3 London Based Independent Hip Hop Producers You Should Know
Theres nothing so-so cause I know
Anatomy: Anatomy can best be described as the glue behind numerous Melanin 9 projects and singles released to date. The Londoner produced 5 out of 12 tracks on the 2012 release, “Magna Carta” with each beat drawing from different influences such as Jazz and Fusion music genres. The songs seemed to carry a similar tone making the album a more seamless experience.
The song “Red Snow” for example, has a haunting but melodic piano sample providing context to M9's verses, while the drum loop (crate diggers might be familiar with it) gets listeners heads rocking almost instantly. With the underground success of songs like “White Russian” It will be interesting to see where he ventures into next.
Jewbei: With production credits ranging from music for Boston based MC Reks to Ontario based MC Shad, It could be hard to believe that a younger Jewbei was making beats behind a bike shed. His resourcefulness gives a glimpse into how several new gen producers have created a lane for themselves outside of the multi-billion pound UK music industry.
While patterns and techniques of producers like DJ Premier and Pete Rock seem to influence his production, Jewbei keeps his sounds fresh through experimentation on numerous remix projects he’s been involved in (in a similar vein to Madlib’s Beat Konducta Series). If you haven’t heard some of the beats he dedicated to artists like Don Blackman and George Duke, I strongly recommend you do so now.
Hey!Zeus (of Obba Supa): Although many UK artists use the term experimental to escape being pigeonholed with their music, Hey!Zeus is one of the few creatives based here that can stake legitimate claim to championing that style of Hip Hop. Like most forward thinking independent artists he started up his own label “Chakra Sounds” alongside DJ Evil Ed in 2010.
He’s also built up a strong body of work through the production duties on multiple Obba Supa releases. Stylistically, he uses purpose driven, off beat drum patterns and strange bar structures for melodies akin to some of the Jazz music he had grown up on. You only have to look to songs like “Barefaced” where a lush saxophone loop, provides a smooth backdrop for fellow OS member, Teknical Development’s abstract raps.
