ARTIST INFO

It's an old cliché that opposites attract, but one that's rarely appropriate in the field of music where 'musical differences' are more commonly cited as grounds for divorce. It's all the more surprising then that two such disparate worlds should collide and that the fallout would be an album that wipes the floor with the competition before rubbing their noses in it for good measure.The Black Grass story is centred on Brighton, where Mex and Carl Faure currently reside. Mex originally hails from Fulham, is 34 and has a deep and abiding love for hip hop and the breaks that fuel it. His Clockwork Voodoo Freaks alter ego found favour with compilers from 'On The Floor At The Boutique' to Fat City's 'Mystic Brew' series. He was also resident at Brighton's revered hip hop throwdown, Knowledge Of Self. Carl - a Brummie by birth - is almost ten years his junior, having a background in drum & bass and nu jazz. Having met in a Brighton record shop, the two decided to pool their resources and find out what each had to offer the other.It's not been without its difficulties (either will still change the record the moment the other nips to the toilet) but together these two have made an album - self-titled, in the grand tradition of classic debuts - that embraces the best that modern music has to offer. The concept of eclecticism has been worn out by those who barely know the meaning of the word but anyone who loves hip hop, jazz, soul, chill out (if you must), reggae, house, boogie or UK garage will find something for themself in this. And anyone who believes that the best music is born in nightclubs and nurtured by an open mind has just found a companion for life.Of course, you have to do more than simply dip your brush in a few different palettes to paint a masterpiece. Mex and Carl don't just tackle a variety of sources; they do them all with style. Take lead single 'Reprise', which melds that menacing bass sound beloved of UK garage with the live horns of The Gobstoppers. Or 'Toys' (a tip of the hat to a Souls Of Mischief classic), with its lush landscape and teasing west coast harmonies. Guests include UK hotshot Blak Twang on 'Easy' and Bambaata's son, TC Iz paying tribute to his papa on 'Bang'. Best of all, lend an ear to the basslines of 'Control' and 'Going Home' - both of which are bolstered by the awesome vocals of one Ra Khahn, and ask yourself when you last heard a 'reserved white Australian' sing with such soul.Both Carl and Mex know that the secret of soul is not where you expect it but where you find it, a fact underlined by the success of their past club nights 'Grass Roots' and 'The Funktion'. Now residing at Brighton's premier nightspot Audio, they share the turntable duties, playing across the board from hip hop to funk to nu-jazz to reggae and beyond.The Black Grass sound is a celebration of all that is great in 'club music'. Whether from behind the decks or with their live stage show, they will move your feet, soothe your spirit and stir your soul.