbury Finn & TY)            3:51
16 Sing Sad Songs                                             10:10

playtime  :: 01h 10m 02s

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.

//www.sonrecords.com

greetings :: sb, qdp, sour, dps, rac, dh, sfe, hbz, tr, igr and mgc

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