Scassa Monakee

Formed in 2003 at York University, Scassa Monakee were originally formed as a Jam Band, but it became clear over the first few hours of the first rehearsal that the future of the band lay in Drum n Bass, as the defining riff of Night Vision II was born. So the group turned into a live Drum n Bass band, realised theyd never get anywhere without a front man, and just to be on the safe side they got two - singer Lucy Taylor-Gee and MC Newshan, which allowed them to cover the Baby D remix of I Need Your Lovin, possibly the greatest song ever written by a human man. They entered York Universitys Battle of the Bands, and by all accounts wiped the floor with the opposition from the moment they first took to the stage. Later MC Newshan went to China for a bit, so they got in MC Gusto as well, a regular face on the Leeds DnB club scene.

Drawing on influences as diverse as Reprazent, Squarepusher, MJ Cole, Matmos, John Scofield Band, Outkast, Photek, and Fourtet, the sound breaks down boundaries between drum-and-bass, tech-funk, dancehall, soul, broken beats and two-step. It is electronic music but is crucially LIVE - no sequences or backing tracks, just raw dancefloor power. With a full traditional band lineup (vocs, drum kit, bass, guitars, electronics), Scassa Monakee bring the energy of a rock concert to the Drum and Bass stage.

What some people said;

"Magnificent!" DJ Yoda

"... Mystery and unlimited talent... quite simply the best thing that campus has seen or heard for ages" York Vision

"Lucy Taylor-Gee, effortlessly charmed the audience while the band skillfully moved from hard-hitting drum and bass to chilled-out jazz" Yorkshire Evening Press