Matt Henshaw-The Firepit EP
i n f o
encoder......: Lame 3.98 V0
bitrate/ size: avg.22,8 MB
source.......: CDDA
n o t e s
label........: n/a
releasedate..: 00.00.0000
url..........: www.matthenshaw.com
Here it is ... bringing the fire to the main stage
and your bedroom !
Record features Matt Henshaw, ReggiiMental and
Radio 1 and Mike Skinner's new favourite rapper Joey
G-Zus (special guest - Track 5).
December 2008. Following the final show by
indie/blues band Censored for a packed-to-the-rafters
Nottingham crowd whose rallying cries for encores went
unanswered, front man Matt Henshaw retreats into
hibernation, away from the music business.
Over the space of a few months, Matt saw his
lifeÆs dream implode in an alcohol-fuelled, clichΘ-
ridden mess of affairs. In short, it all went a bit
Spinal Tap. And he wanted out.
So, exasperated by a year of alcohol dependency,
band in-fighting, struggles against the confines of
unimaginative industry labelling, and the bitter
dissolution of several personal relationships, Matt
decided to go away, not bothered about ever again
picking up another guitar nor singing another note.
And for over a year, he didnÆt.
Easter 2010. Having switched his more rockÆnÆroll
vices for the, decidedly not so, habits of drinking
copious amounts of tea and garden-tending, a long-
sober Matt falls in with UK hip-hop stalwart
ReggiiMental. And, after sufficient prodding, ego
stroking and jerk-chicken laced bribery, Matt
resignedly agrees to do some vocals on a track for the
Birmingham rapperÆs upcoming album release. The two
instantly bond over a love of Michael KeatonÆs Batman
and a passion for old-school soul, reggae and hip-hop.
Then, within a shockingly short space of time, a burst
dam let flow a wave of neglected creativity and the
two emerge from the basement studio with a bundle of
songs combining ReggiiÆs rapping with MattÆs blue-eyed
soul and they dubbed it, The Deepest Cellar.
With both artists being names of some repute in
their respective music scenes, the album quickly
circulated amongst friends and peers and was picked up
in the underground UK hip hop press within weeks and
bigger publications shortly thereafter. In fact, NME
selected Matt and four other bands over thousands of
artists to compete in a public vote via their NME
Breakthrough community. And thus, within two months of
beginning to sing again, Matt was voted by NME readers
to open the main stage at LondonÆs Lovebox festival.
With artists such as Plan B and Janelle Monae
adopting a similar aesthetic of mixing modern hip hop
with classic soul stylings, Matt HenshawÆs sound has
found itself on the forefront of a possible new genre,
one he and Reggiimental have christened with the
moniker B-Boy Soul. The Deepest Cellar is a prime
example of such deft genre mixing and goes even
further to incorporate reggae, northern soul, dub and
dance influence and sampling into the tracks. The
lyrics jump from the politically charged to the moral
and uplifting, all supported by a myriad of guest
rappers with MattÆs blue-eyed rock/soul timbres being
the only constant.
MattÆs musical biography is already so
fascinating, convoluted and beyond his years that, at
only 22, his song-writing belies a depth and maturity
that could only have come with experience and the
completion of the full-circle journey that brings
every artist into their own. And with a stockpile of
material waiting to be plucked from the shelf, plus
another album near completion already, MattÆs pop-
potential still lays virtually untapped.
d a t a
# t r a c k n a m e t i m e
01- The Fire Pit (feat. ReggiiMental) [03:41]
02- Get Down [02:44]
03- Get Me Some [03:24]
04- When I Close My Eyes [02:28]
05- The World's Gone Mad (feat. Joey G-Zus) [03:14]
22,8 m e g s t o t a l [15:31]