DOOM
Hudson Mohawke
Jamie xx
Dels
Illum:Sphere
Hoya:Hoya DJs

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Underground hip hop legend,  the man in the mask himself Doom will be appearing live at WHP2010 as part of his first ever UK tour. The near mythical MC has only ever appeared once in the UK before, performing an incendiary show at London’s Roundhouse earlier this year which sold out in a matter of hours. For many this will finally be the first opportunity to see him perform in the flesh, after years of waiting.

Previously known as MF Doom, just one of his many guises such as Viktor Vaughn, Zev Love X or King Geedorah, Doom first started freestyling in disguise at open mic nights after the tragic death of his brother and label disputes led to the dissipation of his rap group KMD. In 1999 he emerged onto the scene with his famous mask, which has come to be an instantly recognisable symbol of this eccentric and truly unique artist. His critically acclaimed albums, production work for artists such as Wu Tang Clan’s Ghostface and high profile collaborations with the Madlib and Dangermouse for the Madvillain and Dangerdoom projects have seen him rise to the very pinnacle of the independent hip hop scene, with an almost god-like status amongst his fans.

The night also marks the debut of Jamie XX’s Warehouse Project residency. Although primarily known as one of the brightest young producers in the UK, his recent mixes for Radio 1’s Annie Mac and Parisian label Colette were both examples of his immaculate selection and skill as a DJ.

• DOOM
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  • Born Daniel Dumile in 1971, Doom was raised in New York in the 80’s. The tragic death of his brother in a car accident cut short their promising career with rap group KMD  just before the release of their controversial Black Bastards album, and DOOM spent the next few years in the wilderness, too distressed and bitter about his treatment at the hands of record label Elektra to perform. In 1997, however, he began to rap again, performing in disguise at established freestyle events in New York. It was during this period that he formed his MF DOOM identity complete with trademark metal mask, fashioned after the Marvel Comics villain Dr. DOOM. His self produced debut, Operation DOOMSDAY, gained praise for his idiosyncratic production style, eccentric lyrics and surrealistic, stream of consciousness flow.

    It was not until his collaborations with Madlib and Dangermouse though that he received a wider audience, with tracks like Madvillain’s Accordion and Dangerdoom’s Sofa King becoming huge crossover successes. The first Madvillainy album was described by Pitchfork as one of the most anticipated hip hop albums ever, and received an almost unprecedented 9.4 rating. As well as often producing for and collaborating with Ghostface Killah, DOOM has worked extensively with the surreal Adult Swim television network, often referencing cartoons such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force in his lyrics. He is set to release a live album, tentatively entitled Expektoration in September 2010.

     
• Jamie xx
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  • Founding member of the acclaimed London trio The xx, Jamie Smith has recently come into his own as a solo artist in his own right. Turning down internationally acclaimed producers such as Diplo to produce his band’s debut himself, his understated approach perfectly suited the bands ethereal and haunting sound, and the album received unanimously glowing reviews in the media.

    His reworking of Florence and The Machine’s You’ve Got The Love was one of the standout remixes of the last decade, a stunningly original take on the song that encompassed UK garage, dubstep, detroit techno and glitchy electronica into one unified whole, a startling re-imagining of a simplistic pop song. Further remixes of the xx’s own Basic Space and Jack Peñate demonstrated the young producers’ gift for recontextualising the sounds of garage and techno with guitar based songs. His much lauded 5 minute mini mix for Annie Mac on Radio 1 at the start of this year, featuring artists such as Burial, Joker, Flying Lotus and Skream amongst others, made clear his wide knowledge of contemporary dubstep and post-UK garage music, as well as his seamless ability as a DJ. He is currently working on solo material, as well as The xx’s highly anticipated follow up to their debut.

     
• Dels
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  • Up and coming UK rapper Dels was discovered by Hot Chip’s Joe Goddard, who was so impressed with the young artist’s unique style that he offered to produce tracks for him such as latest single Shapeshift, a dark sixties-tinged electronic banger. Dels has also worked with up and coming artists such as Kwes, Micachu and Sampha, with his debut album set to drop next year. Citing influences as diverse as Grace Jones, Joy Division and Björk, his idiosyncratic style and thoughtful lyrical content sets him far apart from most of his UK hip hop peers.
     
• Hoya:Hoya residents
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  • Jonny Dub is one of the founding members and resident of the highly respected Hoya Hoya night, previously running the Sketch City night, a meeting place for artists, illustrators and musicians in Manchester. Known as one of the most eclectic and passionate DJs in the city, he appears all over Manchester playing highly varied sets of hip hop, garage, dubstep, reggae and more at nights such as Hit and Run.
     
• Hudson Mohawke
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  • One of the most exciting producers to come out of the UK in recent years, and also one of the hardest to pinpoint musically, HudMo as he has come to be known, is a true original. His productions are a hyper, day glo mix of hip hop, futuristic soul, forward thinking dubstep, techno, miami bass, r’n’b and countless other sub-genres. Fuse, perhaps his best known track, is a prime example, a strange, almost Eastern sounding synth melody over 808 claps, huge crashing chords, tribal drums and thick, heavy bass, it manages to recall the Aphex Twin, Timbaland, Kraftwerk and Dilla in just over three minutes. Signed to Warp, his debut album Butter last year was a huge critical success. A member of Glasgow’s acclaimed Lucky Me collective, he is rumoured to be producing music for the likes of Bloc Party’s Kele and Erykah Badu, and his essential mix for Radio 1 last year was a hectic, kaleidoscopic tour de force  featuring the likes of the Pharcyde, Carl Cox, Joy Orbison, Lil Wayne, longtime friend and collaborator Rustie and many of his own productions.