MC Conrad, acclaimed drum’n’bass vocalist, dies aged 52 | Music

MC Conrad, the vocalist who helped broaden and deepen the scope for jungle and drum’n’bass through the Nineties and past, has died aged 52. The information was confirmed by his company Clinic Expertise, who paid tribute saying: “One of the vital recognisable and best-loved voices in D&B, he leaves behind him an unmatched legacy.”

No reason behind demise has been given for the artist, born Conrad Thompson, who was celebrated for his dexterity on the mic, his singing skill, and affinity with the jazzier finish of the style’s spectrum together with in collaborations with producers corresponding to LTJ Bukem and PFM.

Thompson began out as a hip-hop MC however, as he informed it, he struggled till “the smiley face rave crew have been like, ‘Hey include us’. So I grew to become a raver.” He developed singing alongside high-tempo rapping, and have become the perfect foil for British producer LTJ Bukem, who was exploring how jazz fusion might interface with bass music. Thompson grew to become a key voice for Bukem’s label Good Wanting Information, and at their membership residency Velocity at London’s Mars Bar, performing alongside scene mainstays corresponding to Fabio.

He and Bukem collaborated on an entry within the BBC’s Important Combine collection, and launched a landmark album in 1998, Development Periods 1, that led to the pair being considered one of many quintessential DJ-MC combos in British dance music.

Thompson quickly started touring internationally, and later developed a producer alias, Con*Pure, in addition to his personal label, Resonance. He was a champion of digital distribution, and have become an early advocate of DJ podcasting in 2013. Later hits within the drum’n’bass scene got here with producers corresponding to Makoto and Whole Science.

The drum’n’bass scene has paid tribute, with DJ-producer Peshay calling Thompson “a really distinctive MC in dnb from day one!! Had his personal sound and magnificence and was liked and revered worldwide”. Steppa known as him “a really gifted legend of the scene, one of many good guys, and gone far too quickly”, whereas promoters Drum’n’BassArena mentioned: “He set the blueprint for generations of MCs along with his signature type and introduced a lot soul to this music.”