Hardnoise
Encyclopedia
Hardnoise were one of the founding fathers of the British hip hop
scene, and - along with early label-mates Hijack - set the template for the UK hardcore
sound. The group only released a handful of singles, before reforming with a changed membership as Son of Noise.
, who signed the group to the label and rereleased "Untitled" (Music of Life
, 1990).
Following this release, Nyce D died due to sickle cell. A further single - "Mice In The Presence Of The Lion/Serve Tea Then Murder" (Music of Life, 1991) - came out to great acclaim, but shortly afterwards the group decided to go their separate ways. AJ continues to produce, and releases mixtapes on a regular basis, whilst Gemini worked with the group Bushkilla and went on to record under the name Bloodhound. TLP1 continues to write lyrics.
) and released the single "Son of Noise/Ill Justice" (Kold Sweat, 1991). The single was well received, but following disagreements with the record company over the use of the acapellas of their songs, the group parted company with Music of Life.
Son of Noise were quickly snapped up by Music of Life's main rivals, Kold Sweat, and released more singles and their debut album The Mighty Son of Noise (Kold Sweat, 1992). Whilst recording this album, they were joined by a fourth member - DJ Renegade, who previously DJed with UK legend Blade
and Most Dominant (the latter already with Kold Sweat from their promo "Pushed 2 Da Limit" (Kold Sweat, 1992)). The album was again well received, making good on the promise of the early singles (both as Son of Noise and as Hardnoise) and earning the group respect within the scene.
Following the release of the album, the group were still not completely satisfied with the attitude of their record company, and instead decided to leave. This time, instead of moving to one of the other burgeoning UK hip hop labels, they decided to finance their own recordings, as they had with the original "Untitled" (???, 1989) single. This led to the "Crazy Mad Flow/Retrocide" (Little Rascool, 1993) single and the album Access Denied: Bullshit and Politics Pt 1 (Little Rascool, 1996). These releases, however, weren't as well received - or indeed as well distributed - as their previous releases, and proved to be the group's last recordings.
However, the group are still together and working on joint projects, with none of them as yet leading to released material. The group are due to host an event in aide of DJ Swing (subject of a recent BBC
documentary, Brian Daley aka DJ Swing is suffering from Multiple Myeloma
and desperately in need of a bone marrow transplant
) at the Rococo Club in Leicester Square
in October 2005. Individually, the group continue to pursue solo projects, and DJ Son, Renegade and Mada are still DJing in the scene in London
- Renegade achieving success as one of the Scratch Perverts
. Mada also maintains a British hip hop website.
British hip hop
British hip hop is a genre of music, and a culture that covers a variety of styles of hip hop music made in the United Kingdom. It is generally classified as one of a number of styles of urban music...
scene, and - along with early label-mates Hijack - set the template for the UK hardcore
Hardcore hip hop
Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...
sound. The group only released a handful of singles, before reforming with a changed membership as Son of Noise.
Hardnoise
Whilst they were still at school, DJ Son, DJ Nyce D (real name Dennis Roberts) and TLP1 joined together to form Hardnoise, at that time little more than a crew of friends. When in college, they were joined by DJ AJ and Gemini, and they recorded their first tune - an unreleased song called "Pure Destructive Power" (Unreleased). Shortly afterwards, the group were joined by DJ Mada (real name Adam Pancho), the brother of founder member DJ Son. The group financed the cutting of their first single "Untitled" (white label, 1989), which quickly became an underground success. The single was heard by Music of LifeMusic of Life
Music of Life is a British independent dance music label formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy and Simon Harris. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No3 in the UK pop music charts Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label, they were offered a...
, who signed the group to the label and rereleased "Untitled" (Music of Life
Music of Life
Music of Life is a British independent dance music label formed in 1986 by two influential DJ remixers, Froggy and Simon Harris. Following several successful productions, one of which reached No3 in the UK pop music charts Harris and Froggy decided to launch their own label, they were offered a...
, 1990).
Following this release, Nyce D died due to sickle cell. A further single - "Mice In The Presence Of The Lion/Serve Tea Then Murder" (Music of Life, 1991) - came out to great acclaim, but shortly afterwards the group decided to go their separate ways. AJ continues to produce, and releases mixtapes on a regular basis, whilst Gemini worked with the group Bushkilla and went on to record under the name Bloodhound. TLP1 continues to write lyrics.
Son of Noise
Following the breakup of Hardnoise, Son and Mada continued the Hardnoise sound with a new band, Son of Noise. They were joined by Curoc (Q-Roc, recently departed from GunshotGunshot (band)
Gunshot was a British hip hop group, formed by MC Mercury, MC Alkaline, Q-Roc, DJ White Child Rix and DJ/MC Barry Blue in the area of Leyton in east London.-Career:...
) and released the single "Son of Noise/Ill Justice" (Kold Sweat, 1991). The single was well received, but following disagreements with the record company over the use of the acapellas of their songs, the group parted company with Music of Life.
Son of Noise were quickly snapped up by Music of Life's main rivals, Kold Sweat, and released more singles and their debut album The Mighty Son of Noise (Kold Sweat, 1992). Whilst recording this album, they were joined by a fourth member - DJ Renegade, who previously DJed with UK legend Blade
Blade (rapper)
Blade is a British rapper, born in the Armenian quarter of Iran and came to London when he was 7. His first single, Lyrical Maniac recorded in 1989, soon brought Blade to prominence in the fledgling British hip hop scene....
and Most Dominant (the latter already with Kold Sweat from their promo "Pushed 2 Da Limit" (Kold Sweat, 1992)). The album was again well received, making good on the promise of the early singles (both as Son of Noise and as Hardnoise) and earning the group respect within the scene.
Following the release of the album, the group were still not completely satisfied with the attitude of their record company, and instead decided to leave. This time, instead of moving to one of the other burgeoning UK hip hop labels, they decided to finance their own recordings, as they had with the original "Untitled" (???, 1989) single. This led to the "Crazy Mad Flow/Retrocide" (Little Rascool, 1993) single and the album Access Denied: Bullshit and Politics Pt 1 (Little Rascool, 1996). These releases, however, weren't as well received - or indeed as well distributed - as their previous releases, and proved to be the group's last recordings.
However, the group are still together and working on joint projects, with none of them as yet leading to released material. The group are due to host an event in aide of DJ Swing (subject of a recent BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary, Brian Daley aka DJ Swing is suffering from Multiple Myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
and desperately in need of a bone marrow transplant
Bone marrow transplant
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cell or blood, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells, or umbilical cord blood...
) at the Rococo Club in Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
in October 2005. Individually, the group continue to pursue solo projects, and DJ Son, Renegade and Mada are still DJing in the scene in 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...
- Renegade achieving success as one of the Scratch Perverts
Scratch Perverts
The Scratch Perverts are a collective of turntablist DJs from London, formed in 1996 by Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts and DJ Renegade.-Biography:The Scratch Perverts originally consisted of 4 members; Tony Vegas, Renegade, First Rate and Mr Thing. The Scratch Perverts later expanded to an 8-member...
. Mada also maintains a British hip hop website.
Discography
- The Mighty Son of Noise (Kold Sweat, 1992)
- Access Denied: Bullshit and Politics Pt 1 (Little Rascool, 1996)