Inspired by the sounds of MC GQ on tapes from seminal raves such as AWOL and Roast, SP:MC first picked up the mic around the age of 16. His first residency came soon after, following a chance meeting at London’s Metalheadz club night with the promoters of a night called Subway. After hearing a demo CD the long-running Chelmsford crew made SP their resident MC, where he would host for often 4-5 hours a night at their monthly events. By consistently impressing both the regular crowds and guest DJs, SP:MC quickly earned a reputation that would lead him on to working with some of the best artists in the scene.
MC GQ made him resident at his own Emcee Monthly Sessions in London and, with his support, SP further raised his profile. After performing once alongside DJ Friction, the pair began to link regularly at Renegade Hardware nights around early 2002. An enduring partnership was born and with electrifying high-energy sets, matched to the venue and the vibe of the night, they’ve made regular appearances for promoters ranging from Hospitality to Valve to Friction’s own Shogun Audio nights in London and Brighton.
Diversity has been the key to SP:MC’s success so far and he has also represented labels including Exit, Commercial Suicide, Prototype, Bassbin, Good Looking, Metalheadz, Quarantine, Digital Soundboy and Soul:r. In 2003, he was nominated for ’Best Breakthrough MC’ at the Knowledge D&B Awards and has since received nominations for ‘Best MC’ from BBC 1Xtra and Drum & Bass Arena; proof that his appeal is wide-ranging and isn’t restricted to any one corner of the scene.
Above all else, SP:MC has a genuine passion for music that shines through whether performing live or in the studio. He first began producing in 2005 and, exercising the same quality control as he does on the mic, has built up a steady catalogue of releases. Collaborations with Breakage (’Shadow’ on Breakage’s debut LP, and ’The Lurgie’ on Shogun Audio) and fellow MC/producer, Verse, (’Surrender’, ’Border Patrol’, and ’Lost Souls’) set the standard, with support from some of drum & bass’ heavy hitters including DJ Friction, Andy C, Goldie and Marcus Intalex. More recently, he’s been working with Jubei and Dakuan as Code3 with releases for Shogun (‘Delta’ b/w Escape Hatch’) and Coded Music (‘Payload’) and singles for Critical and Exit slated for release in the coming year.
With a deep understanding of beats and bass whatever the tempo, SP:MC has also made waves across the dubstep community with two singles for Tempa alongside Joker D, including the massive ‘Trust Nobody.’ There’s more to come in 2010, with dubplate material receiving support from leading selectors including Youngsta and Loefah.
A busy tour schedule has taken SP:MC worldwide in 2009, with appearances in Japan, the USA and Australia & New Zealand among others. In 2010 he’ll be keeping up the pressure no doubt and as MC of choice for DJ Friction, dBridge, Breakage and Youngsta, it’s no surprise that he’s in constant demand when held in such high regard by the DJs he works with.
