Genod Droog
Encyclopedia
Genod Droog were a hip hop
, indie, pop
band from Wales
, which was formed in 2005 by Carwyn Jones, Gethin Evans, Dylan Roberts, Aneirin Karadog and Ed Holden, and split up on November 16, 2008.
, a successful Welsh language
hip hop
group, which split up in the winter of 2004.
Dylan Roberts, Gethin Evans and Carwyn Jones attended Ysgol Eifion Wyn and Ysgol Eifionydd and have been friends from an early age. Carwyn Jones was a DJ, DJing under the name DJ Kermit and DJ Kim De Bills to which he still now referred to within the band. Gethin Evans has played drums for a few groups the most successful would be Kentucky AFC until their split in 2007 and latterly Yucatan. Ed Holden i
was a DJ, rapper, producer and beat boxer and knew Dylan through Coleg Menai in Bangor and had several side projects since they met in 1999, most notable Invisible Ninja Storm, Y Soffas and Pep Le Pew. Aneirin Karadog found Ed Holden through freestyle battles in Eisteddfod and subsequently joined the band having been in bands with Ed such ad the Syn-D-Cut and Y Diwygiad (The Reformation)
Dylan Roberts or Dyl Mei, as he is known, is a producer from Porthmadog
and has been awarded several BBC Radio Cymru
C2
awards for best producers for albums such as Baccta Crackin by Texas Radio Band and 'Un tro yn y gorllewin' by Pep Le Pew
. He also has recorded music from many other bands during his time at Blaen-y-Cae studio, Garndolbenmaen. Between the five of them they decided that there was a place within the Welsh music scene to make a band that was entertaining as well as musically original.
Their first gig was with Drymbago and MC Saizmundo at the Railway Club in Bangor
and have since been gigging all over Wales
with the a few exceptions of gigs in England. Most notable gig outside of Wales was in the Barfly
, London
as part of the first BBC Electric Proms
festivals, where the band worked with Gill Edwards and Ensemble Cymru on two songs.
An early recording of Breuddwyd Oer featuring Gwyneth Glyn
on vocals appeared on Dan y Cownter 2 compilation in 2006.1
They went on to win best live and most popular band awards by the BBC Cymru C2 Rock and Pop (RAP) awards and were regarded as one of the best live bands in the Welsh language scene, because of their use of balloons, streamers and party atmosphere they produce during their live performances. Their biggest audience gig to date is a headlining the Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
in 2007, held annually at Dolgellau.
The band were nominated as best live Welsh language act with Euros Childs
, Sibrydion
and Radio Luxembourg at the 2007 Pop Factory Awards, held at the Coal Exchange, Cardiff
.
The Album
'Ni oedd y Genod Droog' was released on August the 4th 2008. The album
was released, with a limted edition run that came with red filtered glasses, which enabled the buyer to see hidden pictures on the cover. 'Ni oedd y Genod Droog' was launched on the 19th of September 2008 at Porthmadog. Before the launch the band announced their intention to split after their performance at Huw Stephens
's Sŵn
Festival on November 16, 2008.
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, indie, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, which was formed in 2005 by Carwyn Jones, Gethin Evans, Dylan Roberts, Aneirin Karadog and Ed Holden, and split up on November 16, 2008.
History 2005 - 2008
Genod Droog was born as a result of the desire of Ed Holden and Dylan Roberts to start performing live after Pep Le PewPep Le Pew
Pep Le Pew were a five-piece Welsh-language hip-hop group that formed in Porthmadog, Gwynedd in 1999. Their first single, 'Y Mwyafrif' was released on Fitamin Un in 2001, and rapidly garnered critical acclaim; the band released their debut album, Y Da, Y Drwg ac Yr Hyll on their own laebl in 2002...
, a successful Welsh language
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
group, which split up in the winter of 2004.
Dylan Roberts, Gethin Evans and Carwyn Jones attended Ysgol Eifion Wyn and Ysgol Eifionydd and have been friends from an early age. Carwyn Jones was a DJ, DJing under the name DJ Kermit and DJ Kim De Bills to which he still now referred to within the band. Gethin Evans has played drums for a few groups the most successful would be Kentucky AFC until their split in 2007 and latterly Yucatan. Ed Holden i
was a DJ, rapper, producer and beat boxer and knew Dylan through Coleg Menai in Bangor and had several side projects since they met in 1999, most notable Invisible Ninja Storm, Y Soffas and Pep Le Pew. Aneirin Karadog found Ed Holden through freestyle battles in Eisteddfod and subsequently joined the band having been in bands with Ed such ad the Syn-D-Cut and Y Diwygiad (The Reformation)
Dylan Roberts or Dyl Mei, as he is known, is a producer from Porthmadog
Porthmadog
Porthmadog , known locally as "Port", and historically rendered into English as Portmadoc, is a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, in Wales. Prior to the Local Government Act 1972 it was in the administrative county of Caernarfonshire. The town lies east of...
and has been awarded several BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru
BBC Radio Cymru is BBC Cymru's Welsh-language radio station, broadcasting throughout Wales from studios in Cardiff, Bangor, and Aberystwyth on FM since 1977. At the time of its launch it was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK...
