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Def Tex (Live - Hip-hop)

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. 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 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. The boys proved they were in it for the long term.

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', 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

2001 saw the release of their sublime debut album 'SERENE BUG', loved by those who listened, and 2002 took them out on the road, earning new respect as one of the tightest live hip-hop bands around, full stop. And now here we are, and they've got a spanking new EP with 3 tracks of pure deep freshness.

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