DJ Nonames
Location:
London, UK
Biography:
Turntablist and a founder member of international rap crew ‘Foreign Beggars’, DJ Nonames has been DJ’ing for eight years, first gaining experience playing out whilst studying at QMW, University of London. Working from grass roots, DJ Nonames was a finalist in the Juice national student DJ championships, cultivating his reputation playing regularly alongside DJ Kevlar (Kung Fu) and Excalibah on internet radio station Ghia live on ‘Homegrown’ at the Vibe bar. Since then, Nonames has gone on to establish himself as one of the frontrunners of the UK hip hop DJ fraternity, with performances at club spots in London over the years including residencies at Bar Rhumba, Ginglik, CeCe Club, Herbal, Catch22, as well as playing at Shepherds Bush Empire, Fabric, Kung Fu, The Junction, Cargo, Tea Bar, the Light Bar, Hammersmith Palais, Sprite Urban festival, Sure IDJ stand at Earls Court PLASA sound exhibition, at the annual Trace magazine party and a Foreign Beggars showcase at the 2005 DMC World Finals. Television appearances include a feature with Foreign Beggars on the BBC 2 programme Desi DNA, as well as appearing live on Channel 4 twice. Other notable performances include DJ’ing at the Faith Evans ‘1st Lady’ album launch party at Café de Paris, flying to India to play at VH1’s ‘hip hop hustle’ in Delhi and Bombay, and a solo show in the town center in Mostar, Bosnia in front of 5,000 people. Appearances on Radio 1 include a showcase with beatboxer Shlomo live on Annie Mac’s show, a Foreign Beggars showcase on the Ras Kwame show earlier in 2006, and most recently on Tim Westwood’s Friday night rap show. DJ Nonames and Orifice (Foreign Beggars) also currently co-host ‘Mic Check’ on BBC Asian Network (www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork). Broadcast every Saturday night between 22:00 and 24:00 on the BBC Asian network, the show is a mix of the finest new UK hip hop and grime, with artist showcases every week. As well as appearing on Foreign Beggars and Focused Few releases, DJ Nonames’ scratches appear on productions from LoTek, Skrein and the Mode remix of Gorillaz ‘Tomorrow never dies.’ In between touring and recording, Nonames is active in projects to help the younger generations, especially the underprivileged, through charity shows and through DJ tutoring, encouraging them in something that many feel motivated towards – music.
H3. Focused Few In the year 2000 he met a group of south London musicians and formed ‘Focused Few’, a hip hop band consisting of live bass, drums, keys, turntables and vocalists/mc’s. Their debut 12”, ‘Mars and Back,’ (available on Dented Records, www.dentedrecords.com) captures the band’s unique sound, featuring band members Audra Nishita (Macy Gray, Plantlife), and Aurelius (Lotek HiFi, Big Dada). Focused Few have played at spots in and around London and their prolific gig schedule includes gigs at Jazz Café, 93 Feet East, Hackney Ocean and festivals around the UK.
H3. Foreign Beggars Voted “Best group” and winners of “Best single” at the Lyric Pad hip hop awards 2005, Foreign Beggars are a five man crew comprising of rappers Orifice Vulgatron and Metropolis, DJ Nonames, Beat Boxer Shlomo and Producer Dag Nabbit. The crew have released a slew of 12”s and Ep’s and really made their mark after independently releasing their critically acclaimed, debut LP Asylum Speakers. Foreign Beggars have collaborated and toured with the cream of UK’s hip hop movement, with forthcoming projects with Dj Sparo, Dj Vadim, Dudley Perkins, WildChild (Lootpack), OHNO, Dj IQ, Dj Mentat and Euphrates. Foreign Beggars are also renowned for their explosive live performances, which recently saw them tear down Glastonbury, Fabric and Hip Hop Kemp in Prague. They have supported Public Enemy, Roots Manuva, Talib Kweli, Beatnuts, Masta Ace, Grand Master Flash, Wu Tang, Asian Dub Foundation, Last Emperor, Mark Ronson, SkinnyMan, Blak Twang and many more. Foreign Beggars’ second album ‘Stray Point Agenda’ is scheduled for release in September 2006.
Review:
In his upcoming release, ‘Beggars Brew,’ DJ Nonames presents some of the illest underground hip hop, showcasing some of the genre’s best known and unsung talent from home and across the pond. The mixtape is a unique blend of UK, US, released, and unreleased, live and instrumental hip hop, seamlessly scratched and mixed by Foreign Beggars’ own DJ Nonames. With a wide variety of styles represented, the compilation features U.S joints from Declaime, Madlib, Dilla, Diceraw, Pharcyde, Harry Love, Dag Nabbit, and Blackalicious, with UK exclusives from Orifice, Ghost and Kashmere, Stig, Ido, Dr.Syntax, Skrein, Wordsmith and 3face. The selection of cuts includes exclusive material alongside some classic underground releases of the past few years, with more than a hint of some future releases to be seen on Dented Records.
In an age where the mixtape has become a quick fit excuse for a poor album, DJ Nonames brings it back to the essence and serves you a slice of true underground artistry, straight from the nook and cranny. DJ Nonames’ impeccable track selection and bonafide cuts make ‘Beggars Brew’ a compilation for all the family, from thugs to backpackers to Mum.
Links:
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/djnonames