C2
C2 (radio)
C2 is a Welsh language music and youth strand on BBC Radio Cymru, broadcast on weeknights between 8pm and 1am from BBC Cymru's studios in Cardiff and Bangor....
awards for best producers for albums such as Baccta Crackin by Texas Radio Band and 'Un tro yn y gorllewin' by Pep Le Pew
Pep Le Pew
Pep Le Pew were a five-piece Welsh-language hip-hop group that formed in Porthmadog, Gwynedd in 1999. Their first single, 'Y Mwyafrif' was released on Fitamin Un in 2001, and rapidly garnered critical acclaim; the band released their debut album, Y Da, Y Drwg ac Yr Hyll on their own laebl in 2002...
. He also has recorded music from many other bands during his time at Blaen-y-Cae studio, Garndolbenmaen. Between the five of them they decided that there was a place within the Welsh music scene to make a band that was entertaining as well as musically original.
Their first gig was with Drymbago and MC Saizmundo at the Railway Club in Bangor
Bangor, Gwynedd
Bangor is a city in Gwynedd, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. It is a university city with a population of 13,725 at the 2001 census, not including around 10,000 students at Bangor University. Including nearby Menai Bridge on Anglesey, which does not however form part of...
and have since been gigging all over Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
with the a few exceptions of gigs in England. Most notable gig outside of Wales was in the Barfly
Barfly (club)
Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
as part of the first BBC Electric Proms
BBC Electric Proms
The BBC Radio 2 Electric Proms was an October music festival in London run by the BBC for five years, 2006-2010...
festivals, where the band worked with Gill Edwards and Ensemble Cymru on two songs.
An early recording of Breuddwyd Oer featuring Gwyneth Glyn
Gwyneth Glyn
Gwyneth Glyn is a Welsh language poet and musician.-Biography:Glyn was born in St David's Hospital in Bangor, and grew up at her family home in Llanarmon...
on vocals appeared on Dan y Cownter 2 compilation in 2006.1
They went on to win best live and most popular band awards by the BBC Cymru C2 Rock and Pop (RAP) awards and were regarded as one of the best live bands in the Welsh language scene, because of their use of balloons, streamers and party atmosphere they produce during their live performances. Their biggest audience gig to date is a headlining the Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau
Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau is a world music event held in the town of Dolgellau in Wales. The event was established in 1992, and was held in the town's streets. Since 2002, Sesiwn Fawr Dolgellau has been held on the Marian, a large grassy area next to Afon Wnion. There is a campsite provided for visitors...
in 2007, held annually at Dolgellau.
The band were nominated as best live Welsh language act with Euros Childs
Euros Childs
Euros Childs is a Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. His sister is the violinist Megan Childs...
, Sibrydion
Sibrydion
Sibrydion are a band based in Cardiff, originally from Waunfawr in north Wales, formed by the brothers Osian and Meilir Gwynedd , earlier from the band Big Leaves.-History:...
and Radio Luxembourg at the 2007 Pop Factory Awards, held at the Coal Exchange, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
The Album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
'Ni oedd y Genod Droog' was released on August the 4th 2008. The album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
was released, with a limted edition run that came with red filtered glasses, which enabled the buyer to see hidden pictures on the cover. 'Ni oedd y Genod Droog' was launched on the 19th of September 2008 at Porthmadog. Before the launch the band announced their intention to split after their performance at Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens
Huw Stephens is a radio presenter currently broadcasting shows on BBC Radio 1.-Early life and career:Stephens was born in Cardiff, Wales, the son of the author and literary journalist Meic Stephens...
's Sŵn
Swn
The Sŵn Festival is a music festival curated by BBC Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens and Cardiff-based promoter John Rostron, which takes place annually in Stephens' hometown of Cardiff, Wales. The first Sŵn Festival took place on the 9–11 November 2007...
Festival on November 16, 2008.
Band name
- 'Genod' means 'girls' in WelshWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
. - Droog is a corruption of the Welsh word "drwg" (bad), but also inspired by the droogs of A Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork OrangeA Clockwork Orange is a 1962 dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess. The novel contains an experiment in language: the characters often use an argot called "Nadsat", derived from Russian....
. The logo for the band was also inspired by the imagery in the film/book.
Awards
- 2006 Nominated 'Best live Welsh band' at the Pop Factory Awards
- 2007 Nominated 'Best live Welsh band' at the Pop Factory Awards
- 2007 BBC Radio Cymru Gwobrau RAP / BBC Cymru RAP Awards - Best live band
- 2007 BBC Radio Cymru Gwobrau RAP / BBC Cymru RAP Awards - Most popular band voted by the listeners
Discography
- 2006 — Dan y Cownter 2 — Welsh language board compilation
- 2008 - Ni Oedd y Genod Droog - Slacyr Records