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Runaways U.K.
- Avg user rating:
Out of 11 votes - Similar Artists: Dubtribe Sound System, Afro-Mystik, Basement Jaxx
Out of 11 votes
- Location: London, United Kingdom
- Genre: Electronic & Dance » Club/Dance
Editor's review
Before Dizzee Rascal, The Streets, and Audio Bullys, there was Runaways UK--a duo who trudged for 14 years through a previously lackluster scene 'cross the pond. Fusing electrofied breaks with funked-out brass and well-placed samples, their rhymes are on time and surprisingly not overstylized.
Biography
AJ Kwame and Joseph 2 Grand are the Runaways UK, a duo who have spent their 14 year partnership on the run from musical mediocrity.
In 1995 AJ & Joe changed both name and label, becoming the Runaways and finding a new home in Ultimate Dilemma Recordings. Highly acclaimed singles led the way to their debut LP Classic Tales, a musical tour de force that was the culmination of the Runaways quest to forge a truly British hip-hop sound. The album featured striking cover art in the form of a painting of a calming, typically English pastoral scene. This attention to presentation has been carried over to Progress, their 2nd album, where the duo have enlisted the help of the Turner Prize winning artist Chris Ofili in exclusively providing a unique cover artwork. This album also features a diverse collection of very special guests Masta Ace, Iriscience, J zone, Tiye Phoenix, Sylvia Powell and Matt Cooper(Outside).
The duo Runaways and their sounds have traveled worldwide and forged relationships with a host of like-minded artists. Its golden remix touch has graced tracks from DJ Zinc, Doctor L and Emiliana Torrini, Cyclops 4000, Sir Menelik, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Kid Loco, Killer Priest, Flash and the Pan, Belles of Monica, Pressure Drop. And exclusive tracks for labels like Catskills, Blue Juice, Grand Central, Nuphonic and Three Sixty Records.
The Runaways are the creators of the theme music for the award winning radio show ‘London Xpress’ on XFM 105,9 FM, which they often play.
In tandem with their studio recordings, AJ and Joe have built a fanatical following through their club gigs. Taking their four decks DJ show right across the world with dates in Europe, America, Australia and South Africa, as well as various residencies in the UK, the Runaways' sound have rocked clubs across the globe.
They are residents weekly in London at ‘Catch the Beat’,Fez Club, Putney and Po Na Na Cub in Brighton playing HipHop and funk with turntable scratching brilliance. They are also monthly residents at ‘Get Lifted’ Islington, SUGA in Hoxton, London.
The boys have also been exploring the most experimental side of their music performing LIVE with 21 piece 'The Orchestra': AJ on electric bass and Joe 2 Grand on turntables: a new series of interactive collaborations the Runaways are developing throughout 2005 and beyond, with shows worldwide.
