Biography

One of U.K. garage's first true stars, MJ Cole's work has spanned Mercury Prize-nominated albums and a lengthy career as a remixer and producer. His widely praised 2000 debut Sincere was a landmark release for the genre, taking the pirate radio-bred sound aboveground by emphasizing its soul and R&B influences. Following 2003's Cut to the Chase, a guest-heavy set that touched on U.K. hip-hop and ragga, Cole remained busy remixing artists like Mariah Carey and Amy Winehouse, collaborating with artists ranging from Dizzee Rascal to Bruno Mars, and continually exploring rhythms with his solo EPs and singles. He returned to his classical roots with 2020's MJ Cole Presents Madrugada. While growing up in London, Cole studied the oboe and piano, ultimately earning a degree in music from City University. He also immersed himself in electronic music culture, working as a tape operator and engineer for the drum'n'bass label SOUR. Cole issued a breakbeat single as Morf in 1995. While working on Ramsey & Fen's 2-step remixes for Kym Mazelle in 1996, he caught the garage bug and worked on numerous productions as well as remixes for Soul II Soul, Goldie, Gwen McRae, Another Level, and State of Mind. He started releasing garage singles under his own name in 1997, and a few as Box Clever, including one of the first releases on Prolific Recordings, which he founded in 1998. Cole's song "Sincere," recorded using a sampler and Atari, was released via AM:PM the same year, and was one of the first Top 40-charting garage singles. Soon after, Cole signed to Gilles Peterson's Talkin' Loud label, which released the "Crazy Love" single in May 2000 and the full-length Sincere that July. The album's quick, crisp production style earned him a Brit Award nomination as well as a Mercury Prize nomination. Cole released another album, 2003's Cut to the Chase with Talkin' Loud, before leaving the label in 2004. That year, he began releasing a steady stream of singles and EPs on Prolific, issuing collaborations with Tubby T, Wiley, and Elisabeth Troy (who had previously sung on "Crazy Love"). During this time, he remixed artists such as Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and Mariah Carey, took his DJ set on the road, and composed music for television ad campaigns. His own Riddim EP appeared in 2010. Over the next several years, he co-wrote songs with Jimmy Napes and Sam Smith, remixed tracks by Jess Glynne and Adam F, and produced tracks for Dizzee Rascal and Katy B while also finding time to release his own music on the Panoramic EP. Lobster Boy Records issued the single "Alcatraz" in 2016. The following year, he returned with "Shelter" featuring Bruno Major, the DJ Zinc collaboration "Interbass," and the solo single "Pictures in My Head." The material kept on coming in 2018 with the Kojey Radical collaboration "Soak It Up," the Foundations EP, and "Waking Up" featuring Freya Ridings. 2020 saw Cole release his first album in 17 years, one he had always wanted to make. Inspired by his early classical background, Presents Madrugada, released on Decca, was an instrumental album of piano and strings with a soaring, transcendent, filmic quality. In 2021, Cole collaborated with Rudimental and Josh Barry on the single "Remember Their Names." ~ Heather Phares & Paul Simpson